Sublimation printing allows for more creativity and distinctive designs using full-color printing. A dye-sublimation printer is your best investment if you want to sell personalized clothing or accessories. Sublimation produces a continuous-tone image that is fade-free and water-resistant. The sublimation technique produces everlasting, high-resolution, full-color print. The list of best dye-sublimation printers for fabric will help you in this scenario.
It is critical to understand the best dye-sublimation printers for fabric because their quality is determined by your ability to make specific patterns and print them. I’ve tested and reviewed some of the top dye sublimation printers available. Whether you want a sublimation printer for a new activity or a side hustle to earn money, there’s something for everyone.
Contents
- 1 List of the Best Dye-Sublimation Printers for fabric – Best Choices
- 2 Top 6 Dye-Sublimation Printers For Fabric
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6 Final Verdict
- 7 How to Choose the best dye-sublimation printers for fabric?
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions
- 8.1 Is it possible to print on fabric with a sublimation printer?
- 8.2 Is the Epson EcoTank ET-7750 capable of scanning in A3 format?
- 8.3 What are the disadvantages of using a dye sublimation printer?
- 8.4 Can I sublimate on standard printer paper?
- 8.5 Is it possible to use an Epson printer for sublimation?
List of the Best Dye-Sublimation Printers for fabric – Best Choices
Top 6 Dye-Sublimation Printers For Fabric
1-HP Officejet Pro 9025e
Our team has researched and tested the various best sublimation printers for tumblers. We found the 6 best sublimation printers for tumblers for you that provide exceptional results.
We introduce The HP Officejet Pro 9025e is a multifunction dye-sublimation office printer featuring a 35-page single-pass auto-duplexing automatic document feeder for copying, scanning, and faxing multipage documents on both sides. The HP Officejet Pro 9025e prints the first page of a black-and-white text document very swiftly, and the following pages print slightly more rapidly. Additionally, the all-in-one printer includes unique security features typically found on business laptops.
It produces attractive photographs with colors that appear accurate enough for casual color prints. There is no compromise in scanning quality, and you can also save your documents in the following formats: PDF, JPEG, and TIFF. It features a durable plastic body and a detachable power cord that makes replacement simple. It features an excellent multi-touch color display.
The bottom of the display features three touch-sensitive buttons. It comes equipped with a high-resolution flatbed scanner, ideal for scanning delicate items. There are only two status lights, a power button on top, and a single USB port on the bottom to connect external storage devices.
The maximum capacity of the ADF scanner tray is 35 sheets, with a complete resolution of 300 DPI. This printer comes with a one-year membership to HP Instant Ink, which sends you to ink instantly when your cartridges run out. With the printer purchase, you receive six months of complimentary inking delivered directly to your door.
Connectivity options for the HP Officejet Pro 9025e include wired and wireless. While high-speed USB and Ethernet connections are reliable and stable, Wi-Fi enables connectivity without a cable. The 9025e’s black and color inks are pigment-based, warranting brittle colors in every document you print.
Specifications:
- Printing with no borders
- Instant ink offers low operating costs.
- Numerous ways to connect
- Quick (printing and scanning).
- There is no NFC available
2-Epson WorkForce WF-7720 Wireless Printer
Our first choice of sublimation printer for fabric is the WF-7720; the all-in-one printer produces high shop quality images. It has high-capacity ink tanks that are easy to fill. It features an excellent resolution flatbed scanner, making it one of the best scanners from the series of Epson. The cost is what makes it suitable for entrepreneurs. This Epson comes in black color with white letters and numbers on it, making it look elegant and like any other decoration piece.
The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 has a great screen, which is good. It is elementary to move around the game with a prominent touchscreen that gives audio feedback when you touch it. The symbols and words are both easily understandable. To see the screen better, you can raise your display console.
The printer can use ink from Epson’s 252 lines. It can print 300 pages per cartridge for a low price. They also have XL cartridges, which can print more pages. You can correspondingly scan a poster with it, so it works on almost all kinds of fabric, making it the best dye-sub printer.
A scanner bed on top of the device is typically large enough for a piece of 11 into 17. Using this printer will save replacement ink money up to 90%. It has an auto document feeder on a printer, and this size works best for fabric printing.
Specifications:
- It’s fast and can print in large sizes.
- It has 2 Paper Trays.
- It’s elementary to use and find your way around.
- It has average quality graphics printing, which could be better.
3-Epson EcoTank ET-2720 Wireless Color All-in-One
Epson’s EcoTank ET-2720 Printer is one of its most excellent printers; to name it as a 5-in-1 t-shirt printing machine would be no wrong. It has an easy-to-fill and large-capacity ink tank system and a high-resolution flatbed scanner and copier. Additionally, you’ll save up to 90% on new ink and eliminate cartridge waste with this printer.
