Part One:
When someone begins exploring this market, the question of whether thermal sublimation ink is dye-based or pigment-based can be confusing. The answer is: thermal sublimation ink is dye ink. Why?
The full name for thermal sublimation ink is water-based dye thermal sublimation ink. Chemically speaking, sublimation ink is dye-based. When heated above 130°C, it transforms into a molecular state and becomes fully soluble in water—exhibiting the properties of dye ink.
Part Two:
But why do some claim sublimation ink is pigment-based? There are reasons for this perception:
Common Characteristics: At room temperature (0-40°C), water-based sublimation ink appears granular and is slightly soluble in water. Conventional pigment ink also exhibits granularity and slight water solubility at room temperature (0-40°C). Thus, both sublimation and pigment inks share identical physical states at ambient temperatures. The difference lies in:
Pigment ink particles are like stones; heating them above 1000℃ turns them to ash. Sublimation ink, however, transforms at 130℃ into a molecular state where it dissolves completely in water, just like dye-based ink.