The Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners (Comprehensive Guide)

If you are just getting started with sublimation printing, it can be confusing as to what to expect from your printer and how to retrofit your sublimation printer. The best sublimation printer for beginners should be easy to use, easy to convert (if you don’t use your own sublimation printer), and produce excellent print quality with minimal effort.

Sublimation printing is direct thermal printing that uses heat-sensitive dyes and sublimation inks. Widely used to make personalized gifts, such as Easter blankets, mouse pads, shoes, wine bags, pillowcases, bags, and more.

However, many aspiring sublimation artists are trying to create custom artwork such as coasters, earrings, stickers, and keychains to make money but still can’t decide where to start. This is due to the wealth of information available from various sources.

Many factors such as ink cost, setup effort, and print quality come into play when deciding which printer to use for the sublimation process.

Best sublimation printer for beginners – Sublimation for beginners

Before getting into reviews of the best sublimation printers, it’s important to know exactly what the whole sublimation process is and where the printer fits. You can also read about what does ‘collate’ mean on a printer.

Here are the steps for sublimation printing:

Add sublimation ink to convert your printer to sublimation. This is easier with inkjet printers than with cartridge printers.

Design or edit your photo on your computer to fit the blank sublimation template. Print this pattern on sublimation paper.

A heat press is used to transfer ink from sublimation paper to sublimation blanks such as mugs, t-shirts, or other physical items. So, a printer is an important step, but you can’t use it to create sublimation images yourself. You will also need a heat press of some sort.

Note that the final product to which the ink will be transferred must be sublimated or, in the case of fabric, primarily polyester. For cotton/polyester blends, it is recommended that the cotton content not exceed 30%.

8 Best sublimation printer for beginners

1. Sawgrass 1000 sublimation printer

We recommend HeatPress Nation because they offer genuine technical support, a free one-on-one appointment to help you set up your printer, a price match guarantee, financing, free shipping (mins) and they have many US warehouses resulting in fast shipping leads! You will not find these advantages on eBay!

What’s good about Sawgrass?

Once you go to Sawgrass you will never come back. The printers are MADE for sublimation, so users get a 2-year warranty, video demos, tech support, a free design studio, and plug-and-play hardware. But the high price keeps most newcomers in the Epson arena.

If you can afford it, you’ll have a much shorter learning curve, since Sawgrass printers are made for sublimation.

You might also enjoy the Sawgrass, Subli range, especially 1000 if you have experience with vinyl (HTV), screen printing, or anything else that has given you a good foundation and understanding of transferring designs to substrates.

Sawgrass printers use Sublijet ink for sublimation…it’s a great ink! Additionally, if you want to change things up, you can purchase special transfer sheets that allow you to sublimate lighter-weight cotton fabrics. These leaves are called Forever Subli Light.

So if you’re the beginner type with a solid budget and are sure you’re in it for the long haul, the Sawgrass 1000 could be the sublimation printer you’ve been dreaming of.

Why choose Sawgrass 1000 over 500?

Why is Sawgrass 1000 superior to 500 (in our opinion)?

Print size- 1000 can print 11×17 as is and up to 13 × 19 with optional bypass. The 500 is limited to 8.5×14 unmodified or 8.5×21 (with optional bypass).

It may not seem like a huge difference, but it is there. When you first receive an order for an adult 4XL shirt, throw pillow, home garden flag, or baby blanket… the list goes on; You will get so annoyed trying to glue sheets of paper together to sublimate something big. If you can afford to upgrade early, do so.ё

Key Features:

1. Extended Warranties
2. Excellent technical support
3. Design studios included
4. Plug and Play Capabilities
5. Free video tutorials

 

2. Sawgrass Virtuoso SG500 Printer

For those who want to get stuck in printing right out of the box, the Sawgrass SG500 is by far the best entry-level sublimation printer. This is the only printer in this article that is designed specifically for sublimation printing, so it doesn’t void the 2-year warranty and comes with very good sublimation inks.

