Where to Start? Sublimation Help
- Brenda Lambert
- Dec 5, 2022
- 5 min read
Simply put, you'll need a printer, a press, sub paper, ink, and sublimation blanks. Sounds easy enough until you jump online and start looking. There are SO MANY CHOICES!
To narrow down the options, we need to do some serious soul searching. Ask yourself these questions, and be honest with your answers. I know we want to make all of the things, but in reality, we probably won't.
What items do you want to make?
What is your budget?
How much space do you have to work with?
I did not do any soul searching in the beginning!
Nope... I just jumped right in. We're not talking a graceful swan dive. This was a full on belly flop from the 10ft. diving board.
Let's Talk Presses.
I went with a 5-in-1 swing press, the brand name is Better Sub, 12 x 15, and I'm pretty happy with the actual product. It heats evenly and the temp gauge is accurate. I did not consider how much room the press requires, so I find myself reorganizing my space every time I need to use it. I've also found that I never use the plate presses or the hat press that came with it.
After almost a year, the cuff on the mug attachment needed to be replaced. (This is to be expected.) I decided that since I do a lot of tumblers, I would get a tumbler press instead of replacing the cuff. I paid no attention to reviews, and went straight to the fastest shipping. Don't do that!! It has never once heated evenly, which means my tumblers are a bad combination of undercooked and burnt. Since I had not tested the press right away, by the time I realized there was an issue, I could no longer return it. It's now a paperweight next to my convection oven. Ouch!
Out of desperation, I headed to the kitchen and grabbed my air fryer. Let me say that this kitchen appliance had been used twice in 5 years. It was a gift from my Mother-in-law, which meant unless it was broken beyond repair, it would never ever be thrown away, but the food that was cooked in it always had a burnt plastic smell, and that's just not my thing. So... it found a new home in my crafting space where it gets used almost daily! It's actually become my most reliable way to make tumblers.
Long story short, I have around $700 invested in various presses/ovens, when I could have just bought a toaster oven at the thrift shop for $20. If you know the items that you will be pressing before you start the buying process, you can save some cash.
Onto the Printer!
If you are looking for an economical way to get into sublimation, I recommend the current base model Epson Eco-tank. At this point in time, that would be the ET-2400, and it's priced at around $180. It's a standard size printer that can handle paper size up to 8.5 x 14. This will suffice for most projects, but it will not print large enough for 30 oz tumblers, and some crafters like a wider print area for larger shirt designs.
If you decide that a larger print area is important to you, you're going to want to look at the ET-15000. This model can also be used for sublimation, but is capable of printing on paper as large as 13 x 19. At this point in time, that printer runs around $700. That's quite the price difference, but worth it if you actually need the larger prints.
Epson Eco-tank printers are NOT technically sublimation printers, but they do work fine for sublimation - as long as you use sublimation ink! DO NOT PUT THE ORIGINAL INK IN THE PRINTER!! We will get into sub ink in just a bit, but that information is super important!
There are a couple of printers by Epson that are actual sublimation printers. They are the Epson Sure Color 170 and 570. The 170 is a standard format printer that prints 8.5 x 14 and runs 399. The 570 prints up to 24in wide and is listed at $2,495.
The other option for an actual sublimation printer is Sawgrass. The Sawgrass SG 500 is a standard format printer and runs right around $500. The SG 1000 prints up to 11x17 and runs right around $1,500. If you are considering a Sawgrass, please compare the cost of ink. The Sawgrass printers require that you use Sawgrass ink, and it does cost a bit more.
I, personally, went with the ET 3760, because the base model at the time was out of stock - and patience is just not my thing. I ended up spending an extra $200 on it for features that are not relevant to sublimation. BUT... I love my printer and have had zero issues with it in a year and a half. Would I personally consider spending well over $1,000 on an "actual" sublimation printer? No way! But they are an option, and everyone has their own financial/business beliefs.
Ink is Ink!
Unless you are using a Sawgrass printer, ink is ink. There are no great differences between the brands. Just make sure that you order from somewhere with good reviews, and you'll be fine. I have heard stories of companies sending regular ink instead of sub ink, so double check before you fill your tanks. I personally use Hiipoo brand and I haven't had any issues. Others swear by Printers Jack. But, truth be told, most are made by the same manufacturer, and then a brand name is slapped on the bottle.
Sub Paper is a different story.
You really do want a quality paper! I started with A-sub and liked it for the most part, but I always had troubles with the seams on my tumblers. I switched to HTVRont, and I get flawless seams, every time. I've heard really good things about Tex-Print, but I've been hesitant to try it. Once I find something that works well for me, I'm a loyal customer.
Another thing that needs to be mentioned here is the weight of the paper. This is not often talked about in the online forums. From my personal experience, I would say go with 125g for shirts and a thinner 120g for tumblers or anything that will have a seam.
Blanks!!!!
If you haven't already narrowed down what you want to make, now is the time to at least figure out what you are going to start with! The possibilities are endless and it seems like some cool new thing is added each day. I get most of my blanks from a FB group for the AGH warehouse. I highly recommend searching for one of these groups. The prices are hard to beat, and if the seller is reliable, there will be a ton of good review in the feed. I do get blanks from Amazon from time to time, but always, always, always read the reviews. And if you find a decent seller on there, stay loyal!
$$$ Saving Tips
If you are going to start with shirts, find yourself a large piece of polyester fabric to practice on. This could be sheets, pillowcases, or cut fabric from the fabric store. You want to get the basic process down on inexpensive items. If you ruin a nice shirt right out of the gate, you'll feel very discouraged. (Ask me how I know.)
If you are going to start off with tumblers, I would suggest printing a row of different colors (one skinny straight line down the side of the tumbler) and pressing that. If the colors seem off, you can print another row and press right next to the first row. That way you can see the progress from one press to the next, and only one tumbler will be wasted while you figure out your printer settings, time, temp, taping and pressure.
Check the temperature of your press before you start. Use a heat gun to test the corners and the center. You want a nice even heat. You may have to adjust the settings to get to the actual desired temp.
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