7 Best Sublimation Printer for T-shirts

A t-shirt printing machine is a valuable tool for every person who wants to make their custom t-shirts. However, when you want to print your t-shirts on your t-shirt printer, you must choose the best t-shirt printer. In this post, I have reviewed the best sublimation printer for t-shirts.

T-shirt printing machines are top-rated among young people. T-shirt printing machines make custom t-shirts for every occasion, such as an anniversary, a birthday, or a wedding. T-shirts are also used for advertising a brand or company’s products. A t-shirt printing machine is also known as a sublimation printer. Sublimation printers are affordable and easy to use. You can get a t-shirt printer in the market to print your t-shirts.

Sublimation printers also print other items like hats, mugs, jackets, etc. A sublimation printer is a fast and convenient way to print a large number of t-shirts. If you want to save time and money, you can buy a t-shirt printer online. If you’re going to print your t-shirts, you must choose a t-shirt printer with the features you need. You can get a t-shirt printer compatible with your computer and printer.

You can also check the t-shirt printer’s warranty before buying. The contract is essential because it ensures that the t-shirt printer will work as expected for a long time. I have reviewed the best sublimation printers for t-shirts available in the market. Each t-shirt printer has its advantages and disadvantages. So, I have provided my top picks for you.

Read More: How to Use a Sublimation Printer for T-Shirts?

7 Best Sublimation Printers for T-shirts

01-Epson EcoTank ET-2720

ET-2720 is an excellent option for those just starting to use a printer at home and is ideal for anyone who wants to print and scan. It has a high-quality flatbed scanner and a color display for easy navigation.

It has a 2-year limited warranty, and the replacement ink is included in the box. With each replacement ink, you get 4500 pages of black and 7,500 pages of color, which is more than enough to print up to 4,500 pages of black/7,500 color.

That’s the equivalent of about 90 individual ink cartridges, which is much less than what you’d get with traditional cartridges. In addition, you’ll only have to replace the ink in the box once, saving a lot of money and frustration.

You can also use the printer for scanning documents, and it has a wireless function, so you don’t have to connect it to a computer. If you want to save money and time, this is the best option. It’s great for the price, and the replacement ink is included.

Light and Compact

At 7 by 14.8 by 13.7 inches and weighing just more than 13 pounds, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an AIO printer—especially a bulk-ink model—that takes up less desk space. The Epson ET-4760 and the Canon G6020 are both several inches bigger in all directions and weigh a few more pounds. Epson’s ET-2760, on the other hand, is very closely configured in size, features, and price to the ET-2720.

To be precise, what you give up for the $100 price difference between the ET-2720 and ET-2760 is that the latter comes with various flavors of SD card support and voice activation via Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and other hands-free voice-activation services through simple IFTTT scripts. The former supports neither.

The ET-2720’s simple control panel consists of a 1.44-inch non-touch color display navigable via a set of arrow keys, and OK, Home, Help, Back, Copy, and Cancel buttons. As mentioned, the ET-2720 has no ADF, so the copies and scans you make will be mostly one-sided, one- or two-page jobs, compared with the multipage scans capable on Epson’s ET-3760 and ET-4760.

Epson Inkjet Quality

Nowadays, most inkjet printers are able to produce quality output, and the ET-2720 is no exception. It reproduced the text in our test documents legibly and with well-shaped characters, accurate and attractive spacing and kerning down to about 6 points, which is more than acceptable for most home-based office, family, and student homework documents.

It also printed the colorful and intricate PowerPoint handouts and Excel charts, graphs, and other graphics with little-to-no reproduction flaws, though I did see some occasional light streaking in some of the more complex gradient and darker backgrounds and fills. Most of these ink distribution problems, though, were, again, not well-pronounced, and were noticeable primarily only when I looked for these specific issues.

Photos, too, came out accurately and brilliantly colored with respectable detail. Granted, the ET-2720’s images were not quite up to the same quality I’ve seen from top-drawer Canon and Epson five- and six-ink photo-centric AIOs and single-function printers, but most appeared more than acceptable for keeper family photos.

