Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners (Easy Setup)
Congratulations on starting your sublimation travel! It’s fun to make your t-shirts, tumblers, coasters, keychains, and anything else you can long up!
What sublimation printer should you buy?
Choosing the right sublimation printer doesn’t have to be tricky. Below, we raise the 4 best sublimation printers for beginners. You can see the right printer for you!
What is the Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners?
- Best Printer: Epson F170
- for Growing Businesses: Epson F570
- High-Resolution Printer: Sawgrass SG500
- Convertible Inkjet Printer: Epson EcoTank ET-2800
Epson SureColor F170 Sublimation Printer
The Epson F170 is our total favorite printer. It’s easy to set up, smooth to use, and planned for sublimation.
We have seen hundreds if not thousands of artisans start their sublimation trips with one of these.
The F170 gives you a solid 1200 x 600 print key, and a flexible print size of up to 8.5″ by 47.2″.
If you get one of these, the team at MakerFlo is glad to answer all your questions. They will help you with the onboarding method. If you run into technical cases, Epson’s support team is open Monday through Friday. They will be troubleshoot with you.
Specs
- Max Print Resolution: 1200 x 600 dpi
- Max Paper Size: 8.5″ by 47.2″
- Ink Type: Bottles
- Paper Power: 150 sheets
- Dimensions: 14.8″ x 19.8″ x 7.4″
- Weight: 10.2 lbs
- Guarantee: Standard 1-year unit exchange
Pricing: This printer goes for $450 including starter ink and essay. A sub-pack of four 140ml ink bottles costs $160.
Verdict
Choose the Epson F170 if you want a sturdy and steadfast sublimation printer. It gives you awesome prints at a cheap price.
Discover more about the Epson F170 in this article. Find out why THIS is the finest Epson printer for sublimation.
Visit More: Best sublimation printer for T-shirts.
Epson SureColor F570 Pro Sublimation Printer / Best for Extending Businesses
The Epson F570 is larger and more refined than the Epson F170. Yet, it’s.
Exalting to this model gives you the option between sheets and wads with a max width of 24.4″. That gives you tons of flexibility with print scopes.
With this, you can print one giant print on a lengthy roll of paper. You can also print many small prints on one large sheet to save time.
One caveat: It’s a marked buy. It’s best suited for firms that want to form many prints and make cash from them.
Specs
- Max Print Resolution: 2400 x 1200 dpi
- Max Paper Width: 24.4″
- Paper Capacity: 50 sheets
- Ink Kind: Bottles
- Dimensions: 38″ x 32″ x 10″
- Weight: 64 lbs
- Guarantee: Standard 1-year unit exchange
Pricing: You’ll pay $2900 for the starter box with printer, paper, and 8 bottles of ink. A sub-pack of four 140ml ink bottles costs $160.
Ruling
The Epson F570 is a solid buy for a business that wants to print large-scale structures. It can also print many plans on one sheet to save time.
Sawgrass SG500 / Most useful High-Resolution Printer
The Sawgrass SG500 is another great option for sublimation beginners. This printer has two major gifts. First, it has a high-print solution. Second, a more part can grow its print size to 8.5″ by 52″.
Sawgrass printers are super painless to set up, thanks to their use of ink cartridges. Other printers need you to pour ink into the ink pools, which can be messy until you get the sag of it. But Sawgrass ink arrives in cartridges that you pop in.
The expense of ink is the main drawback of these printers. Cartridges are good for beginners, but they’re not so good for your pocketbook. Epson ink is half the price of Sawgrass sublimation printer ink. If you choose this printer, your costs will increase.
Specs
- Print Resolution: 4880 x 1200 dpi
- Max Paper Size: 8.5″ x 14″ (Up to 8.5″ x 52″ with Bypass Tray, sold )
- Ink Type: Cartridges
- Dimensions: 15.75″ x 17.25″ x 8.5″
- Weight: 11 lbs.
- Guarantee: 2-year warranty
The basic bundle includes a printer, ink, and paper. It costs about $630. You’ll pay roughly $300 for a new pack of Sublijet ink cartridges.
Verdict
The Sawgrass SG500 is a fantastic entry-level printer. If you want high-resolution prints, this is ideal. You don’t mind that ink costs more.
Visit More: Top Sublimation Printer for You
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 / Convertible Inkjet Printer
Disclaimer: Converting your sublimation printer is not advised since it carries dangers. We’ll go into further detail in this article’s following section.
The ET-2800 model and the Epson EcoTank series can be used as do-it-yourself sublimation printers. Sale an underutilized printer and change it for sublimation printing. Use sublimation ink rather than standard ink.
For a low-cost option that improves print resolution, try the Epson EcoTank ET-2800.
