Patent ID: 7595909

Claim:
A heat transfer press for sublimate dye printing, comprising: a plurality of opposed platens, said platens containing at least one hole each and being urged together by a preloading force, a region outside said platens, an air source, means for delivering air from said source to said hole in each of said platens, means for heating at least one of said platens, a first layer of air-impermeable tissue containing a sublimate dye image, a textile or film to be printed, a second layer of air-impermeable tissue, said layers of tissue being disposed on both surfaces of said textile or film, thus forming a sandwich, said air from said source being arranged to compress said sandwich and urge said platens to separate from said sandwich as said air flows into said region, and a plurality of driven rolls for moving said sandwich between said platens, whereby when said air source delivers said air to said hole in each of said platens, said air passes through said hole and compresses said sandwich and said platens are urged to overcome said preloading force and separate from said sandwich so that said air can escape from between said platens and said sandwich into said region, thereby forming an air bearing and allowing said sandwich to pass freely between said platens when urged by said driven rolls, thereby causing said textile or film to be imprinted with said sublimate dye image.