How to choose sublimation transfer paper according to the printer?
May 30, 2022
Currently, printers—one of the essential components of the sublimation transfer process—are categorized into three groups based on printing speed: low-speed, medium-speed, and high-speed devices.
In actuality, it's difficult to distinguish between medium-speed and high-speed machinery. Printers are often categorized as low-speed machines if their full-width printing speed is less than 1 m/min, as medium-speed machines if it is between 1 and 10 m/min, and as high-speed machines if it is more than 10 m/min.
1. The demand for sublimation transfer paper for low-speed scanning printers
Printers with low speeds, such the Mimaki JV33, Muto 1604, INVT, and others, are known for their exceptional printing accuracy and typically have a pinch roller within their printer construction. The paper will swell and distort after absorbing ink when printing at a high inkjet volume because it remains in the print head's movement area for a considerable amount of time. The pressure of the platen roller on the paper will also cause the deformation to be clearly visible. The prismatic arched design makes it simple to damage the printed pattern and scrape the nozzle. As a result, this kind of printer needs the transfer paper coating to have a robust ink-carrying capacity and little wet deformation of the paper.
2. The demand for sublimation transfer paper for medium-speed printers
Medium-speed printers are similar to Italian MS-JP4, Tianjin Licai MICOLOR 5816, etc. Compared with low-speed machines, such machines have several times higher printing speed, generally not. The paper pressing roller is set to adjust the running of the paper completely by the tension of the roller, and the printing speed is obviously accelerated.
3. The demand of high-speed printers for sublimation transfer paper
Nowadays, single-channel printers, often known as One-Pass or Single-Pass printers, are the predominant type of high-speed printers. The nozzles on this kind of printer are set in many rows and do not move during printing, which is its most noticeable characteristic. The entire print is produced by paper movement, and the printing speed is incredibly quick—between 30 and 80 m/min—while the drying tunnel is often longer than ten meters. Furthermore, the paper is stuck to the printing channel's guide belt's surface. These printers' primary paper requirements can be seen in the following ways.
Good flatness: Most of the coated paper has the phenomenon of paper lifting after being baked at high temperature, which is commonly known as the "bending resistance" of paper in the industry. High-speed printers have a long drying tunnel, and the paper has a relatively long baking time at high temperature in the oven. Therefore, it is required that the paper must have good flatness after baking at high temperature.
Fast drying speed: Although the drying tunnel of the high-speed printer has been lengthened, due to the fast running speed of the paper, the limitation of heat sources, and the limitation of the workshop, the paper itself needs to have fast drying characteristics.
The peelability of the paper back coating should be appropriate.
Thin paper: Due to the faster machine speed, thin paper is more conducive to large roll printing and high-speed thermal transfer, and can also greatly reduce costs.
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