Dye sublimation - Is the process of transferring of an image from a printed sheet onto a substrate using heat and pressure. The original printed sheet is produced using a dye sublimation inkjet printer. When this sheet and a substrate are brought together under heat and pressure in a heat press, the ink transitions from a solid to a gas and bonds itself to the substrate in the likeness of the printed image- mirrored. Organic and metallic substrates need to be polymer coated to accept the dye.

Hardbed Heat Press - A press which has solid heating and pressing surfaces. These can be flat or shaped for specific items such as plates, mugs and caps. Types of hardbed press used in dye sublimation include swing presses, clam presses, mug presses and cap presses. Click for further reading on Heat presses

Laminating - The process of bonding two or more layers of material together using heat (usually), pressure and an adhesive. Laminating in the context of our heat press would, for instance, involve the application of a clear plastic film to the surface of printed matter, artwork or valuable documents to be archived to enhance the appearance of and/or protect the article. Note that special archiving materials should be used on valuable and old items to prevent chemical damage. Contact us for advice if needed.

Mounting -  Mounting in the context of our heat press involves attaching a printed picture, document, photograph or artwork to a backing or substrate. This is normally done to facilitate framing or to protect the item from damage. This is usually achieved by placing a hot melt adhesive impregnated sheet of paper between the items to be mounted. As heat and pressure is applied in the press, the adhesive melts and binds the items together.

Substrate - Substrate, in the context of heat pressing and sublimation is the object / material onto which you want to imprint an image or laminate an object, artwork, photograph or poster.

Vacuum Pump - A vacuum pump is a device that removes gas-air from a sealed unit in order to create a partial vacuum, there is no such thing as a total vacuum except perhaps in intergalactic space.  The standard type of vacuum pump supplied with our presses are double headed diaphragm pumps. These pumps are reliable and  maintenance free. The pump is cycled automatically through the press timer and does not run continuously. This extends the pump life and prevents overheating. Click for further reading on vacuum pumps.

Vinyl Transfer - The process whereby pre-printed, vinyl cut outs are applied using heat and pressure to a substrate. This method is most often used in sign making and textiles such as t-shirt decoration.