9+ Best Sublimation Printer For T-Shirts 2022 | Unrivaled Guide & Products Overview

You might have wondered how to do heat transfers. The easiest way to transfer your artwork to T-shirts is to use thermal transfer paper.

It’s fast, secure, affordable, and you can do it from home.

But that means you need the Best Sublimation Printer For T-Shirts!

Nothing like seeing your creations on fabric. You can transfer your designs to shirts, hoodies, bags, tea towels, etc.

It’s great fun and it can also earn you money. You just need to invest in the right tools.

Choosing the best printer for sublimation and thermal transfer is a big deal. This is true whether you are exploring a new hobby or setting up a side activity.

As a graphic designer or illustrator, selling your designs is a great way to make money.

But there are hundreds of printers out there and the comparison of specs can be overwhelming. So I took the time to research the best printer to make fine art prints for you.

Read on for my in-depth buyer’s guide and reviews of the best printers!

Also Read: Best Printers For Heat Transfers 

Best Sublimation Printer For T-Shirts 2022

A sublimation printer is a must-have if you want to start a T-Shirts Printing business and deliver results. This system can help you add color by heat and pressure.

Then you can transfer it to a garment. It is difficult to find the best sublimation printer with all the necessary features that will meet your needs. However, that is the reason why I am here. Today I am going to introduce and review some of the best sublimation printers, both for beginners and experts.

Also Read:: Best Printer For Printable Vinyl Stickers

Best Sublimation Printer For T-Shirts | Comparison Table 2022

Prices and images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Best Sublimation Printer For T-Shirts | Products Overview 2022

Product Overview:

The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is an all-in-one printer that features cartridge-free printing with high-capacity, easily refillable ink tanks. This innovative solution eliminates the need for tiny, expensive ink cartridges and allows for dramatic savings on replacement ink, with the potential to save up to 90% compared to traditional ink cartridges. With the high-capacity ink tanks, you can print up to 4,500 pages in black and 7,500 pages in color, equivalent to about 90 individual ink cartridges.

In addition to its cartridge-free printing capabilities, the ET-2720 also includes a high-resolution flatbed scanner and a convenient color display for easy document copying and navigation. It also features modern connectivity options such as wireless and hands-free voice-activated printing, as well as the ability to easily print from your smart device with the Epson Smart Panel App.

Also Read: Best Portable Printer For iPhone

Product Overview:

The Epson Artisan 1430 is a wireless color wide-format inkjet printer that offers high-definition photos up to 13 inches x 19 inches. It features wireless printing capabilities through Wi-Fi, allowing for easy printing from smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices without the need for a computer. The printer uses Claria 6-color ink, which provides ultimate photo quality and longevity, with prints lasting up to four times longer than those from photo labs.

The printer boasts remarkable image quality, with its DX5 MicroPiezo printhead technology and a resolution of up to 5760 x 1440 dpi. The ink droplets are as small as 1.5 picoliters, ensuring that every detail is captured in your prints. Additionally, the printer has the ability to print on CDs and DVDs, as per the user manual.

Also Read: Best Black and White Laser Printer 

Product Overview:

The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 is a wireless wide-format color inkjet printer that offers a range of features including copy, scan, fax, Wi-Fi Direct, and Ethernet. Epson strongly recommends the use of Genuine Epson inks for a quality printing experience and warns that non-Epson inks and inks not formulated for this specific printer may cause damage that is not covered by the Epson warranty.

The WF-7720 is powered by Precision Core technology, allowing it to produce print-shop quality borderless prints up to 13" x 19" in size. It is also designed for use with Epson cartridges only and not third-party cartridges or ink. This printer is compatible with a wide range of operating systems including Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Mac OS X 10.6.8.

The WF-7720 offers a variety of convenient features such as automatic two-sided printing, a 35-page auto document feeder, and an intuitive 4.3" color touchscreen for easy navigation and control. It also offers ultimate wireless printing and networking options, allowing you to print from your iPad, iPhone, Android tablets, and smartphones. Additionally, it has a large 500-sheet capacity, dual trays, and a rear feed for specialty paper, 125-sheet output tray, and the ability to easily scan up to 11" x 17" with 2-sided auto document feeder. It also consumes up to 80% less power than color laser printers.