With a free setup and customization session, you won’t have any trouble setting up the SG500, and you’ll also get a premium membership to Creative Studio software, which makes creating the sublimation designs themselves that much easier. It’s easier than using standard design programs, thanks to thousands of built-in templates.

There’s a reason the pro uses his Sawgrass printer. It’s not for getting the best possible print quality without having to deal with the more complicated setup of the Epson model.

The only real downside for beginners is the price of the ink, which is considerably higher than the budget inks available at Epson, but the kit that comes with the printer makes the full kit even more affordable.

Key Features:

1. Ink amount: 4
2. Maximum Print Width: 8.5 inches
3. DPI: 4800×1200
4. Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB
5. Size: 15.75″ × 17.25″ × 8.50″

 

3.Epson EcoTank ET-2720

If you’re looking for a simple printer that can be easily converted to sublimation and won’t cost you a fortune, the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is the one for you. This is the perfect Epson sublimation printer for T-shirts, mugs, and Cricut, using 4 inks to deliver great print quality that rivals more expensive sublimation printers.

Remember, you cannot use the ink that comes with your printer. The best sublimation ink is Printers Jack, which is both long-lasting and inexpensive.

Being such a popular printer, it is often out of stock or offered at a premium price. In that case, the ET-2750 and ET-2760 should be considered. They offer little-related extras, such as memory card slots, but have the same high print quality.

Key Features:

1. Amazingly easy to convert to sublimation prints
2. Excellent print quality, although it doesn’t match the quality of Sawgrass printers
3. Low price, recommended for beginners
4. Built-in general home scanner
5. Sublimation ink costs only about $23

 

4.Epson EcoTank ET-2760

I used the ET-2760, and it prints full size with no margins. Unlike the ET-2803, it is a large format printer that can print large drawings. While it’s beginner-friendly, it should be a top priority if you decide to buy a larger size in the future.

The Ecotank ET-2760 is a printer equipped with a refillable ink tank that can be easily refilled without ink cartridges.

Save up to 90% on ink and paper. That means you can print up to 7,500 ISO pages per tank. This corresponds to about 80 individual cartridges. This is very important if you are doing a local shop or dollar tree sublimation.

The Eco Tank ET-2760 also features a large, easy-to-fill oversized ink tank that can hold up to 32 milliliters of ink. If you’re a fan of color, you’ve got plenty of room at your disposal.

It also features wireless connectivity, making it perfect for those who want to move around the house without worrying about wires.

The EcoTank ET-2760 has even more extra functions. This includes coverage, a two-year warranty, and a one-year consumables warranty.

 Key Features:

1. Innovative inkless printing
2. Huge savings on replacement ink
3. No wasted cartridges
4. Built-in scanner and copier

 

5.Sawgrass SG500 Sublimation Printer

If you’re worried about changing your traditional printer to a dye-sublimation printer (and voiding your warranty), the Sawgrass SG500 is for you. Designed specifically for sublimation, the SG500 contains superior Sublijet inks. Helps start sublimation.

Get a free one-on-one connection and setup call to start printing right away, and get a Creative Studio Premium membership with templates and built-in themes from day one. The SG500 also comes with a 2-year warranty and unlimited lifetime technical support when purchased from the link above.

With unrivaled print quality and a very easy setup process, the Sawgrass SG500 is arguably the best entry-level sublimation printer.

Key Features:

1. Superior print quality with resolutions up to 4800 × 1200 dpi and 8.5 × 14 inches
2. This printer does not need to convert to sublimation
3. Free personal setup and introductory talk included
4. His Sublijet inks, which come with it, can be printed on a variety of resin-coated surfaces, not just polyester, but metals and ceramics, and are known for their high brightness.
5. Includes a premium Creative Studio membership with thousands of ready-made themes and built-in templates

 

6.Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7820

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7820 is far superior to the ET-27XX series in many ways, but there is one important caveat. The use of cartridge printing instead of ink tanks.

