Sublimation printing is a fantastic process to make custom designs and artworks using the top-rated sublimation printers. You can print creative art and images on paper, clothes, or fabric for an artistic feel with the best sublimation printers like the top 5 sublimation printers in the market.
Advancing technology in graphics and virtual-reality boost is a phenomenon intervening all domains. Therefore, the criteria to conclude the quality of photos or prints are not near reality but acquiring reality. As said, “if you cannot flaunt, you can’t sell.” So, outperform your prints in the field with uniqueness using the best commercial sublimation printer or what’s the best sublimation printer.
To do this, you don’t need an expert; you need the best-performing printer, one of the best printers for sublimation and you’re good to go. Otherwise, if you want it for a side business to sell artwork, t-shirts, or more, or you just need it for your use, the best printer to use for sublimation will be ideal. I have done in-depth research to help you get an excellent sublimation printer. With my recommendations on what’s the best printer for sublimation and other good printers for sublimation, you’ll find the perfect printer for your needs.
List Of Best Printers For Sublimation
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | Rating | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Epson Expression XP-15000 |
9.5
|
Check on Amazon |
 |
Brother MFC INKvestmentTank |
9.4
|
Check on Amazon |
 |
Epson EcoTank ET-15000 |
9.7
|
Check on Amazon |
 |
WorkForce WF-7710 Inkjet Printer |
9.6
|
Check on Amazon |
 |
Sawgrass SG500 |
9.0
|
Check on Amazon |
 |
Epson Artisan 1430 |
9.3
|
Check on Amazon |
1- Epson Expression XP-15000 – Best Epson Sublimation Printer
- Duplex: Automatic
- Speciality: Auto-Duplex
- Connectivity: Wireless and Ethernet
It is one of Epson’s top creations due to the high-quality photos. Now, you can boost your photo printing to the next level with a wide format sublimation printer-Expression XP-15000.
Packaging Content
Packaging content and excellent boxing indicate the brand’s reputation. Epson Expression arrived in a slightly larger box than I expected. Removing the seal, I found thermocol pieces precisely covering the printer.
The manuals and warranties were placed on the sides. The thermocol has fitted cartridges and cords to connect the device. The thermocol protection is quite thoughtful to avoid the temperature impact while delivering the product.
Surprisingly, unboxing the large box revealed a compact and perfectly sized printer with fitted paper trays.
Build Quality
The printer is ready to use and has a stylish shape and premium quality. The scanner flap and paper trays are made of high-quality material. The overall finishing is astonishing. The compact size contributes to the lightweightness of the device and is eventually portable.
Features & Uses
It produces borderless prints at the finest quality with its wide-format printing ability. Prints are up to 13 x 19 inches in size. More so, the printer comes with individual 6-color Claria Photo HD inks, including red and grey.
Furthermore, it helps in making professional projects easier. There is a rear tray with a capacity of 50 sheets for special printing media like cardboard, paper, Etc. In addition, it has a wide variety of paper finishes for creating unique designs.
Epson produces it with high reliability as it offers 2-sided paper printing plus a front tray that has 200 sheets. Our experience with the printer is much more convenient than others in this price range.
More me, time is precious as it is in the printing business. I needed to prepare the consignment without compromising quality, and the printer was my savior. With XP 15000, you’ll experience a fast printing speed while maintaining quality. It prints black documents at 9.2 ISO Pages Per Minute and colored at 9.0 ISO Pages Per Minute.
- Ultra-compact wide-format so it easily fits on the table
- Convenient printing with 6-color Claria
- Fast Speed and Wireless connectivity
- HD borderless printing
- You can’t use third-party cartridges
- No memory card slots
Our Opinion:
Epson Expression XP-15000 is one of the best printer for sublimation. The quality and performance of Epson products are always impressive. XP- 15000 comes with an automatic duplex that helps quickly print 2-sided documents and papers. You can buy it with confidence to get the best out of it.
2- Brother MFC-J995DW – Best Duplex Printer
In my opinion, the second-best option is the Brother MFC J995DW. As a brand, Brothers is at the top of the list when it comes to sewing machines, sublimation printers, and vinyl cutters. It offers the best quality printing at an affordable price with countless valuable features.
The reason I recommend the printer is the Inkvestment tank system. The reengineered ink cartridges store more ink and use ink storage tanks to ensure uninterrupted printing. The printer never fails me at times of emergency. With the use of Brother MFC cartridges available, you can enjoy remarkable ink savings and top-quality printing without interruption.
Brother’s printer provides fast and easy scanning and printing with a built-in automatic document feeder and duplex printing capabilities. The scanner has a maximum resolution of 1200 DPI, which helps print HD images. Also, the Speed is quite impressive that is 12 pages per minute.