Product Overview:

The Epson Stylus C88+ Inkjet Printer is a color printer that is capable of producing high-quality prints with a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi. It is a desktop model, with a recommended use for plain paper printing. The printer can print both color and monochrome documents, with a maximum color print speed of 14 pages per minute and a maximum monochrome print speed of 23 pages per minute. The printer uses individual color cartridges and is capable of handling up to 4 colors.

This printer is equipped with parallel and USB 2.0 ports for connectivity. It is compatible with Windows operating systems such as Windows USB/Parallel, Windows 98se, Me, 2000, or XP as well as Macintosh OS X 10.2 or later. It supports a wide range of media types including plain paper, bond paper, card stock, air mail paper, semi-gloss paper, matte paper, envelopes, bright white paper, presentation paper, photo paper, labels, and glossy paper.

Also Read: Best Printer For Cricut

Product Overview:

The DNP DS-RX1HS is a high-performance photo printer that is ideal for both photo booth businesses and event photographers. This printer is designed to offer a high level of performance while keeping hardware costs and media prices low, making it the perfect choice for professionals who need to print large numbers of photos.

One of the most impressive features of the DS-RX1HS is its print speed. With a 20 percent increase in print speeds, users can produce 4”x6” prints in just 12.4 seconds, or up to 290 4”x6” prints per hour. This makes it one of the fastest printers in its class, making it perfect for busy event photographers or photo booth operators who need to print a large number of photos quickly.

Also Read: 3D Printer Under 150 Dollars of 2022

Product Overview:

The Sawgrass SG500 is a desktop sublimation printer that is designed to kickstart your business by allowing you to create customized products with vibrant HD images quickly, easily, and profitably. It comes with the Sawgrass Print Manager, CreativeStudio Online Designer, SubliJet UHD Sublimation Inks, and a 2-year product warranty and in-house support. The SG500 is designed to minimize ink and power consumption while maximizing quality and efficiency, enabling you to create the highest definition images with the lowest per image cost.

The SG500 has a compact footprint and rugged reliability, and has been updated from the inside out with design improvements such as a single roll-bar. It is more energy-efficient, prints with higher resolution, and offers WiFi connectivity, which means you'll enjoy higher-quality products and greater ease of use at a price comparable to the previous model. The SG500 is backward-compatible with SG400 accessories, so if you already own a bypass tray for the SG400, you will be able to continue using it.

Product Overview:

The DNP DS-RX1HS 6" Dye Sublimation Printer is a high-speed digital photo printer that can produce up to 290 4x6 prints per hour, making it ideal for photo booths and other event photography venues. The printer is designed to be inexpensive to operate, with low hardware costs and low media prices, while still producing beautiful full-color photo prints. Additionally, the printer is compact, making it easy to use in a variety of settings.

The DS-RX1HS printer is also designed to be easy to use, with improved operational support that includes USB iSerial functionality for seamless connectivity to Mac and PC computers. The printer also features a new print Status App for RX1HS and RX1 for Windows, which allows you to monitor your printer during operation.

Also Read: Best Metal 3d Printer 2022

Product Overview:

The Datacard SD260 is a desktop card printer that uses both dye sublimation and thermal transfer technology to produce high-quality, full-color card prints. With a print speed of 4.3 seconds for monochrome and 18 seconds for color, this printer is efficient and able to handle large printing jobs quickly. The printer has a resolution of 300 dpi, ensuring that the finished product is sharp and vibrant.

This printer is equipped with a Fast Ethernet connection and a USB port, making it easy to connect to a computer or network. It also features an LCD screen that displays important information and status updates, making it easy to monitor the printing process. The Datacard SD260 is manufactured by the Datacard Group and has a weight of 8.16 pounds and dimensions of 15.39 x 6.89 x 8.82 inches.

