Which sublimation printer to buy

Choose the best sublimation printer to buy it and create the most awesome projects!

First, let’s talk a little bit about sublimation itself. You probably know that sublimation is a process that involves heating a sublimation ink so that it becomes a gas. That gas is infused into a polyester coated surface.

It will become a solid when it cools, remaining fused to the surface for the long term. With sublimation there is going to be no fading, no peeling like with heat transfer vinyl for example. Check out this post on the differences between sublimation and heat transfer vinyl.

The advantage of sublimation is that it is possible to choose custom patterns and designs. To work with it you will need a heat press, sublimation material, polyester coated blanks, a cutting machine, and a software to create designs. Such as Photoshop or CorelDraw which needs a membership; or Inkscape, gimp or Cricut design space which are free options.

Of course it is impossible to miss the most important thing for sublimation: THE PRINTER with sublimation ink. This post will focus on the best printers on the market. Choosing a good printer in this field is almost the most important thing, in order to create the best projects. Above all there are some things to keep in mind when choosing a printer:

• The size of the project to deal with.
• The softwares availables
• Quality
• Color
• Convenience

Sublimation printers type

To choose which Sublimation printer to buy it is important to know that they come in two types: purpose-built sublimation printers and inkjet printers converted to sublimation printers. Above all, converted printers have no support or warranty; and they require more maintenance. The important thing to know here is that not all printers can be converted.

To convert a printer to a sublimation printer it must be new, with empty cartridges. This will be more affordable and create less waste. Because remember that inkject ink is completely different from sublimation ink.

In the market there are two main brands of sublimation printers which are EPSON and SAGRASS. Both of them have amazing printers that work for sublimation, but they have some differences when it comes to price and quality.

SAGRASS printers

This brand is the pioneer of sublimation printers. The SAGRASS SG-500 has good availability, but also the most expensive cardtridgeds that exceed $100.

It is the easiest to set up and has a proper software that is really easy to use. It prints vibrant color images. Of all the printers it has the most features like a self-maintenance mode that keeps the printer in good shape.

EPSON printers

In fact, the EPSON brand has many more options to choose from. First let’s talk about printers with ECO tank which are models that do not use cartridges. To clarify, they have tanks in which it is possible to directly empty the ink. Their use is simpler than a printer with a cartridge.

It is possible to find ecotanks printers almost everywhere and the price range is affordable from around $200 to all the way up to $1000. The ink it sells is also affordable beyond $40. Print speed varies greatly depending on the model but has good print quality (5760 by 1440 DPI).

EPSON ecotanks printers are easy to set up. In addition, they have auto-fill bottles that make the filling process less tedious and time-consuming than filling with a syringe. Above all, it is good to know that the best sublimation ink compatible with ecotanks printers is the hiipoo ink.

consider that if you just want a full size printer that prints 8.5 by 11 papers then buy the cheapest model of any EPSON ecotank. Some good ECO tank printers are:

EPSON ST 2000 or the EPSON ST 4000

ST 2000 and ST 4000 are printers that have super tank instead of eco tank but still have the Eco tanks in front so they are the best for sublimation.

Other EPSON sublimation printers are:

Epson WF-7710

With the Epson WF-7710 you will have the most versatility to make sublimation projects without having limits when it comes to sizes. It has an 11 inch by 17 inch compatibility, this feature is also a little tricky because the larger the design the larger the press you will need. So if your business is in adult sized projects it would be perfect.

EPSON SURE COLOR F170

The EPSON SureColor F170 is a general purpose dye sublimation printer. It is hard to find and prices start at $400. It actually has the lowest price for a purpose printer. The epson ink is $100 for 4 bottles of ink at 140 milliliters each. The setup is fairly easy and has a resolution of 1200 by 600 DPI. It also comes with create studio software.

To conclude, in terms of price, the best is the ecotank because the total cost is lower and the quality is as good as the others and the ink will last longer before a refill. the sagrass printers their quality is the best in the market but the price and the ink are a big investment. The decision to which sublimation printer to buy will always depend entirely on your needs.