Specs
- Print Resolution: 5760 dpi
- Max Paper Size: 8.5″ x 14″
- Ink Type: Bottles
- Dimensions: 14.8″ x 22.8″ x 10″
- Weight: 8.6 lbs
- Guarantee: None, once you flip it for sublimation the warranty is voided
Pricing: $250 for the printer loads, must buy sublimation ink
Verdict
If you’re on a limited budget, try converting an Epson EcoTank. You don’t currently have the money for a dedicated sublimation printer. It costs less. Besides, if the ink becomes blocked, you may spend more on repairs and replacements over time.
Recite This Before Altering an Inkjet Printer for Sublimation
Why do we tell against using an inkjet printer conversion for sublimation crafts? it couldn’t be that bad.
To sublimate, an Epson printer can be converted. But, you’ll have to cope with a few drawbacks:
- You don’t get the same performance. Printers with sublimation and inkjet technology are constructed. Even when you pour sublimation ink into an inkjet printer, it can still not print. Your prints may have wheel marks on them. Or with time, the printer may become clogged by the thick sublimation ink.
- You don’t get help from the manufacturer. The manufacturer of your printer is unaware of sublimation. They are not authorized to provide you with advice. If there are any issues during setup, this can be a problem.
- You’ll void your printer warranty. , it would be ideal if you were aware that your printer’s warranty will be voided if you use unsupported ink. You will have to buy a new printer if something goes wrong with the printing process and it breaks down.
It would be ideal if you were aware that using unsupported ink will void your printer’s warranty. You will have to sell a new printer if something goes wrong with the printing process and it breaks down.
How to Select the Best Starter Sublimation Printer For You
Which printer is best for you? The answer usually comes down to a few extra things:
- What you’re planning to make. You will need a big-format printer if you want to create huge tumblers, tote bags, or t-shirts. Besides, a large-format printer is required if you wish to create something larger. But, if you plan to make keychains, coasters, or other small items, you can use a smaller printer.
- Print speed. A quicker printer can save you time (and money) in the long run. A wide-format printer can also save you time because you can print many plans in one sheet.
- Your current budget. What are you ready to invest at this stage of your hobby or business? Consider the cost of the device and sub-parts. Also, consider the ongoing cost of supplies, like ink and writing.
- Reviews. Online reviews are abundant. These printers have been used by crafters, who have shared their experiences. They discuss printing, setup, and issues they ran into. You can discover a lot of this kind of video on YouTube.
- Support options. Think about the support and warranty that come with each printer. Each printer in the above list has warranty and support information available. With Epson EcoTank-style do-it-yourself printers. you can rather well fail about warranty and support options.
And if you still can’t decide, a good old pros and cons list can aid. List the pros and cons of each printer (from your perspective) and see which one arrives out on top.
What Can You Make With a Sublimation Printer? / Lots of stuff!
You can sublimate anything composed of polyester or a polyester blend. Thus, anything is fair game as long as it has a covering or is composed of at least 65% polyester. Take a look at this article.
To get you going, we’ve put together a ton of sublimation ideas. View our post “24+ Fun and Easy Sublimation Ideas (For Products, Gifts, and More).”
Visit More: 14 Unique Sublimation Ideas for Gifts & Business Selling
Study Sublimation With More In-Depth Guides and Classes
Interested in knowing more about sublimation? We’ve got you covered:
- Study the basics of sublimation
- Read our sublimation beginner’s guide
- Realize more about sublimation printers
Find the Right Printer For You
That concludes our discussion! We offered our top picks for the most sublimation printer. Which one drew your attention?
Please ask any other questions you may have in the comments below of sublimation. You can also visit our Facebook group. Thousands of MakerFlo crafters ask queries over there. They showcase their most recent endeavors and look for inspiration. (Our group is also present there!)
(FAQs)
What is the right printer to turn into sublimation?
It appears that the Epson EcoTank series is a good option for sublimation conversion. Having said that, we recommend purchasing a sublimation printer. rather than doing the conversion yourself. This is as a result of the dangers. (Read more in the removed article.)
What type of printer do you require for sublimate?
A sublimation printer loaded with sublimation ink is required. We tell utilizing a sublimation printer from Sawgrass or Epson SureColor. An inkjet printer can be substituted for sublimation. But, as we’ve mentioned in the article above, you’ll encounter certain problems.
What is the top Epson EcoTank printer for sublimation beginners?
A good choice for a first sublimation printer is the Epson ET-2800. It is quick, inexpensive, and has a good resolution. But, the Epson SureColor F170 sublimation printer is what we tell. It is intended for printing via sublimation.
Is a sublimation printer better than a Cricut?
Depending on what you’re trying to create, yes. A Cricut cutting machine cannot create personalized sublimation prints. Cricut Infusible Ink sheets are available. These are colored, pre-printed sublimation transfers. You may transfer them like a sublimation print. First, cut them into shapes with the Cricut. But, unlike a sublimation printer, you cannot print bespoke designs on a Cricut.
