Sublimation Dyes are very popular dyes that have printing applications. These are readily available in the market as inkjet ink, toner for laser printers, or as ribbons for the thermal-transfer printing.

Dye sublimation printing is a thermal process whereby color dyes are transferred from an ink ribbon onto, or rather into, the surface of a special substrate which is then laminated during the final stage of the process. During the printing process, the rollers move the paper and one of the colors together under the printer’s thermal head. The print head heats up as it passes over the film, causing the dyes to vaporize into a gas, the dye diffuses and permeate the surface of the paper, creating a gentle gradation at the edge of each pixel and produce a near photo quality print. After the first color the printer moves the paper out the way (most push the print out of the printer but some actually keep the print inside) in order to reset the roller for the next color. Once the process has gone through the three colors, the substrate makes one final pass to laminate the picture and the process is complete.