Printing for Pennies

As an Epson EcoTank brand AIO, the ET-2720 will cost you 0.3 cents per black page and 0.9 cents per color page. Also, you get enough ink in the box to print about 7,500 monochrome pages and/or 6,000 color pages.

These numbers are quite similar to Canon’s MegaTank brand machines, which include three bottles of black ink in the box, or enough to print up to 18,000 black pages, and enough color ink to churn out about 7,700 color prints.

Only EcoTank and MegaTank printers deliver printing costs this low. With HP’s Instant Ink program, for example, the lowest cost per page is about 2.9 cents. Also, the HP OfficeJet Pro Premier comes with a one-year free subscription to the company’s $9.99-per-month, 300-pages-per-month product, which adds another $120 to the overall value of the printer.

02-Epson EcoTank ET-2760 

Epson is among the most well-known printer brands, and this isn’t an exception. Its EcoTank ET-2760 is among the most affordable printers that do not require cartridges. It’s the second generation of the famous Epson EcoTank line.

What separates it from its competitors is that it has various options, and the costs of ink bottle replacement are affordable. If you’re frequently traveling and have to print many documents, this is the best choice for you.

EcoTank ET-2760 is extremely simple to utilize. You must download the Epson Print app on your smartphone and follow the steps. The app guides you through each printing step, beginning with selecting the paper and finishing up with uploading your document.

Although the EcoTank ET-2760 is intended to be employed as a home printer, it can also be utilized as a network printer. It also lets you share files with other devices, making it possible to print using your smartphone, computer, or tablet.

It’s small and light enough to fit in a suitcase or backpack. It features a USB port, meaning you can connect it to a computer to access the documents. It can be used with any Windows operating system, and the application will identify the device once it is connected.

EcoTank ET-2760 offers a wide color range and superior print quality. The highest resolution can be 5760×1440PI. It is an ideal choice for anyone who needs to print numerous documents. Its EcoTank ET-2760 is very easy to operate, and the refill ink bottles are affordable. It’s also one of the top sublimation printers for T-shirts.

Read More: What Is a Sublimation Printer for T-shirts?

03-Sawgrass UHD Virtuoso SG500

Sawgrass UHD Virtuoso SG500 is One of the best sublimation printers for shirts; it can print many t-shirts at once, which is pretty impressive.

The design options are pretty extensive – you can use SVG, JPG, and commercial designs and print the designs directly onto the fabric. If you’re unsure about using a method from a website, you can also download the setup from Creative Studio Online, which is entirely free.

Sublimation printing technology is great because it makes the colors more vivid and the details more evident. It also creates a crisp image that won’t fade or lose its point.

It’s straightforward to set up, and it comes with a ton of different settings. For example, you can choose from 3 different sizes of paper and select the amount of time between prints.

If you want to find out more about how much time each print will take, you can check out the help section on the manufacturer’s website. The price is pretty high, but if you’re going to print shirts for a small business or a hobby, this is one of the best choices.

04-Epson Premium EcoTank 4800

This is another excellent pick from Epson, and it’s a great option for anyone who wants to print things like photos, stickers, and more.

This is one of the best sublimation printers for t-shirts on the market, and it can print on practically any paper. It’s flexible and can be used for different purposes, like printing posters, banners, and more.

It has built-in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct, so you can connect it to your smartphone and get access to a range of features. You can also use it with a printer connected via USB or Ethernet, but it works best with a Wi-Fi connection.

You can connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously, so you can print and scan from multiple devices. It’s also compatible with Bluetooth, NFC, and Google Nearby Print.

While it doesn’t support duplex printing, you can easily add this feature to the device. Epson offers a lot of ink colors, including black, cyan, magenta, yellow, and more. There are also four different paper types: plain, bright white, glossy, and semi-gloss.

This is a great way to print things like photos, stickers, and more. It’s compact and lightweight, and it prints well.

05-Epson EcoTank ET-2800 

If you want the best sublimation printer for t-shirts, you need to go for the Epson EcoTank ET-2800. It’s a reliable, convenient, and cost-efficient sublimation printer with many great features.

It has a whopping 2800 pages per tank, which is more than most other printers. This means that it can print many pages and doesn’t need to be refilled very often.

