What is dye sublimation?

Fine art photo printing on metal or what is known as Metal Prints, is a relatively new industry. So what are metal prints? Simply put, Metal Prints are images printed on Aluminum. But it is vastly more complicated than that. The secret is how the printing is done. Most photo prints are simply ink jet printers on a piece of canvas or other paper material. That material fades, cannot be cleaned easily and of course must be framed.

Fine art metal printing uses a technique called dye sublimation. Dye sublimation means that inks are turned into a vapor or gas, before they turn into a liquid

Dye sublimation is a digital print technology that allow the reproduction of full color images on a variety of surfaces. Dye sublimation on hard surface is possible because the surfaces have been coated using an innovative manufacturing processes that provide high-definition, durable photo panels that preserve images for generations. Instead of printing images directly on a surface, which may scratch easily, the image is infused into the coating to provide permanent protection and durability.