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Thermal Dye Transfer or Dye Sublimation
Thermal dye transfer is also known as dye sublimation. Sublimation is a chemical
process where a substance is changed directly from a solid to a gas without that
substance, becoming a liquid. Thermal dye transfer printing is a process that uses
sublimation in order to print full-color images on a variety of mediums, including
paper. Heat is used to vaporize the dye material, which immediately solidifies
once it comes in contact with the print medium. This type of printer makes it possible
to obtain an excellent quality picture with a relatively low printer resolution.
One of the first printers to use thermal dye transfer was Tektronix' "Phaser"
computer printers. Thermal dye transfer can also be used as an indirect printing process. An example
of this would be standard black and white laser printers, which use special transfer
toner that contains sublimation dyes that can later be permanently heat transferred
to T-shirts, hats, tote bags, mugs, puzzles and other surfaces. The dye ribbon for the thermal dye transfer printer has four separate panels, three
of which contain dyes for the primary colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow, and the
fourth panel contains a clear coating. This clear coating improves the image's
stability and permanence. In fact, with proper care and storage thermal prints
can last for generations. This process is so revolutionary that Kodak uses thermal printers for its picture
maker stations and also in their EasyShare printer docks. Thermal printing dyes
penetrate the paper, which means they don?t require drying time, and are fade resist.
In addition, the produces images produced have finer density gradations, and a more
photographic. Thermal dye transfer printers are also used in high-precision applications, such
as with medical imaging, and in the graphics/printing industry. More advanced thermal
printers use a laser to heat the dye ribbon, which more accurately transfers the
dye particles to the print media.
Small business guides: , Thermal Transfer Labels Guide.com |
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