The EcoTank ET-2800 is a high-capacity ink tank. It uses an ink container with a large capacity, so you don’t have to worry about running out of ink. This also saves a lot of money because you don’t have to spend more on buying replacement ink cartridges.

Epson claims that the ink cartridges last for two years, which is a pretty good deal. With the Epson EcoTank ET-2800, you can easily print more pages than any other sublimation printer. In addition, you can use it for many color prints and handle a wide variety of paper types.

It is equipped with a high-quality flatbed scanner. This makes it a versatile option for people who want to scan documents, books, and more. Using the Epson Smart Panel app, you can also copy and print from your smartphone or tablet.

You can easily manage your ink and get information about the remaining pages. You can easily refill the ink bottles. There are a lot of other features too, but we won’t go into the details here. It’s reliable and it’s easy to use. You’ll love it, and it’s perfect for anyone who wants to print more.

06-Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 

Epson’s EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is a great deal. It prints photos and graphics from digital devices like computers, smartphones, tablets, and more, and it’s a photo printer, scanner, and fax machine.

It’s a cartridge-free printing machine, which means no messy ink cartridges to refill and toss in the trash. And because it prints using a new, high-accuracy printhead, the prints are apparent and accurate.

This printer is a fantastic way to create high-quality photos and graphics and has an impressive range of media support. It prints photographs up to 13 inches wide and 19 inches tall, so it’s ideal for any size print.

You can also use it for scanning documents and photos, and it has a USB port so you can connect it to your computer. And the best part is that you can print pictures for as little as 4 cents each, making it great.

If you want a printer that will last for a long time, you should consider buying the EcoTank Photo. It’s easy to use, convenient and reliable.

07 MFC-J995DW 

This sublimation printer is an excellent choice for people looking for a reliable, long-lasting, affordable solution for their t-shirt printing needs. It’s compatible with a wide range of inks and is designed to last a year.

MFC-J995DW uses four individual cartridges and an internal tank to store ink. This way, you won’t have to worry about replacing the cartridge or waiting for a refill.

Unlike some printers, this one doesn’t use a toner cartridge. It’s a good thing because the toner cartridge is expensive, and if you’re not careful, it could cost you hundreds of dollars.

It is compatible with multiple devices and operating systems and can print at speeds of up to 12 ppm. The low rate might seem bad if you’re a beginner, but it’s a very convenient option, especially for t-shirt printing.

You can print images directly from your smartphone or tablet, and the MFC-J995DW is compatible with all major mobile operating systems, including iOS, Android, and Windows. In addition, you can print from any wireless device, including the printer itself. If you don’t have an account on the printer, you can sign up for one on the device itself.

This sublimation printer has several valuable features, such as a page gauge, mobile device printing, and a wireless network connection. In addition, it’s compatible with Brother genuine inks, and you can easily replace the ink cartridges yourself if they break.

This is the printer for you if you’re looking for a reliable and affordable solution for your t-shirt printing needs.

How to choose the best sublimation printer?

Hundreds of sublimation printers are available in the market, but which is the best? Choosing the best sublimation printer is challenging because it depends on many things.

I will give you some tips to help you choose the best sublimation printer.

Price:

You must consider one of the most important things when choosing the best sublimation printer. If you are buying a printer for the first time, I recommend you go for the cheapest one.

It will save you money and have a better experience using the printer. It is good to buy a printer with a price tag below $500.

Design:

The design is the first thing that will attract you to the printer. Many kinds of plans available in the market can attract you.

But if you are looking for a good and fast printing machine, then you need to pay attention to the size of the printer. The bigger the printer is, the quicker it will print.

Size:

The size of the printer is one of the most critical factors determining the quality of printing. In my opinion, it is the most crucial factor.

A giant printer is more powerful and can produce more prints than a small printer. Also, it can print larger sizes of products.

Printing speed:

It is also one of the essential factors you must consider while choosing the best sublimation printer. The speed of the printer will determine the quality of printing.

If the printer’s printing speed is low, it will take longer to print.

Other features:

It is one of the essential features you must consider while choosing the best sublimation printer.

