4 Best Sublimation Printers For T-Shirts And Heat Press Machines For T Shirts
The sublimation printing process is becoming increasingly popular for T-shirt designers and businesses due to its high-quality results and relatively low cost. Sublimation printers are one new way of t-shirt printing.
In addition to t-shirts, you can easily print on various fabrics and materials for making personalized apparel, including sweatpants, pillow covers, polo shirts, and hoodies.
If you’re in the market for the best sublimation printer for t-shirts, you may feel overwhelmed by the number of options available. And it is challenging to find the best one.
Don’t worry; we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to the best sublimation printers for T-shirts on the market. We also provide a buying guide to help you choose the perfect printer for your needs.
So, if you’re ready to learn more about sublimation printing, let’s get started!
List Of Best Sublimation Printer For T-shirts
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two-year warranty See what makes us different. Complete sublimation solution for beginners |
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Affordable Excellent print quality Two-year free ink |
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Duplex printing Less operating cost Wide wireless options |
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Great for thin shirt printing Outstanding customer care Offer high resolution |
1- Sawgrass SG500 Sublimation Printer
Specification
| Category | Sublimation inkjet printer |
| Max Print Resolution | 4,800 x 1,200 dpi |
| Ink Capacity | 31ml x4 |
| Print Size | up to 22 x 36 cm |
| Weight | 12.3kg |
The Sawgrass SG500 is a desktop printer designed specifically for sublimation. The SG 500 replaces the SG 400 and was recently launched early this year. With its compact footprint and rugged reliability, the SG500 is the perfect choice for those looking to start their own business while keeping their limited budget.
The SG500 gives a kick start to your business as it comes with a complete start-up bundle pack including the Sawgrass Print Manager, Creative Studio Online Designer, SubliJet UHD Sublimation Ink, sublimation paper, and tape. Furthermore, the SG500 is also compatible with SG 400 accessories.
Additionally, this advanced dye sublimation printer provides 4880 x 1200dpi Print resolution and easily handles print media up to 8.5 x 14 inches. You can easily decorate various products made from polyester fabrics or polymer-coated rigid media, including aluminum panels and inserts, hardboard and wood plaques, Tiles, Mugs, Acrylic, Glass, Slate, Polyester Fabric, and t-shirts.
The SG500 is also backed by a two-year warranty and lifetime tech support. I tested this SG500; it provides excellent results, and when it comes to a sublimation printing on t-shirts, the Sawgrass SG500 provides reliable prints except for cotton.
The most outstanding feature I like is that it performs its auto-self maintenance system, offers trouble-free printing, and creates the highest quality images at the lowest per image cost. So, if you’re looking for high-quality prints with vibrant HD color and images, look no further than the SG500 best sublimation printer for t-shirts.
Pros
Cons
2-Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550
Epson ET-8550 is one of the best photo sublimation printers for t-shirt printing and an excellent choice for those looking for a multi-tasking printer. It offers cartridge-free printing and a unique EcoFit ink bottle design with an auto stop to ensure easy filling of each color.
The et-8550 can handle large printing jobs quickly and efficiently. It prints a 4 x 6″ photo at a speed of 15 seconds and borderless prints up to 16 pages per minute. In addition, it comes with colossal-size refill ink bottles, which are enough to print up to 6,200 color pages.
The wireless connectivity from your mobile and voice activation with Alexa helps you set up, monitor, and operate your printer anywhere in the office and at home.
Best of all, the manufacturer’s two-year limited warranty gives you peace of mind that your investment is protected. So if you are in the market for a sublimation printer that can do it all, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 should be at the top of your list.
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3.Brother MFC-J995DW INKvestmentTank
The Brother MFC-J995DW is an all-in-one, high-performance, and versatile printer that offers low-cost printing. The Brother inkjet printer is an optimal choice when it comes to finding the best sublimation printers for t-shirts. You can conveniently use this robust printer for home and office use.
