As technology continues to evolve, so does printing technologies. Dye-sublimation printers allow you to print photo-lab-quality pictures in your own home. As the price of these types of printers go down, there are more and more digital-camera owners who are choosing to take advantage of this technology so that they are able to produce their images at home. In dye-sublimation printing, colors are not laid down like in inkjet printers as individual dots. Individual dts are able to be distinguished at a relatively close distance, making digital pictures look less realistic. If you looked inside of a dye-sublimation printer, you would see a long roll of transparent film that looks like sheets of red, blue, yellow, and gray colored cellophane stuck together end to end. There are solid dyes embedded in this film which correspond to the four basic colors used in printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The print head heats up as it passes over the film and causes the dyes to vaporize and permeate the glossy surface of the paper before they go back to solid form.

The main difference between this and other types of printing has to do with heat. The vaporized colors permeate the surface of the paper, creating a subtle gradation at the edges of every single pixel, rather than having the conspicuous border between dye and paper produced by inkjets. And since the color infuses the paper, it is also more resistant to fading and distortion over time. For many sign and graphic businesses, this quick and effective digital print method is replacing traditional screen-printing practices in order to have shorter production runs and for output that requires multiple colors and photographic imagery. If you are thinking about adding dye sublimation technology to your graphic business, here are some things you should know about this technology:

• There are many profitable things that can be sublimated- Snowboards, metal sheets, and floor mats can all be printed with this technology, as dye sublimation of both fabric and rigid materials is now possible due to wide-format printers that now enables the cost-effective customization of everything from large banners to ceramic tiles. Dye sublimation works by penetrating the surface of the substrate with ink, and man-made materials such as nylon, certain types of plastics, and polyester fabrics enable the bonding of ink when they are heated. This means that dye sublimation can produce beautiful and permanent colors that are embedded in the substrate or fabric, rather than being printed on the surface. Images on fabric will not fade or crack even after multiple washings, while they will not chip, peel, or scratch off of hard substrates. 
• Dye Sublimation Requires Different Machines- Printing is only the first step of the process in dye sublimation, and heat and pressure is also required. The 2-part process consists of printing graphics onto special transfer paper with sublimation inks and then using a heat press to transfer the ink-on-paper to the item you want to decorate

Print Big Miami is a top provider of super wide format printing and signage in the Miami area. Call Print Big Miami today for your high-quality, wide format printing needs!