As with several other convenient printers on this list, the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 printer supports wireless networking. It allows you to connect the printer to a smartphone or a computer. It’s also quite reasonable, which appears to be a deal given the features you get.
The screen on the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is good enough to use. You can also tilt the display console up to see the screen better, and it works well whether you’re sitting or standing. There is no touch screen, but there are a lot of push buttons all over the screen.
These two things make it easy to see small things like small print and fine lines in the fabric. Thanks to its unique heat-free technology with brilliant colors, the Epson printer delivers exceptional print quality on various materials. The ET-2720 supports USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi in terms of connectivity. You can print any image from your smartphone using the Epson Smart Panel application as a bonus. Furthermore, it also features voice-activated printing.
The ink type is the most critical factor to consider while converting this printer to sublimation printing. In this sublimation, you must use ink. Otherwise, you’re better off printing on sublimation paper with a standard inkjet printer.
Specifications:
- It is capable of printing, scanning, and copying
- Allows for double-sided printing
- It will enable direct printing on tee shirts (no heat press required)
- The design is not liked by many.
4-HP Officejet Pro 8025E
HP Officejet Pro 8025E Wireless All-in-One Inkjet Printer copier makes document duplication simple. The features are typical, with a maximum resolution of 600 dpi, reduced/enlarged settings, and a maximum copy size of 99 pages. Additionally, fax capability is varied, thanks to rapid fax transmission and large fax memory capacities of up to 100 pages.
This printer can print borderless on photo paper up to 8.5 × 11 inches in size. Additionally, a broad range of popular media sizes is supported, including Legal, Letter, Envelope, Executive, and Card. Moreover, you may choose a bespoke media size of 8.5 x 14 inches.
Not only does it include an automatic document feeder for hands-free operation, but it also prints at a relatively quick rate. This model publishes monochrome documents at a pace of 20 pages per minute and color documents at ten pages per minute.
This all-in-one is an excellent alternative for someone who prints infrequently. The HP Officejet Pro 8025e can print up to 800 pieces of fabric per month. Hence, OfficeJet cartridges are more cost-effective than Deskjet cartridges, which makes the Officejet more suited to volume printing.
The HP Officejet Pro 8025e features a durable plastic shell and an excellent cartridge bay lid dampener that softly closes the lid if you let go of the handle while completing it. Because the power cable is removable, it’s simple to replace if it becomes broken.
Specifications:
- Reasonable pricing per print.
- It is constructed with robust material to prevent damage.
- Numerous possibilities for wireless connectivity
- The document feeder is not duplex capable.
5-Epson Stylus C88+ Inkjet Printer
Epson’s Stylus C88+ inkjet printer is compatible with all types of sublimation paper. It utilizes DURABrite pigment ink. The machine’s ink ensures that the fabric prints have vibrant, sharp colors. As a result, professional vendors frequently use this printer, making it the best dye-sublimation photo printer.
It is suitable for sublimation and pigment-based inks due to the CISS functionality. This item is renowned for its remarkable durability and speed in the list of the best dye-sublimation printers for fabric will help you. Whether you want to use it to print proposals or results, you can be confident that the final product will be error-free.
The Epson C88+ prints images in various formats, including almost all commonly used sizes (for example, 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, and 8.5×11). This printer can print images with exceptional clarity and fine detail because of its high resolution of up to 5760 x 1440 dpi. If you want the printer to carry out a significant amount of image printing, the nature of their work is terrific for the majority of the time. With this printer, you may print more than 23 pages in a single minute. This printer’s performance is faster than anticipated, making it an excellent choice for a workplace that expects to print a lot.
For example, if you have to print 2000-page regularly, this printer will do the task in less than one and a half hours. Similar printers would take around two hours to produce on a standard printer with a speed of 17 pages per minute. That would only have any impact in very particular circumstances.
It includes ArcSoft Photo Impression for image and print manipulation, which is simple even for people new to design.
It includes an automatic feeder, which eliminates the need for you to be with the printer throughout the day while it prints your T-shirt designs. While the subsequent design is being printed, you can swiftly transfer the image to your material or item. Moreover, the device is equipped with built-in software that assists in filtering and enhancing the image you intend to print.
Specifications:
- It prints on a variety of paper types
- It comes with image editing software
- Contains scanning software that produces
- Users complain about paper jamming
6-SG500 Sawgrass
Starting with our sixth choice of best printer for dye sublimation, you are out of luck if you operate in the printing industry and have not yet used Sawgrass sublimation printers. This ink is water and weather resistant, extending the life of sublimation prints on shirts and other standard products.
The SG500 is small enough to fit on a desktop and prints on media up to 8.5 x 14 inches (22 x 36 cm). It enables you to apply custom artwork to a wide range of popular, high-margin items, such as mugs and coasters, phone covers, and awards, among other things. The Sawgrass SG500 is a desktop A4 dye-sublimation printer.
