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Time moves on. Sublimation isn't new anymore. Let's be honest, it hasn't been new for a long time. But regular innovations in the sublimation industry have led to increasing demand, higher quality and generally more market penetration for printers using sublimation methods. As sublimation has grown, various innovative companies have produced better machines, products and printable materials to help the end-users expand their business and services. We've all watched sublimation grow from a small cottage industry in the early eighties to a large-scale and exciting method of production in the millenium! Despite all this, the actual mechanics of sublimation have remained static. Most printers use one or other of the Epsom inkjet printer models, loaded with sublimation ink cartridges, to produce a print on high-quality inkjet paper. That print is then placed onto the item to be printed, albeit a garment, plastic or aluminium, and placed under a heat press. Two minutes and Hey Presto! A full-colour print sealed beneath the surface! Isn't sublimation wonderful? Along the way we have been offered other alternatives for sublimation. Some people have tried the thermal-printer method, which proved mostly to lack the quality of print and economy of time that sublimation usually promises. At one point various companies were importing black sublimation toner in laser printer cartridges, which didn't allow for colour prints at all and suffered from problems of 'drying up' over longer periods. During all this time many of us have asked the obvious question, "what about colour laser printers?". The fact that colour laser printing is vastly superior to Inkjet printing in most cases is well known, but the cost of the initial machine has always been very high. The beauty of sublimation printing is its low set-up cost, so who is going to pay five grand for their first laser machine when they can pay twelve hundred for a decent A3 inkjet? Nobody, of course. Time moves on. The commercial print industry demands cheaper and cheaper laser printers, the machine costs fall. Meanwhile, inkjet printing finds a market of its own and so the prices stay fairly static. Sublimation continues to grow and as it does eyes begin to turn, once more, to the laser as the future. A couple of years ago an enterprising firm in the States finally produce the first colour laser printer toners that actually work and the stage is set! Cleverly choosing Hewlett Packard as their machines of choice, particularly the inexpensive Colour 4500 and Colour 4550 models, which retail at only £1700.00 in the UK, colour laser sublimation is finally in reach of everybody. Its 'gloves on' and into the ring with the Epsom inkjet for a no holds barred 'duke out'. "Ding", It's round one. The Inkjet comes in with a fast right, the fact that's it's a slightly cheaper machine. Laser ducks the blow and responds with a series of jabs, "better quality print, better resolution, better ink usage". The Epsom is pushed back but comes off the ropes fast, landing a powerful blow, "inkjet cartridges are one third the price of laser toner cartidges!". Laser stands firm, absorbing the blows while replying with its own, "laser toners produce thousands of prints to the inkjets hundreds, resulting in a much cheaper per-print price." Inkjet stumbles backwards and the bell rings. End of round one. "Ding", It's round two. The two fighters emerge from their corners both looking angry. Inkjet opens the melee with a strong offence, "I come with colour correction software to make computer colours look the same on the printed surface." The blow barely seems to move the laser which responds with, "Laser doesn't need colour correction software since the problem doesn't affect Hewlett Packard laser printers in the first place." Inkjet is looking weaker as Laser pushes it into a corner, following each blow with a more powerful one. "Lasers are up to ten times as fast as Inkjets when producing prints, lasers produce cheaper prints, lasers produce better quality prints, laser prints have stronger U.V. stability." Inkjet is still trying to rise when the haymaker comes in, "Laser Printers can have the toners removed so that the printer can function as a full-colour normal laser printer too. Say goodbye to isolated and dedicated machine, say hello to colour flyers, brochures and stationery!" Inkjet, unable to remove its own toners for fear of wasting them, takes it on the jaw and goes down. And stays down. Time moves on. Sublimation moves on. Evolution is a fact of life and
it's as true in any industry as it is in nature. The strong survive.
Whether laser sublimation is, or is not, the stronger medium remains
to be seen of course. But the facts would seem to speak for themselves,
don't you think? If you were betting person, who would you back in the
ring? Food for thought.
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