A printer that produces continuous-tone images that look like photographic film. Also called a "thermal dye printer," the print cartridge contains a cellophane ribbon with panels of dye the same size as the page to be printed. There are four panels for each print: one each of cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY) and a final clear coat that allows the print to be handled immediately without smudging. Special dye-receptive paper is used.
Because the same amount of ribbon is used no matter how much color is in the image, the cost of ribbon and paper is always the same per print. Consumables for dye sublimation printers generally cost more than for inkjet printers.
Heat Releases the Dyes
The paper and ribbon are passed together under the printhead for each color panel. The printhead contains thousands of heating elements that produce varying amounts of heat. The hotter the element, the more dye is released. By varying the temperature, shades of each color can be overlaid on top of each other. The dyes are transparent and blend into continuous-tone color.
The "sublimation" means that the dye turns into a gas without first turning into a liquid. See thermal wax transfer printer and printer.
Dye Sublimation Printing
The paper and ribbon are passed by the printhead. The ribbon is heated, and shaded dots of dye are transferred to the paper. The ribbon contains a panel of each color the same size as the page being printed.
The Ribbon
It takes all four ribbon panels (cyan, magenta, yellow and clear coat) in this dye sublimation ribbon to print one 4x6" photo. Ribbon and paper come as a package because the ribbon is created for a fixed number of prints no matter how much coverage is used. The clear panel is the final protection coat.
One of the First
FARGO's FotoFUN! was one of the first low-cost dye sublimation printers on the market. It was introduced in 1995 at a breakthrough price of $595. (Image courtesy of FARGO Electronics, Inc.)
Because the same amount of ribbon is used no matter how much color is in the image, the cost of ribbon and paper is always the same per print. Consumables for dye sublimation printers generally cost more than for inkjet printers.
Heat Releases the Dyes
The paper and ribbon are passed together under the printhead for each color panel. The printhead contains thousands of heating elements that produce varying amounts of heat. The hotter the element, the more dye is released. By varying the temperature, shades of each color can be overlaid on top of each other. The dyes are transparent and blend into continuous-tone color.
The "sublimation" means that the dye turns into a gas without first turning into a liquid. See thermal wax transfer printer and printer.
Dye Sublimation Printing
The paper and ribbon are passed by the printhead. The ribbon is heated, and shaded dots of dye are transferred to the paper. The ribbon contains a panel of each color the same size as the page being printed.
The Ribbon
It takes all four ribbon panels (cyan, magenta, yellow and clear coat) in this dye sublimation ribbon to print one 4x6" photo. Ribbon and paper come as a package because the ribbon is created for a fixed number of prints no matter how much coverage is used. The clear panel is the final protection coat.
One of the First
FARGO's FotoFUN! was one of the first low-cost dye sublimation printers on the market. It was introduced in 1995 at a breakthrough price of $595. (Image courtesy of FARGO Electronics, Inc.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- HP Photosmart A636
- The $150 HP Photosmart A636 is a slight upgrade to last year's A626, with a few minor software differences. The A636 retains the same body shape and design but adds additional photo customization and editing capabilities. We didn't notice any significant change in print speed since the A626, but we...
- Product reviews 2008-07-30
- Canon Selphy CP770
- Editors' note: The CP770 uses the exact same printing technology as the previously reviewed CP760, so the performance tests and an explanation of dye-sub technology have been duplicated in this review as a result.The Canon CP770 is exactly the same printer as the CP760, with one distinction: the CP770 adds...
- Product reviews 2008-07-25
- SmartParts SP8PRT
- We've reviewed other digital photo frames in the past, but this is the first one we've seen from SmartParts and certainly the first one we've seen to include a built-in dye-sublimation printer. It's an interesting concept, but $300 is a lot to spend on what is essentially a digital photo...
- Product reviews 2008-06-13
- Canon Selphy CP760
- The CP760 is Canon's latest addition to their Selphy line of portable photo printers. This particular model is a no-frills, basic printer aimed at families, children, and otherwise nontechy folks who want to print their digital photos but don't care to deal with a desktop inkjet. We had a lot...
- Product reviews 2008-05-28
- Canon Selphy CP740
- The $100 Canon Selphy CP740 is an entry-level compact photo printer whose limited on-board feature set reflects its relative position among dedicated 4x6 photo printers. Still, we liked the quality of the prints and the printer's ease of use. If you're looking for a dedicated snapshot printer and you're on...
- Product reviews 2007-07-27
- Objectiv PrintGuard 1.0.7 (Mac)
- Useful for your company, university, cybercafe, wherever there are free access computers with network printers. And this can save trees too! Imagine your network includes a dye sublimation printer and somebody tries to use it to print a 300 pages manual... and just think how much this will cost you!...
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