The Brother MFC-J995DW eliminates all ink replacement guesswork, thanks to its innovative page gauge system that lets you update the remaining ink level in the tank. Plus, it also tells you how many pages you can print before the ink lasts so you will not run out of ink in the middle of an important job.
The printer uses four colors of ink to produce vibrant prints that are sure to stand out, and duplex printing allows you to print on both sides of the paper.
Brother MFC-J995DW offers a complete budget package, and the box comes with almost one year of free ink. Furthermore, the ongoing cost per page is also less, approximately 1cent for blank and 4cent for color pages.
The Brother J995DW is an entry-level printer for home and office use that smoothly prints high-quality prints quickly. I hooked it up with Ethernet, which nicely prints my documents with just one tap. In terms of print quality, the images are sharp and produce excellent color output on t-shirts, mugs, and many more.
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4. DTG Printer Machine for T-Shirts
This A4 size printer by the HRM brand is an excellent sublimation printer for t-shirts. The HRM is a well-known brand that manufactures the best quality products and provides state-of-the-art customer care.
If you are looking for a heavy-duty best sublimation printer for t-shirts for your small-scale home-based business, consider this high-resolution multipurpose printer.
The flatbed printing tray provides a large, smooth, and even surface for t-shirt printing. In addition to this, you can also print onesies, bags, socks, and much more. The highest printing resolution of up to 5760 x 1440 DPI and free AcroRip9.0 software enable you to create a customized, high-quality image for your customers.
If we talk about its performance, This DTG printer works wonderfully on thin fabric and gives top-quality printing results on light and dark fabric.
As this printer directly prints on fabrics, you do not need to buy sublimation paper. Just connect it to your Windows computer and select your design, babysit and enjoy because the rest of the task is performed by your printer. But if you want to print on thick fabric, you may struggle to get desired results.
We highly recommend it if you only want to print on thin materials.
Pros
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List of best heat press machines for t-shirts
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Hats, cups, T-shirts, and tableware can all be printed on For safe application, it can handle essays. |
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For all types of users, it is indeed safer. It transfers numbers or designs to various substrates. |
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Versatile Nice Vinyl cutter Amazing plotter |
1. SURPCOS Heat Press Machine for t-shirts
Specifications:
- You can easily use it for trim and commercial-level businesses. This versatile machine comes with
- Teflon-coated platen up to12”x15”
- One Curved cap press up to 6″ x 3″
- One mug press up to 3″-3.5″ and
- Two Plate Presses up to 5″ and 6″
- The digital timer and temperature control knob provide additional safety and convenience as the timer beep once your task is completed.
- You can easily switch from one attachment to another.
- With the help of a pressure adjustment knob, you can easily adjust the pressure accordingly.
- After using the overall performance of this machine is top-notch with even heat transfer and perfectly imparts the image, except the hat press does not fit properly.
Reasons to Buy
Reasons to Avoid
2. TUSY Heat press machine for T-Shirts
Specifications:
Reasons to Buy
Reasons to Avoid
3. Mophorn Heat Press Machine
Specifications:
Reasons to Buy
Reasons to Avoid
What Else Do You Need? Buying Guide
This section will discuss some critical factors you need to consider before buying a sublimation printer for t-shirts. With modern printers, you can also print other things, including mugs, caps, cards, hats, and many more, not only t-shirts. For successful printing, you will need to consider the following factors.
Printing Speed:
Printing speed plays an essential role in selecting the best sublimation printer for t-shirts. The high-speed printers are slightly costly but enable you to complete large-scale printing orders in less time.
Print Size:
Print size is also an essential factor. Different printers offer different print size options for fabric, pages, etc. So choose according to your needs.
Sublimation Inks:
The typical inkjet inks do not give good sublimation results compared to sublimation inks. Because the sublimation inks completely penetrate inside the desired fabric or material by using heat-reactive dye and give a blended result. On the other side, the inkjet inks sit on the fabric and give horrible results.
