Talk:Dye-sublimation printer
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[edit] Overcoat
The ribbon shown in the photos doesn't seem to have an overcoat section. Wouldn't it be better to replace it for the picture of a ribbon that has overcoat, since it is said on the article that dye sublimation printers usually have overcoats?
how easy is it to use
- In my experience (with a mid-90's model Fargo dye-sub printer) the main challenge is keeping it free of dust as the article mentions. Also, the cellophane dye ribbons are very delicate and fragile, and were prone to getting wrinkles or creases in them which then ruined the print. (Corby 03:39, 5 June 2006 (UTC))
[edit] Inkjet description
Some of the details on the function of the inkjet printer are at odds with the Dots per inch article's explanation about how printing works. Specifically, do inkjet printers vary the color by changing the number of dots or the size of the dots, or do different models use different techniques? --W0lfie 18:32, 27 June 2006 (UTC)
I changed the article slightly to reflect the information in the Dots per inch article as well as linking to it. --KittensOnToast 11:31, 4 August 2006 (UTC)
The statement that inkjet inks are opaque strikes me as wrong. A simple inspection of an inkjet printout with a microscope reveals that the inks (other than black) are indeed transparent. Furthermore, it would be impossible using opaque CMYK inks to produce anything even remotely approaching, for instance, a true red (which is 100%Y and 100%M); the best one could do was non-overlapping 50%Y and 50%M which would yield some sort of pink. It is however true that the colour depth is limited: a CMYK inkjet only has 8 colours that it can (usefully) print on any pixel: white, cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green, blue, and black. Printers with "photo" inks (which are usually partial-strength forms of the same pigments) have a little more colour depth, but nothing approaching the 2^24 colours that can be printed on a pixel by dye sublimation. The inkjets try to make up for the poor colour depth by using very fine resolution, which allows dithering. --216.58.96.136 14:25, 26 August 2007 (UTC)
I am going to rewrite most of the part comparing inkjets, as it is FULL of misinformation. There are two kinds of inkjet inks: pigment and dye. Most black inks are pigment, and most color inks are dye (though all colors and black exist in both dye and pigment, for various applications. Dyes are translucent, while pigments are opaque. It is patent nonsense that an inkjet cannot overlap dots -- they do this routinely. Dye inks have the best color gamut (better than dye-sub -- the claim that dye-sub has a better gamut is nonsense), but modern pigment inks come very close. The advantage of pigments is primarily their superior lightfastness. tooki (talk) 11:48, 22 February 2009 (UTC)
[edit] Merge
should be merged with Dye sublimation
Merge template added --Eddie 13:27, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Inadequate description
The explanation of dye sublimation printing ignores the fact that 'sublimation' has wider uses than in computer printers and is perfectly possible with ordinary inkjet technology. It is an important process in wide-format piezo printing of (polyester) banners and textile graphics and is also used to produce small runs of fashion and interior furnishing fabrics.
The kind of Sublimation you describe is slightly different to the Dye-Sublimation used by those who want to print photo quality pictures. I wouldn't have any problems with it being part of this article but sadly I only know about the Sublimation technology used in photos printers so can't add it myself. :) KittensOnToast 16:09, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
OK, after a bit of research I added a section on Dye-sub fabric printing. KittensOnToast 13:01, 24 December 2006 (UTC)
I got lost on this article. Just after the decription of the security risks, the article jumps right to a decription of dye sub on ink jets and I got lost.
Printers used for sublimation printing are those with Piezo electric print heads made by Epson. It works by means of a tiny crystal in the head that pulsates with a small electrical charge forcing droplets of ink onto the paper with virtually no heat being generated. This print head is fitted in all Epson desktop printers and many large format printers and is the only print head that will work for sublimation printing(Photo USA Corp.) The thermal heads are found in 'bubble jet' printers like HP, Canon and Lexmark work by heating up the ink which when it expands forces a droplet of ink onto the paper. The problem with this type of print head for sublimation is that the heat affects the inks as they are forced through the head and the ink will accumulate inside eventually clogging the print head.
Then we just right back to decription of problems with Dye-sub using ribbons again.(JAH)
[edit] Definitions Would be Helpful
There are more than a few terms used (bronzing and metamerism, to name two) that would benefit from definitional links. Some of the folks reading this will not be completely conversant in priting jargon.
[edit] Merge complete
I have merged dye sublimation into this page. Please review the new content for any editing, as I am not familiar enough with this article to do so. --HarmonicFeather 05:29, 24 September 2006 (UTC)
OK, I've done a bit more research on the other side of dye-sub printing, (dye-sub transfer on to fabrics), so this should help me in cleaning this article up to a more proffesional standard. Might take a while though :) KittensOnToast 15:36, 27 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Speed
I don't see anything about the speed of this type of printer. Maybe someone could find some info and include it? --Ortzinator 19:18, 9 October 2006 (UTC)
Done. KittensOnToast 12:59, 24 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Alps Dye-Sub printers
The article states that "Each colored panel is the size of the media that is being printed on," This is not true for all Dye-Sub printers. Alps printers use a catridge resembling a cassette tape for each color. The printer would pick up a cartridge color and sweep back and forth over the page like a regular inkjet, except the whole process worked one color at a time. Information about the printer can be found at this link: Alps 1300 Printer
Interesting point but Alps have been out of business for some time and I haven't seen a dyesub printer that uses that method anymore, (and I've seen quite a few). KittensOnToast 12:40, 24 December 2006 (UTC)
The kodak ML-500 uses a similar system. Prints all colours at once using multiple heads and can print the whole roll without stopping - all 500 feet of it. 82.24.156.27 (talk) 00:39, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Digital Photo ID Printing
It might be worthwhile to include a section about Photo ID printing. Most drivers licenses in the United States are now produced on-the-spot with a digital camera, and a dye sublimation card printer. This printer uses the usual plastic 4-panel dye roll, can flip the card over to print the back side.
After printing the card is usually given a plastic overlay with a UV-fluorescent or holographic logo. The topcoat protects the dye layer from damage, and the overprinted logo makes it obvious if people are trying to modify the card, such as to change the date of birth to buy alcohol when underage.
DMahalko 03:44, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Dye Wastage
I don't know why dye wastage on the ribbon has become a major part of this article. With dye-sublimation printers the media packs you buy are rated for an exact number of prints, which you always get, giving you a fixed print cost, therefore making wastage irrelevant. This is not the case with Inkjet printers were you are buying your ink on a volume basis were wastage becomes an important factor.
Also the article talks about the ribbon allowing people to see what has previously been printed. This is true but dye-sub printers just aren't used for printing text or documents, only photos. If someone is printing confidential photos then the ribbon can easily be destroyed by fire if necessary or even pulled through a shredder.
I think I will edit the main article to reflect this.
KittensOnToast 12:23, 13 June 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Photo Reception Layer
Can you provide any information on what the top receiving layer of the dye sub paper is made of? I've tried printing on PVC sheets with a desktop dye sub photo printer and the dyes did not sublimate properly (only about 20% saturation) so there must be some sort of special receiving material used for the top layer. Do you know what it is, I can't find this info ANYWHERE!
What I'm trying to do is print dye sub "slides" on a clear or translucent material (I understand that the clear material would have to have a removable white backing in order for the printer to "see" it.) --Dyesubslides (talk) 15:53, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
