1. A method for preparing a color filter for use in visual displays, said method comprising the steps of: (a) orienting a donor film and a receiver panel in close proximity, wherein said donor film comprises a transparent donor substrate having a first side and a second side, an absorption layer on said second side of said donor substrate and a colorant layer on said absorption layer; (b) orienting a mask between the donor film and the receiver panel, the mask having a plurality of openings corresponding to discrete sub-pixels; (c) irradiating said first side of said donor film with an irradiating means, so that said absorption layer absorbs said radiation and causes a discrete portion of said colorant layer to be transferred to said receiver panel through one of the plurality of openings in the mask to form a discrete sub-pixel wherein a plurality of discrete sub-pixels comprise a pixel, so that an omission from the surface of said substrate of less than all of the plurality of discrete sub-pixels comprising said pixel will not necessarily result in an unusable pixel; and (d) repeating said irradiating step so that a repeating pattern of pixels is formed on said receiver panel to form a color filter.