This means that you should use replacement cartridges. You will likely fill the replacement cartridge with the syringe and transfer the tip from the original cartridge to the replacement cartridge. All of these are good for beginners to sublimation printing, but there are extra steps to be aware of. Watch the video on the side to see how much work is required.

But for sublimation, he’s ready to upgrade the WF-7820, which gives the same great print quality as the ET-2720 with the same 4-ink process but in a giant 13-inch format. It’s also Epson’s cheapest sublimation printer, so wide prints are pretty incredible.

If you regularly make T-shirts or other large items, you need a large format sublimation printer like the WF-7820.

You also get a large touchscreen that makes printing much easier and an integrated automatic feed scanner.

Overall, if you’re looking for the best value printer and can put up with the hassle of using ink cartridges, the WF-7820 is a perfect choice.

Key Features:

1. Ink amount: 4
2. Sublimation Ink Cost: ~$23
3. Maximum. Print width: 13 inches
4. DPI: 4800×2400
5. Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB
6. Size: 38.4″ × 20.3″ × 18″

 

7.HP ENVY Photo 7855 All in One Photo Printer

This HP ENVY 7855 sublimation printer is perfect for printing images, detailed results, and action photos. I’ve been using it for a long time, and it hasn’t let me down. This is the cheapest image to print with this printer, at about 5 cents.

It has a dedicated photo tray and is easy to set up with connectivity such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, Google Cloud Print, and iPrint. Scan documents using a document scanner and PDF scanner.

The HP ENVY Photo 7855 only supports HP 64 cartridges. Using other inks may cause the printer to malfunction. Automatic duplex printing, integrated ADF, email scanning, color touchscreen, and many other features complete the package.

This sublimation printer outperforms other printers with the excellent print quality and detailed images. Works with both Windows and macOS, mobile phones, and a wide variety of printer connections. Get things done with Alexa on HP Instant Ink.

Key Features:

1. Optimal color resolution up to 4800×1200 dpi when printing from the computer on selected HP photo papers and when printing at full resolution
2. Works with heat transfer
3. Maximum printable area (metric)
4. HP thermal inkjet printing for borderless printing

 

8.KODAK Step Wireless Mobile Photo Mini Printer

The Kodak Step Wireless Sublimation Photo Printer is small and portable. This is a great portable sublimation printer for photos and small enough to fit in your pocket.

Due to its compact size, this printer can be carried in your pocket. When I need a printed copy of my photos, I use this printer, which is great for all trips.

State-of-the-art printing technology allows each coin to be printed on one side in black and white and one side in color. It’s a great travel printer because it’s a single-step printer that prints full-color images in one click.

The most appreciated feature is that it doesn’t require ink toner. Zinc Zero technology eliminates the need for ink.

You can enhance your photos with various effects and filters. It’s very easy to take your favorite photos with your mobile phone. The image is bright and has a waterproof coating.

It comes with 5 photo frames and several matching ink cartridges MC-20, MC-30, and MC-50, so it can be used for weddings and other occasions.

Key Features:

1. Print time is 11 seconds for 10 × 15 cm (4 × 6 inch) photos, 13 × 18 (5 × 7 inch) photos in 18.5 seconds, 15 × 20 cm (6 × 8 inch) photos: 18.5 seconds
2. The maximum area for a borderless image is 10 × 15 cm (4 × 6 inches). Borderless – 15×20 (6×8 inch)
3. Sublimation of thermal dyes

 

Best sublimation printer for beginners. FAQ

What is the easiest printer to convert to sublimation?

Technically, Epson is still considered an executive printer, so this brand is the easiest to switch to sublimation. Otherwise, all you need is the ink itself.

What printer should I buy for sublimation?

When looking to buy your first sublimation printer, it can seem like you have a lot of options. That depends on how much effort you put into your setup process and budget.

