The Difference Between Dye Sublimation Printers and Ink Jet Printers

In the world of printing technology, there is a wide array of printer types, each with its unique features and capabilities, which can be confusing with which types to choose.

Among these are dye sublimation printers and normal ink jet or laser printers. While both offer the purpose of producing prints, they differ significantly in their operation, printing quality, and usage. 

This blog aims to help you identify these differences and make more informed decisions when choosing the right printer for your photography business.

Sublimation Printers – How do they work?

Our printers use a unique printing process called dye-sublimation. Unlike the more popular inkjet or laser printers that deposit ink or toner on the surface of the paper, dye- sublimation printers use heat to permeate dye onto the paper.

The process of dye sublimation works by turning the solid colours from the ribbon into a gas, (sublimation) which allows the colour dye to sink into the surface of the paper, instead of sitting on top, which results in a bright and long lasting print. 

Key Features of Dye Sublimation Printers

The images produced by sublimation printers are more durable because the dye permeates the print paper instead of merely sitting on top of it. This results in prints that are resistant to scratching, fading, and peeling.

Due to the printing technology being via a ribbon rather than liquid ink there would be no clogging with ink, print banding or ink spotting. Ribbons may be prone to tearing, but this can be fixed simply with a small piece of sellotape. Read our article about fixing broken ribbons here.

The printers have the ability to produce consistent printing with rich colours and smooth gradients. This makes them ideal for printing high-quality photographs.

The printers hold a large print capacity with up to 400 prints per ribbon loaded into the printer; however, this varies per printer.

Fast print speed per print, from as quick as 9.8 seconds per print, again this varies per printer.

Inkjet & Laser Printers – How do they work?

Inkjet printers work by spraying tiny droplets of ink onto the paper to create an image or text. Laser printers, meanwhile, use toner (a type of powder) and a heated fuser to print images or text on paper.

Key Features of Inkjet & Laser Printers

These printers are generally more affordable and easier to maintain than sublimation printers. They are also more versatile when it comes to print media as they can print on a wide variety of paper types and sizes.

In terms of print quality, inkjet and laser printers can produce sharp text documents and decent images. However, they may not be able to match the vibrancy and smooth gradations that sublimation printers can achieve.

Also, the ink for these types of printers can generally end up being more expensive due to the size of the ink units being smaller as well as the ink heads drying out and becoming clogged with ink. 

Additionally, prints produced by these printers may be susceptible to smudging or fading over time as the ink or toner just sits on top of the paper rather than bonding with it.

Final Thoughts: Which Printer is Right for You?

The choice between a sublimation printer and an inkjet or laserprinter largely depends on your specific needs and requirements. If you need a printer for everyday use that can handle text documents and the occasional image printing, then an inkjet or laserprinter would work for you.

Whereas, if you need high-quality photo prints then investing in one of our Dye Sublimation printers would be much more cost effective. Despite being more expensive initially, their superior print quality, durability of prints, and versatility make them an excellent long-term investment for photography based businesses.

We hope this helps you make a more informed decision to make the right purchase for your printing needs. Click here to take a look at all our Dye Sublimation printers.