The ink actually turns into a gaseous state and infuses into the shirt ... The majority of printers use thermal or heat ...

The primary use for a sublimation printer is creating custom ... I've personally used sublimation to create custom t-shirts ...

You can also use the printer to make things like T-shirts. The idea is to print a dye transfer page and place it on the bed before you start printing. The sublimation dye is activated with heat ...