Feb 23 2010
Dye Sublimation Printer Allows Photo Lab Quality Printing
With many digital cameras now, taking photos is now as very fun and easy. But printing really stunning photos are not as easy or fun. Almost all of us would just turn to the photo labs to have our pictures developed. Sure, you could print your pictures from an inkjet printer, but the quality of the photo is sometimes compromised due to the limitations of inkjet printers. A dye sublimation printer can churn out pictures that are as good as the film-based photos that we were once so accustomed to.
The picture quality of the dye sublimation process is very high. In its early years, only professional graphic artists had access to this printing technology. It was way too expensive for the average consumer, and even professionals needed to have large printing runs just to make the cost of printing more practical. But as technology has evolved, so has the processes and equipment that go with it. We now have desktop dye sub printers capable of printing really stunning photos.
Noel de Plasse discovered dye sublimation in 1957. He had observed that some dyes change state from solid directly into gas when heated at high temperatures. Electrostatic sublimation was invented in the 1980\’s. It was quite an improvement, but the costs were still much higher than standard printing methods. With some improvements borrowed from inkjet printers, desktop dye sub printing is now a reality.
Photorealistic prints are the forte of a dye sublimation printer. Now with desktop dye sub printers, photo quality prints are now quite affordable. Printing one page is also more cost effective now, making it much more versatile. As the printers have gone down in size, some of them have also gone down in price. The once unheard-of price rivalries between inkjets and dye sub printers are now much more commonplace in the busy I. T. Market.
While inkjet printers squirt ink unto paper, dye sublimation printers use an entirely different method. They have small heaters to make the dye sublimate and permeate the paper. This action transfers the pigments to the paper. With the paper infused with colors, it is then given a clear protective coating to prevent it from being damaged by ultra violet light.
Dye sublimation printers use special paper for printing. Though this does limit what kind of paper you could use, the results are much more stunning. The paper packs come with their own transfer films. It comes with cyan, magenta, yellow and black dyes. Some types of dye are not reusable, meaning even if you don\’t print full-page sizes, all the dyes can\’t be used again.
If you really dig photo printing, you know that inkjet printers just don\’t cut it. Inkjets, for one thing produce some dot patterns where their print heads inject the ink. The prints produced by dye sub printers produce amazingly smooth pictures. It can also produce more detail in dark areas of the pictures, especially with shadows. And unlike the pictures from inkjet printers, your photos are more water-proof. It won\’t smudge or blot unlike inkjet prints.
To have the best quality photo prints with smooth blending colors, and amazing detail, these printers are simply the best. It also has a protective coating, to make your photos last way longer than other printing technologies. Printing your photographs with a dye sublimation printer can give you the best quality photos, with results just like professionally developed photos.
Learn more about Dye-Sublimation Printer. Stop by Mike Thomas\’s site where you can find out all about Photo Printer and what it can do for you.