Sometimes called thermal dye sublimation or dye diffusion, this technology is capable of producing true photo-quality prints. Dye sublimation uses ribbons with penetrating dyes rather than inks. Thousands of heating elements in the printhead cause the dye to melt into a gas (sublimate), which is absorbed by the paper. Variations in temperature vary the amount of dye that sublimates, thus varying the color intensity. The color palette is virtually unlimited and yields true photo-quality images. Except for the latest photo printers, dye sublimation machines are expensive, as is the cost of their prints.