Sublimation Printing is the process of a solid changing state directly into a gas, thus bypassing the liquid stage. When it comes to sublimation transfers, the ink is actually a microscopic solid particle, which is suspended in the liquid that is the liquid ink we see. When printed onto paper, the solid particle sits on the paper. When heated beyond 160C, this particle becomes a gas and binds chemically with the polyester of the coating (in the case of hard surfaces) or the polyester fibres in the case of fabrics. Sublimation needs special ink, paper and substrates with a polyester coating or fabrics that are synthetic to work. A product printed with the sublimation process, is completely smooth to the touch and due to the nature of the solid to gaseous phase, the image is smooth, there are no dots to see, thus images like a photo of a person as superb. Sublimation is for light / white items only and will not work on a dark of black product. The design or image from the computer is printed onto the special release paper (called sublimation transfer paper), and from there is applied to the item which is then put into a heat transfer press. There are a number of heat presses, for flat items, curved items, round items and even an attachment for printing shoes. Sublimation transfers, have photographic quality, with bright vibrant colours.