You may be proud of the vibrant, finely detailed graphics sublimation printing on shirts produces. The patterns last through washings and maintain brightness and vibrancy for years if printed and pressed on the proper t-shirt material.
Finding the best sublimation printer for T-shirts might be challenging when many alternatives are available. Here is a thorough guide to assist you in making an educated choice so you can begin designing your unique and customized shirts.
What is the best sublimation printer for t-shirts?
Let’s quickly go over what sublimation is before investing your hard-earned money in a sublimation printer for those needing to become acquainted with the technique.
The ink printed on the sublimation paper is heated to a high temperature during the unique sublimation process, turning it into a gas. As a result, the dye-based ink may bond to the T-shirt’s fabric.
Best shirts for sublimation printer
Sublimation ink will only attach to polyester or polymer. As a result, the kinds of shirt fabric you pick will affect the vividness and brightness of your pressed sublimation graphics.
- 100% polyester will result in the most brilliant sublimation pattern. Blends of polyester and cotton – the quantity of polyester in the mix determines the vibrancy of your sublimation pattern. That will result in a faded, vintage-style design.
- Bleached Shirts – Certain “heather” colored shirts bleach nicely, allowing you to sublimate on a white region. The quantity of polyester in the garment determines the vividness of the sublimation design on this bleached area.
- Treated Cotton Shirts – Cotton shirts sprayed with a polyester liquid may initially seem excellent. Nevertheless, after repeated washings, the polyester coating will ultimately wash away, along with the sublimation pattern. Further complications may develop due to this (for example, allergic response, unknown MSDS, or general liability issues). Hence this sort of shirt is not suggested for sublimation.
Best t-shirt sublimation printer
We compiled a list of the best printer for sublimation t-shirts to help you in your journey to find the best for you.
Canon PIXMA G6020
The Canon PIXMA G6020 is the finest dye printer for t-shirts, with the lowest cost of ownership and outstanding print quality.
The PIXMA G6020 claims to be an incredibly conventional printer for sublimation shirts at an average pace. The scanner bed has a matte black finish over a square-shaped body and is somewhat set back from the rest of the device. When you opened the top cover, a scanner bed was visible. The internals was visible when you opened the scanner bed, allowing you to install the two ink cartridges and unclog paper jams.
Like many of the PIXMA G6020’s competitors, it lacks a giant, colorful touchscreen; instead, its control panel includes a tiny, two-line LCD.
The Canon PIXMA G6020 weighs less than one pound and has dimensions of 15.9 x 14.6 x 7.7 inches, which is ideal since it makes the printer incredibly portable. The ingenious technology inside this printer allowed it to complete t-shirt printing duties with unmatched speed and accuracy.
Pros
- Excellent volume for ink storage
- More ink bottles
- Very high page output
- low operating costs
Cons
- Tough to set up
- There is no automatic document feeding.
Epson PM 400
This tiny portable printer streamlines all procedures to create stunning 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 images with a 200-year shelf life. It stands out since it only works with authentic Epson cartridges. One of the wise options was to go with the Epson model since it provides a larger-than-normal print size and the excellent outcomes expected from a typical t-shirt sublimation printer.
The speed is astounding for a sublimation shirt printer with a low cost-per-print and is constant across all textiles. Each of the 4-by-6-inch reflexive paper prints took between 40.8 and 42.3 seconds to print, except the first picture. However, one exception took 48.8 seconds instead, with the additional time needed for the printer to do some obvious housekeeping before printing.
Pros
- Swift and effective
- Superior resolutions 4×6″ and 5×7″ pictures
- Wi-Fi Direct allows for direct communication with devices.
- Printing using USB, cameras, memory cards, and computers
Cons
- Even if just one color is getting low, you must replace all inks simultaneously.
- One four-color ink cartridge.
Conclusion
You still need a heat press to transfer your sublimation design after you’ve decided which t-shirt sublimation printer to buy. To use sublimation to make amusing t-shirts, get a reasonably priced one.