Before printing, Sawgrass Creative Studio software prompts you to select the blank on which to print your design. As a result, the Sawgrass printer intelligently determines the optimal print material for your specified blank material. The print quality is consistent, so this is an excellent alternative if you print in large quantities.
Connectivity options for the HP Officejet Pro 9025e include wired and wireless. While high-speed USB and Ethernet connections are reliable and stable, Wi-Fi enables connectivity without a cable. The 9025e’s black and color inks are pigment-based, warranting brittle colors in every document you print.
The SG500 supports a broad range of operating systems and devices and has a WIFI connection. You can print high definition using SubliJet UHD Sublimation Inks, which features an intuitive interface that maximizes user convenience and versatility with these dye sublimation machines.
Specifications:
- Dedicated sublimation printer
- Sublimation prints with high resolution, durability, and resistance to water
- Self-care and cleaning
- Low cost per page printing
- Ink is costly.
Final Verdict
Dye-sublimation printing is excellent for printing fine lines and details, and it is also one of the most effective methods for printing all over a surface. Because the minimal setup costs are ideal for short runs, and the printing is so near too permanent that it is virtually unbeatable in terms of quality.
My Top Picks are
- The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 is a superior printer for workplace use compared to other models. In addition to having duplex scanning and two paper trays, the WF-7720 boasts excellent photo printing quality.
- As a result of its reduced cost per print and substantially faster printing speed, the Sawgrass SG-500 is a more cost-effective option.
Suppose you have a design in mind that you’d like to place on fabric, a t-shirt, a blanket, a sheet, or any other form of surface that permits designs to be heat transferred. In that case, you should be aware of the different types of printers available for this purpose.
How to Choose the best dye-sublimation printers for fabric?
Choosing a sublimation printer is a difficult task. However, the list of the best dye-sublimation printers for fabric will help you, but oumerous factors have a significant role in this choice. Here are some factors that you need to look for first when buying.
- Speed of printing
- Print size
- The capacity of paper feed
- Type of ink
As with anything else, not all printers are created equal; therefore, you should conduct some research using a scientific approach rather than simply purchasing the cheapest unit available. Your first step should be to determine which printers can process sublimation dye, ensuring that you do not consider any that are not supported.
To simplify matters, it’s best to create the following list of fundamental functions to compare:
- The Dimensions of The Printing Field.
- The Variety of Ink Colors
- Maintenance
- Speed
- Price
Size does matter because the cost grows with the size of the print field. The critical point is to select the most important jobs you anticipate performing regularly. For instance, if fabric sublimation will be used extensively, a printer with a maximum paper size of 8.5″ x 14″ is unlikely to be the ideal solution. (Because most printers will not print to the edges of the paper, the maximum picture size is typically less than the total paper size.) Additionally, some printers feature roll feed capabilities, allowing you to print directly onto continuous reels of transfer media rather than pre-cut sheets.
A four-color printer will suffice for the majority of applications. On the other hand, if you are working in fine art or photography where delicate shades of color make a significant difference, you may want to explore a six or eight-color printer.
By combining a small number of base ink colors, dye-sublimation equipment can produce hundreds of thousands of different output colors. Most printers are four-color, with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black as the actual ink colors (CMYK) in the list of the best dye-sublimation printers for fabric.
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Another feature that should not be disregarded when purchasing a printer for this class is the resolution. Whatever the intended usage, it is critical to choose a high-resolution printer because the quality of the prints may vary based on this factor, which can be challenging to determine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to print on fabric with a sublimation printer?
Sublimation printing is only acceptable for clothing made of polyester or blends of polyester (100 percent polyester or polyester blend). Although sublimation is possible on other materials, such as cotton, the image will not be as long-lasting as manufactured fabric. It is not suggested for this purpose.
Is the Epson EcoTank ET-7750 capable of scanning in A3 format?
Its features it’s not wrong: it supports both wired and wireless networks, scans and copies up to A4 size, and automatically double-sided (duplex) prints when needed. The printer can produce borderless A3+ photo prints, and it can scan to or print photos from a USB stick or SD card that has been loaded.
What are the disadvantages of using a dye sublimation printer?
When it comes to dye sublimation, there are more steps, and it requires more staffing, which can result in a somewhat higher price than other procedures. Older printers have another disadvantage: production issues are more likely.
Can I sublimate on standard printer paper?
When printing with sublimation ink, you cannot use conventional paper. Sublimation ink has a unique chemical makeup, which necessitates using a document that serves just as a temporary carrier for the ink before it is transferred to another surface. Regular paper will absorb the sublimation ink completely. And the list of the best dye-sublimation printers for fabric will help you.
Is it possible to use an Epson printer for sublimation?
Printers with this type of print head, such as those made by Epson, Sawgrass, and Roland, can be used for sublimation printing. To point out that other printer companies use this Piezo Print Head. However, there are no sublimation inks available for them.