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Sublimation is one of the oldest printing techniques and it is still in use today. Sublimation paper is a special type of paper that can be heated up and then forced to change its physical properties. This change results in the paper becoming a different colour, such as turning from white to light purple. This article will teach you all about sublimation paper and how it works, so that you can understand what it is and how it can be used in your printing projects.
What is a Sublimation Paper?
Sublimation paper is a special type of paper that is used to create thermal prints and other decorative items. The paper is coated with a thermoplastic polymer that changes from a solid to a gas when heated. This gas forms a vapour that is drawn up into the fibres of the paper, where it becomes trapped. The vaporised plastic then hardens and permanently attaches to the fibres of the paper. This process creates an intricate design on the surface of the paper. Sticker Paper is also great!
How Sublimation Paper Works
Sublimation paper is a type of paper that uses heat and pressure to transform a liquid ink or dye into a gas, which is then released and used to print on other materials.
The printing process begins with the application of a liquid ink or dye to the sublimation paper. The ink or dye is then heat-pressed onto the surface of the paper. This causes the liquid ink or dye to change from a liquid form to a gas form. The gas form is much more volatile and can be easily released from the paper.
The gas form of the liquid ink or dye is then directed through an infra-red (IR) beam. The IR beam causes the gas form of the liquid ink or dye to heat up. This heating process causes the gas form of the liquid ink or dye to change back into a liquid form. The liquefied ink or dye is then allowed to cool and solidify, which creates the printed image on the sublimation paper.
Sublimation paper has many benefits over other printing methods. Sublimation paper is highly durable and can be used for printing on many different types of materials. Sublimation printing is also environmentally friendly because it doesn’t.
Benefits of Sublimation Paper
Sublimation paper is a new technology that is quickly gaining popularity in the printing and graphic arts industries. This versatile paper type can be used for a wide range of printing applications, including posters, flyers, and labels.
When you print with sublimation paper, your image is transferred to the surface of the paper using heat and pressure. The heat melts the wax base on the back of the paper and then vaporizes any liquid ink that was used in your design. This vaporized ink is then drawn up into tiny bubbles by capillary action.
The pressure from the printhead forces these bubbles to grow until they reach a point where they can no longer escape from between the fibres of the paper. At this point, the pressure causes the gas molecules inside these bubbles to condense back down onto the wax base. This process creates tiny droplets of liquid ink that are trapped between.
How to Use Sublimation Paper
Sublimation paper is a special type of paper that can be used to create irreversible prints. The process of sublimation creates a permanent image on the paper, which is then able to be transferred to other materials.
To use sublimation paper, you’ll first need to choose the substrate material. This could be anything from a T-shirt to fabric. Once you have your substrate material prepared, you need to prepare your printer and printhead. The printer will require either ink or toner in order to create the image, while the printhead will need to be heated up. After everything is set up, you can begin printing the image onto the sublimation paper.
Take care when printing your image onto the paper as it will become very hot during the process. If it becomes too hot, take off some of the excess ink or toner before continuing. Once your image is finished printing, place the paper onto your substrate material and wait for it to dry. Once it’s dry, you’ll be able to see your permanent print!