Whether you’re customizing apparel, like wholesale crewneck sweatshirts or wholesale pullover hoodies, or hard blanks, such as coffee mugs or water bottles, using a sublimation printer is one of the best ways to get the job done. The technology in these devices has come a long way in recent years, too, and it’s now possible to find high-quality, affordable sublimation printers even for home and small business use. Keep reading to discover some of our picks for the best sublimation printers of 2020!
What Do Sublimation Printers Do?
Before we dive into our favorite machines, we want to take a moment to explain what sublimations do and what they’re used for. This type of printer uses heat to transfer dye onto a wide range of materials, including fabric, inkjet transparency paper and plastic. The entire principle of “sublimation” is based on the transition of ink from a solid state to a gas state without going through a liquid state. Don’t worry–you don’t have to understand the science in order to use one of these machines!
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Most sublimation printers are of the inkjet variety, and different models can be used to accomplish different tasks, from printing on paper to sublimation transfer printing of cotton and wool. There is a wide variety of these devices on the market, so the one that’s perfect for you may not be the best one for someone else. Here are a few of our top picks.
Mitsubishi CP-K60DW-S: Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners
If you are new to the world of sublimation printing, a beginner model like the Mitsubishi CP-K60DW-S is the way to go. Coming in at under $500, this printer is a great choice for anyone who wants to try sublimation printing without breaking the bank.
This compact printer is eco-friendly and does a great job of creating glossy laminated prints. It can be used to print in various sizes, and it’s designed for creating high-quality prints in a matter of minutes with no waste.
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The downside of this printer is its capabilities are limited. If you are looking to print on anything other than paper, this isn’t going to be the one to get the job done. It is, however, a great way to experiment in sublimation printing and get a feel for the process before committing to a more expensive machine.
Sawgrass Virtuoso SG400: Best Sublimation Printer for T-Shirts
If you’re thinking about getting a sublimation printer for customizing t-shirts, the Sawgrass Virtuoso SG400 is a solid option. It’s one of the most affordable products in its category, and it does a great job of printing on a wide range of substrates. Whether you’re thinking about buying plain t-shirts in bulk to print on them or you’d like to print on a hard surface like glass or acrylic, this printer will help you get the job done.
This printer is popular for both home and business use and is capable of printing up to 157 600×600 dpi images per hour. It comes with its own professional image editing software as well as a ready-made collection of images. Though it can be a bit pricey to operate due to its expensive ink cartridges, it has plenty of other features that more than make up for it.
Epson Workforce WF-7710: Best Sublimation Printer for Business
If you’re looking for the best sublimation printer for business purposes, go with the Epson Workforce WF-7710. This multifunctional device is great for businesses of all sizes and features a high-density print chip that is capable of generating a whopping 40 million pinpoint dots. This ensures both incredible accuracy and high speed. With this device, you can print up to 13×19 inches with a resolution of up to 4800×2400 dpi.
The Workforce WF-7710 has dual paper trays. The front tray can hold up to 500 sheets while the rear tray is designed for printing on envelopes and special types of paper. The device supports auto-duplexing and borderless printing and has a wide range of other features to make it work well in most offices. It can even be connected directly to smartphones and tablets. The only downside to this device is its bulky size, which means it requires a substantial amount of space. This shouldn’t be a problem for most businesses, but it could be challenging for small offices and home-based businesses.
The Bottom Line
If you are in the market for a sublimation printer, there are a lot of options to choose from. Determining the best sublimation printer for your unique needs is important as it ensures the machine you choose will do what you need it to do. Check out the printers listed above and then do some additional homework to determine which one is best for you.