Also Read: Best Cheap 3d Printer Under $100

Product Overview:

The Digital Textile Printer MT-TA3 is a versatile and efficient option for small T-shirt printing shops. One of its key benefits is that it does not require a printing plate, making it suitable for small production runs. Additionally, it has good material compatibility, and can print directly on a variety of fabrics, including cotton and polyester. The printer also supports both pigment and sublimation ink, which means it can print on both dark and light colored T-shirts, and can even print with a white ink, enabling printing on T-shirts of any color.

Another advantage of the MT-TA3 is its ease of use. The printer has a one-button, one-product feature, making it simple to operate. Additionally, it comes with a clothing printing template, which further simplifies the process. And, it can provide instant samples printing, which can be completed within one minute. With its digital printing capabilities, each product will be identical and better than traditional handwork products.

The MT-TA3 also offers high resolution printing of up to 2880dpi, and allows for easy color adjustments. Furthermore, it uses the latest European standard environmental ink, which is safe and eco-friendly. The company also offers a permanent warranty on the printer with continuous ink orders and provides free training for clients, even sending an engineer to overseas customers, and providing free printing samples for customers.

Also Read: Best 3d Printer Under 500 Dollar

How to choose the Best Sublimation Printer For T-Shirts

When selecting the best printer for transfer paper, there are a few things you should know. Here are my top tips for choosing the right printer for thermal transfer printing.

These factors are what make a printer suitable for heat transfers. They make the difference between an average printer and a great printer.

Get yourself a printer with all of these features. Then you will know that you have a reliable thermal transfer printer yourself.

Maximum resolution

Resolution is the measure of density. It can be measured in dots per inch called "ppi". If you want to enlarge an item, a more detailed picture is better.

Versatility and connections

Your printer is designed to work with different substances. Also, pay attention to the connection. Make sure your printer includes connections such as WiFi or Ethernet to provide the ' impression.

Performance

Before ' buy something, always read consumer reviews on Amazon or on the sites ' purchase. My advice is to start looking for testimonials that explain how a product works and longevity, so you can decide on a good quality machine that will serve you well. Search printers offering of ' great features and good results. Make sure your sublimation printer can be used with multiple devices.

Ink Type

The two main types of printers are inkjet and laser printers. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, which I will explain here!

Inkjet printers tend to cost less initially. You have a choice of dye, sublimation or pigment inks for your inkjet printer.

Dye-based ink is the cheapest of the three options, but it has significant drawbacks. If you are using dye-based ink, it is more likely to fade over time and with exposure to UV rays.

I would only recommend dye-based inks if your budget is very tight.

In contrast, sublimation inks will not fade as much. But they are more difficult to use and require a lot of knowledge to get it right.

The last and the best option for inkjet printers are pigment-based inks. This ink costs more, but it won't run or fade either.

It is water-resistant and suitable for all conditions. This makes it ideal for heat transfers.

Laser printers use toner rather than ink. When purchasing ink or toner for heat printing, check that it is compatible with your specific model.

If you don't get the right type, it can cause printing issues or even break your printer.

Inkjet printers and laser printers

So which type of printer should you choose? Are inkjet or laser printers better for transferring your designs to fabric?

This is an important question to ask. The answer comes down to the ability of each printer to create heat transfer prints.

Laser prints are great because they already generate heat during the printing process, but you need to be careful about the type of paper you are using.

There is also a risk that your prints and your printer will get too hot. Be sure to be very careful when printing and thermal transfers with a laser printer!

However, not all inkjet printers are suitable for thermal transfers. You will need to use a specific process, so check that your printer is suitable before purchasing it.

Whichever printer you choose, make sure it can handle thermal transfer paper. Otherwise, you'll end up with jams, destroyed prints, or even a broken printer.

The last type of printer for thermal transfers is the sublimation printer. These differ from other types in that they can print directly onto the fabric.

This means that you don't need to print on transfer paper and iron your design onto the fabric. This process is faster and generally more reliable, producing better quality prints.

But with sublimation printers, you are limited to printing onto fabric. When you print on transfer paper, you can add your designs to other items like mugs and water bottles.

You will need to weigh the different factors and decide what type of printer and ink you are going to buy!

FAQs

Can Any Printer Use For Sublimation?