You should check the speed of the printer. If it is high, it will save you time and help you save electricity.

Now, you know all factors you need to consider while choosing the best sublimation printer. These tips will help you to choose the best sublimation printer for t-shirts.

Can you use a sublimation printer for t-shirts?

Yes, you can! Sublimation printers are the best choice to print t-shirts, mugs, caps, hoodies, sweatpants, or other clothing items. Nowadays, sublimation printers are ubiquitous, and you will see a lot of sublimation printer brands out there. If you are looking for a reliable and best sublimation printer, then the T-shirt King brand will be your best option.

You can use a sublimation printer to make your t-shirts, but the question is that why do you need to print t-shirts? What benefits will you get by using this technique? Let’s know the answers to these questions.

What are the benefits of t-shirt printing

Make unique designs

There are no restrictions when it comes to designing a t-shirt. You can create anything you like. You can design the t-shirts for yourself or others. The possibilities are endless.

Print your logo

Most t-shirt printing companies don’t allow you to print your logo. You will have to pay a considerable amount to the company for your custom logo. But if you use a sublimation printer, you can print your logo, saving you a lot of money.

Save time

With a sublimation printer, you can print your t-shirt within a short time. Compared to conventional t-shirt printing, this will help you to save a lot of time.

Print multiple items

One of the best things about a sublimation printer is that you can print multiple items simultaneously. You will have the freedom to print any number of items at the same time.

Use less ink

A sublimation printer uses a different technology than the conventional one. With the conventional one, you will have to use a lot of ink to make your t-shirt look good. But if you use a sublimation printer, you will be able to use a much lesser amount of ink.

Tips for Buying a Sublimation Printer for T-shirts

One of the primary factors to consider before purchasing a sublimation printer for t-shirts is that if it is used to print sublimation, its guarantee at the factory is generally lost, as these are inks that do not come from genuine to that manufacturers.

In this regard, let’s take a look at some of the things that you should be aware of before purchasing a sublimation printer

• Speed: Look for sublimation printers that are optimized in performance, as well as the lowest ink consumption and high printing speeds. These factors can help you save time and money at the beginning and later when dealing with multiple waiting orders. Additionally, speed is an element that is becoming more demanded by customers.
• Qualitative: The image quality is an essential aspect you might have thought about. The customizations you make should be of the highest quality that you can afford. The quality and durability of the item to be personalized and the quality of the printing are elements that make a difference against your competitors.
• Cost per page The price per impression for the printer is something we advise knowing before purchasing. To determine the price of a sublimation printer, you need to know the cost of the inks and then divide it by the number of pages they print (consult the manufacturer). The result should be added to the price of the papers (per unit). Then, multiply it by the number of impressions during the month.

What amount of money can be spent on the sublimation printer?

The price is an important factor to consider as, based on your budget; you’ll have various options to take the first step. For example, Epson sublimation plotters are special equipment, but they’re typically too costly for entrepreneurs to begin with (up to more than $4000). As the technology grows, you can include it in your production.

The cheapest printers that can be used for sublimation. You could purchase these printers at less than EUR300 With models that feature excellent printing capabilities and, generally, attain maximum performance at the beginning of your business.

The top sublimation printers will cost you more than $320, perfect for larger, quick, reliable, and effective machines.

What is sublimation printing?

Sublimation printers are suitable for printing designs and images with sublimation inks and personalizing and decorating polyester items. These printers don’t heat the inks used in their process and, consequently, sublimate when pressing. This results in a full-color print.

The most common types of ones are designed for sublimation. These include inkjet printers with micro-piezo heads that can work with water-based inks; other machines are designed to sublimate.

What are the most effective methods for sublimation ink?

There are a few available printers that can be used for sublimation. In the first place, sublimation is not possible using laser printers. However, the possibility of sublimation is present in inkjet printers (inkjet), but it depends on the design and technology of their heads. Therefore, the piezoelectric head is the most suited for sublimation-based inks.

Piezoelectric heads allow it.

Inkjet printers are available in various techniques based on the manufacturer who makes them. Epson, along with Brother brands, employs piezoelectric heads.