Image Editing Software:
It would be best to have image editing software to create unique or customized designs. Some printers are available with the software, or you can also purchase them yourself. You can also use free graphic designing software to make your image.
The following are the most popular free software:
So, always choose trusted software that helps you create the best quality design and graphics.
Sublimation Transfer Paper:
Sublimation transfer papers are also important because they transfer the dye efficiently into the fabric. During the sublimation process, the ink or dye is converted into gas by heating, and after cooling, it is converted into a solid form.
With the wrong paper, this whole process goes wrong as the transfer paper act as a conducting medium to exactly transfer your image on fabric that an inkjet printer cannot print.
The sublimation transfer papers are porous and heat resistant, so the ink quickly passes through them, and they also withstand the high temperature of a heat press machine or printer. If you want to print heavy graphics images with more colors, you need heavier paper.
The transfer papers are available in the form of sheets (11″ x 17″ ) or rolls (24″ to over 100″), so you can easily buy the sublimation transfer paper according to your need and the size of the image you want to print.
T-shirts:
you will need your t-shirts to print when you’re ready. Always buy t-shirts with some polyester in them as more polyester in fabric brighter and more vibrant sublimation results you get. Moreover, the sublimation dyes do not give results on 100% cotton.
Tape:
If you want your image to stay in the right place during the transfer process, you can you a tape that helps you to hold the image in place. Always use a good quality heat-resistant sublimation tape because if you use any tape, it may melt during heat transfer.
Heat Press:
To complete the sublimation process, you will need heat, and the heat press machine provides the most effective way of doing this task by applying the right temperature and time. You can get good sublimation results with any heat press.
The heat press works simply. The heat and pressure are used to transfer the image from the transfer paper onto the t-shirt. The most significant advantage of the heat press is that it provides a large area, even pressure, and even heat all over the transfer paper.
Heat press printers and machines are straightforward to operate, and after some printing jobs, you’ll be a master in creating good quality t-shirts, mugs, hats, ceramics, and many more.
Moreover, if you want to print in bulk, always test your first shirt to check the printing results. This will also help to make any alternations in time and pressure.
Tips on how to use a Sublimation Printer for t-Shirts?
FAQs Related to Best Sublimation Printers for T-Shirts
What is a sublimation printer for t-shirts?
The sublimation printing on a t-shirt is done using a simple printing process. First of all, the desired image is printed on a special transfer paper for sublimation. The sublimation printer then transfers this image on a t-shirt using heat that melts the ink particles, and ink completely disintegrates through transfer paper into the fabric.
What type of printer do you need to make sublimation shirts?
For the sublimation of t-shirts, you need a sublimation printer for t-shirts. We provide the list of best sublimation printers for t-shirts that are user-friendly, fast speed, efficient and durable.
How Long Does a Sublimation Print Last On t-shirts?
The length of duration varies and depends on the quality of the printer you used for sublimation. Primarily a high-quality sublimation printer generates prints that last up to 5-10 years. So, if you want to see your print stay on t-shirts for quite a long time, choose a top-quality printer at any cost.
Can I do sublimation printing on Cotton material?
Cotton is perhaps the most common fabric for wearing in our daily routine. However, it doesn’t wholly uphold sublimation printing. The designs do not transfer completely. Furthermore, this isn’t because of the printer or poor sublimation technique.
Instead, it focuses on how sublimation ink isn’t promptly retained in cotton fabric. Because of this reason, the experts recommended polyester (or polyester mix) containing materials for getting the best sublimation printing results, especially on t-shirts.
Final Verdict:
We have provided you with the best sublimation printers for t-shirts that are efficient, durable, user-friendly, and energy-saving. We use them, and they have become our favorite as they are cost-effective and easy to set for beginners to start their t-shirt sublimation printing business at a low budget
These sublimation printers for t-shirts give exceptional performance and serve as the best bang for your money. So if you want the best printer that offers hassle-free and risk-free printing, choose any in our list.
We hope this article has helped you select the best one.
