Dye-sublimation printing technology was developed in 1957. In this printing technology, the print heads are heated as they pass through the film. This forces the solid dyes to vaporize and diffuse onto the glossy surface of the print media, which in turn creates a smooth gradation for each pixel at its edges.
The ribbon consists of three colored panels (cyan, magenta and yellow) and a blank panel to contain the lamination material that is used as the liner. The entire printing cycle is repeated four times, where the first three cycles place the colors on the medium to form a complete image, while the last to give a laminated surface. This is to prevent the dye from re-sublimating when exposed to warm conditions.
The inks used for this dye-sublimation printing are aqueous dye-sublimation ink and solvent dye-sublimation ink. The speed of the printer is decided by the speed at which the temperature in the heating elements changes. Heating the elements is generally easy using electrical current for heating. But cooling them to change from a darker color to a lighter one is more time consuming. Therefore, this requires a fan or heat sink as an accessory with the printer. Speed can be increased by using multiple heads so that one is cool while the other is running. Printers eject the finished copy only when it is completely dry.
Dye-sublimation printing is used in medical imaging, polyester fabric printing, and graphic proofing. The patterned fabric is washable as it will not affect the quality of the image. Photographers use these printers to print instant images with a laminate finish.