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Dye-sublimation
Dye-sublimation is a printing technique in which heat makes dye turn to gas and embed into a specially coated surface.
Dye-sublimation, schematic. Shapes are drawn for illustration.
What the sources say
| Point | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dry process | Often described as a dry printing technique | Wikipedia |
| Mechanism | Heat makes some of the dye diffuse into the printing medium | Wikipedia |
| Tone | Yields true continuous tones, unlike inkjet dithering with droplets | Wikipedia |
| Media | Only specially coated paper or specific plastics accept the dye | Wikipedia |
| Transfer | Heat and pressure move the image from special paper onto the coated product | Epson |
| Materials | Needs polyester fabrics or polymer-coated surfaces | Epson |
For wall art
The two sources describe two forms (thermal-ribbon printers and transfer-paper heat presses) that share the heat-driven mechanism; we do not say which process any ArtzFolio product uses.
Where the sources stop
Wikipedia covers thermal-ribbon printers such as photo kiosks; Epson covers transfer-paper heat presses for products and panels. Epson is a manufacturer, so its durability wording reads as marketing and we give no numbers.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dye-sublimation printer (fetched 2026-11-12)
- Epson Australia: dye sublimation printing (manufacturer article) (fetched 2026-11-12)
Figures from these pages are paraphrased; each page was fetched and read on 2026-11-12. Where two sources differ, both are shown.