If you want to get started with sublimation printing at the lowest possible cost, the Epson ET-2720 is a good choice, but you’ll have to convert it to sublimation, which will void your warranty.

On the other hand, if you are looking for the easiest guided setup process and the best print quality, the Sawgrass SG500 is for you. Not much more expensive than Epson models. Sawgrass ink is more expensive when you look at the refills, but when you look at the prints, you know it’s worth the price.

What is a good affordable sublimation printer?

Epson EcoTank 7720 is probably the cheapest sublimation printer. Epson doesn’t market it as a sublimation printer, but thousands of sublimation printers use the Epson 7720 for sublimation printing.

What size printer do you need for sublimation?

In this case, size matters. You need to determine the largest print you need so you can get a sublimation printer that can do that. Some printers can only print on paper up to 8.5 × 14 inches in size. If you just want to sublimate your mugs, keychains, jewelry, and other small items, this size is perfect.

However, if you ultimately want to sublimate garden flags, doormats, and L or XL size t-shirts, you will need to purchase a sublimation printer that can print larger than 8.5 × 14 inches. These printers are called wide format. You can either retrofit an Epson large format printer or buy a Sawgrass SG1000 or an Epson F570 Pro.

Maximum print size

When using one of the basic EcoTank printers, the maximum print width is limited to 8.5 inches. This works for mugs, large bags, and small prints on shirts, and is generally a good starting point. However, if you want to print something larger, or plan to print in a short period of time, we recommend using a large format sublimation printer such as the Epson WorkForce series.

It’s very cheap and has a large maximum print size, but since it’s a cartridge printer, it’s a good idea to check the settings before buying. A comparable large format printer EcoTank is significantly more expensive than a WorkForce that prints at the same size.

Does Cricut do sublimation printing?

Cricut Autopress can transfer already cut or printed images to various base materials. After cutting or printing the print, transfer it to the base material according to the Cricut heating guide.

Can any printer be used for sublimation printing?

The main job of the printhead is to apply ink to the paper. There are two main types of inkjet printheads: thermal and piezoelectric. Printers with piezo printheads can be used for sublimation, but thermal heads cannot.

Thermal print head

Thermal printheads use heat to boil ink and create bubbles from the ink vapor. This air bubble is pushed through the print head nozzles where it explodes out of the chamber. As the ink fuses with the paper, it cools quickly at the end of the process. Thermal printheads use water-based inks to facilitate this heating process. Printers like Canon and HP use this type of print head.

Piezo print head

A piezo printhead has a thin film on the head that carries an electrical charge that causes it to vibrate. This vibration is the signal for the foil to bend and flex, creating pressure that pushes the ink out of the nozzle onto the paper.

Fast vibrations and foil flexing allow more precise control of ink extrusion speed.

This type of printhead is compatible with water-, oil-, eco-solvent-, solvent- and gel-based inks. Printers like Epson, Sawgrass, and Roland have this type of print head and can be used for sublimation. There are other brands of printers with this piezo print head, but without sublimation ink.

Which ink filling method is the best?

When I first put the ink in, it looked like I thought it would be all the way up, but it wasn’t. I think the ink spilled out the side when I put it in. After the ink settled there and the ink dried on the sides, I had to add more.

Can sublimation ink be used in a regular printer?

Yes, if you use a regular sublimation printer, you should use sublimation ink. Simply empty the included bottle, rinse, dry and reuse to refill the reservoir with sublimation ink.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many choices when it comes to which sublimation printer to buy. The answer to the most important question, which sublimation printer is best for each individual, varies. If you want to get more information about digital products, you can read about digital cameras.

Decide what you want to sublimate and make sure you’re willing to spend money, so you can factor in the size of the printer you need, the cost of printer and ink refills, and the technical support you’ll need. Also, check the manufacturer’s website to see the full specifications for each printer. Printers are subject to change without notice.