Pre-conditioning a substrate for accelerated dispersed dye sublimation printing

A method for thermally imaging a substrate with a dispersed dye, said substrate having a contact surface to be imaged and an opposite surface, said method comprising the steps of:

• introducing at least one substrate into a controlled heat and humidity pre-conditioning zone, wherein said pre-conditioning zone is at less than or equal to atmospheric pressure;
• heat treating said at least one substrate in said pre-conditioning zone by applying heat to said contact surface from the same side of the substrate as said contact surface, at a temperature and humidity, and for a time, sufficient to increase the contact surface energy levels of said at least one substrate to accelerate and optimize absorption of dyes to produce a conditioned substrate, wherein said contact surface is not brought into intimate pressured contact with a dye carrier device in the pre-conditioning zone;
• transporting the resultant conditioned substrate and at least one dye carrier device carrying at least one ink composition containing at least one sublimable dye into a controlled thermal imaging zone;
• applying pressure to said at least one substrate and dye carrier device to bring the heat treated contact surface and said dye carrier device into intimate pressured contact, and applying heat to effect the migration and penetration of said at least one dye from said at least one dye carrier device to said at least one substrate by sublimation, to produce at least one imaged substrate;
• transporting said at least one imaged substrate to a stabilization zone;
• and
• cooling said at least one imaged substrate in said stabilization zone.