Sublimation
Sublimation is Fascinating
Sublimation is the fascinating process by which ink is transferred onto paper and later onto something else via a printer. This doesnt sound terribly exciting until you begin to understand what makes sublimation different from what inkjet type printing does. Sublimation ink is a gas that is transformed into a solid without ever entering into a liquid state. Once its on the transfer paper and applied to a properly treated product, the ink actually bonds to the molecules its being applied to, making a perfect image that cannot be removed by any method. Sublimation is one of the many ways that companies take a photograph and transfer it to a mug or a t-shirt. Sublimation isnt the only way to transfer images and in some cases, its not even the ideal way. But in many cases, particularly when it comes to photography, sublimation printing is the best way.
There are certain precautions, though, particularly in industries where security is a big factor. Sublimation printers utilise dye panels that you can think of as being very slightly similar to old fashioned fax ribbon. The only similarity, though, is that after printing, the image that has been printed is produced in perfect, separate colour negatives that can be rolled out of the waste roll and viewed. For this reason, it is wise for printers to destroy the waste rolls of sublimation panels before they ever leave the facility they are being kept in. The rolls are stored in small plastic cartridges which means they will be visible for many, many years after being thrown away, making it a security risk for homeowners and businesses alike. Properly disposing of these waste cartridges, though, completely eliminates the risk and makes sublimation an ideal process for transferring photographs onto novelty items.
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