The piezo head in this printer is stronger than the standard printer printing, injecting ink with high speeds, and usually costs more than other methods. It is permanently installed and does not require to be replaced.

Printing methods for sublimation

Sublimation printers can be distinguished by their layout and print accuracy and depend upon the quality of inks. Let’s look at the printer classes that are sublimated:

Sublimation printers for A4 inkjet

If you’re not planning to design large-scale designs, a budget-friendly sublimation printer of the size of A4 will suffice for you. You can embellish items or clothing with small or medium designs when you buy an A4 sublimation machine and a small iron. It’s ideal for sublimating logos of companies or medium designs and inspiring phrases on t-shirts and mugs.

The main drawback with Printers that are A4 is the size limit. For example, should you be asked for large-sized prints on T-shirts, you won’t be able to print them. However, they’re inexpensive sublimation printers, and you will receive a superior quality-price ratio with the sublimations you print.

Some examples of things you can sublimate using an A4 sublimation printer include mouse pads and puzzle backpacks, small bag caps, cushion plates, cups, glasses, bibs, key rings, notepads, backpacks, school pencil cases, and more.

Printers for the sublimation of A3

You will be more than happy if you want to add a splash of color to t-shirts, posters, or other clothing items with large (not massive) illustrations using an A3 sublimation printer. Sublimation is available with 29.7 42 cm long designs, long phrases, or artistic gradients on various items that require large-format customizing.

With an A3 team, you can sublimate the exact items for A4 size and change the sizes according to the current situation.

This is the ideal choice, to begin with, as it allows you a lot of flexibility in the production of your products. However, if your goal is to print complete clothing (full prints), we suggest a plotter specifically designed for sublimation printing on textiles.

Sublimation plotters

Sublimation printers are plotters. It is the ideal choice for bringing your business to the greatest extent because it can handle the production of large quantities at the highest speed.

Sublimation plotters produce huge prints with razor-sharpness and unbeatable quality. Perfect for any customizing textiles. They are employed for fashion, sporting apparel, and advertising.

It is reasonable; even though there might be deals at official stores offering finance, you have to have a large budget to take advantage of it.

Printers that Sublimate Sawgrass, Epson SC-F500/1, and similar

Some printers have an unbeatable sublimation factory system, which differs from other printers modified to use sublimation (losing their warranty).

Like the Sawgrass Virtuoso system from the brand, along with those from Epson Surecolor SC-F500 and SC-F50 1 sublimation printers, these printers are challenging to find but come with an expensive cost with no issues in drying clothes. Printing errors and inks used to print on textiles and rigid with fluorescent inks, as in instances like Epson and a few Brother.

The top printer brands for sublimation printing

Micro piezo heads are utilized by various designs of Epson as well as Brother brands and are ideally suitable for sublimation and can be used with a broad range of colors and inks because the pigments aren’t heated.

Suppose you inquire about someone who has printed using sublimation for a long time. In that case, they’ll likely refer to the Ricoh printers of the Ricoh brand (Aficio SG 7100DN or Aficio SG 3110DN A4) and The Sawgrass Virtuoso SG models or the Epson SureColor F570 (sublimation from the factory). However, it isn’t easy to find printers that sublimate at a reasonable price, considering the budgets of many new entrepreneurs.

Be aware of the opinions of customers.

An easy and standard method to select an inkjet printer that can sublimate textiles (and one worth noting in case it is not noticed) is to look at the opinions of a variety of users on the printers which meet your requirements and address the issues that were mentioned earlier.

Check out the experiences users had with this product on the internet (on Amazon, eBay, or on Google’s Shopping Section Google) and by speaking with the experts in your area. They will assist you in making the right decision.

Use quality products

So, now you know that you can use a sublimation printer to print your t-shirts. You don’t have to worry about the quality as they use top-notch products. So, don’t wait anymore and start publishing your t-shirts with this fantastic technology.

Unlike conventional printers, sublimation printer uses quality products for printing. So, if you want to print high-quality t-shirts, you can use a sublimation printer.

Conclusion 

 Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is a great addition to any home office. Its output quality is excellent, easy to use, and offers all the features you could ever want. This is the best option if you need the best sublimation printer for t-shirts.