The printer comes with a button pad with power, home, back, and cancel buttons also, a 2.7-inch touchscreen for easy control of the printer and several wireless printing options, including Google Cloud Print, Brother, AirPrint, and Wi-Fi Direct. You can also store documents on Google Drive, Dropbox, and more.
- Highly compatible with Windows, Mobile, and Mac
- Inkvestment and guesswork ability
- Organic Brother ink inside the box
- Excellent print quality
- Not much costly
- Printing speed could be faster.
- The paper tray is delicate.
Our Opinion:
Due to its top performance, I advise beginners to opt for the Brother MFC-J995DW, an item worth purchasing. Its Inkvestment tank system gives you an indication of when the ink is running out. The Auto-Duplex feature adds value to the product.
3- Epson EcoTank ET-15000 – Best Budget Sublimation Printer
Specifications:
Brand: Epson
Model: EcoTank ET-15000
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Compatible Devices: PC and Laptops
Product Dimensions: 30.9 x 18.7 x 16.2 inches
Epson’s EcoTak ET-15000 model is the market’s choice. Find outstanding print quality as a reason why I recommend it. Printing ISO color pages with ink bottles costs almost one cent per page. However, it will cost you about 20 cents with cartridges.
EcoTank ET 15000 is a perfect investment if we consider saving money. You can now save up to 90-percent of ink because of very low-cost replacement bottles in the box instead of using ink cartridges. Hence, we call it the cheapest sublimation printer due to the low printer’s price, and the cost per print is astonishingly low.
Moreover, the printer has a versatile paper handling system. It can print up to 13 x 19 inches through its rear paper feed. Through the scanner bed, it’s possible to scan and copy documents with a size of 8.5 x 11 inches. The ADF can hold and print papers up to 8.5 x 14 inches. And, borderless printing is available up to 11 x 17 inches.
Lastly, Epson provides users with a 2.7-inch color touchscreen. The touchscreen makes it much easier to use and control the printer. The printer has been voice-activated so that you can control it through your voice. You can use Google assistance, Siri, and others for this.
- Agile printing and scanning
- 2 Years of ink included
- High sheet capacity
- Cost-saving
- Printer with bit noisy action and heavy
Our Opinion:
Epson’s EcoTank ET-15000 is an excellent product, as are others from Epson. It delivers high-quality prints at a quick speed. You can also use this printer for fun.
Also Read: Top-Rated Motherboards in 2022
4- Epson WorkForce WF-7710 – Best Inkjet Sublimation Printer
Specifications:
Brand: Epson
Model: WorkForce WF-7710
Duplex: Automatic
Connectivity: USB 2.0, Wi-Fi Direct, and Ethernet
Compatible Devices: PC and Laptops
Product Dimensions: 32.2 x 22.3 x 13.4 inches
The Epson WorkForce WF-7710 is among the best commercial sublimation printers to copy and scan. Not only that, it’s a high-quality machine that produces impressive prints.Powered by PrecisionCore, the WorkForce 7710 delivers a fantastic performance.
The printer can print borderless documents up to 13 x 19 inches. Borderless printing is a great way to print large graphics without white margins on both sides. The WF-7710 is versatile-functional with printing and scanning, copying, and faxing.
Moreover, it is a high-quality inkjet printer with Auto-duplex capability. The printer can feed a 35-page document automatically. Thus, now you can print 2-sided documents with an excellent printing speed of 8.7 ISO pages per minute for black. In addition, for the colored documents, the printing speed is 6 ISO pages per minute.
It is also essential to specify the printer’s capacity to store sheets. With the WF-7710, you’ll find a 250-sheet tray as well as 20 sheets of photo paper or ten envelopes. This is quite convenient, and you’ll love it! There’s also a rear tray for specialty papers and an output tray with 125 sheets.
Although I have not owned the printer, I admire the connectivity. The WF-7710 offers wireless printing without interruption to connect with my mobile device. Using the WF-7710, you can attach it to your iPhone, iPad, Android tablet, or smartphone without any issue. Additionally, there is an Ethernet port for connecting to the Internet.
- Auto-Duplex printing mode for commercial purpose
- Incredible performance with borderless printing
- 3-inch color touchscreen
- Excellent connectivity
- Printing speed can be better.
- The printer makes a little noise.
Our Opinion:
My final verdict about the Epson WorkForce WF-7710 sublimation printer is highly recommended for wide-format printing. The most important feature of the product is its borderless printing. Auto-Duplex printing mode enables you to print double-sided documents without trouble.
5- Sawgrass SG500 – Best Sawgrass Printer
Specifications:
Brand: Sawgrass
Model: SG500
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet
Compatible Devices: Smartphones, PC and Laptops
Special Purpose: Sublimation Printing
The Sawgrass SG500 model is a professional sublimation printer that produces unique prints. I add the model to the list because the SG500 is specifically for sublimation printing.
In addition, the panel contains an LCD for managing the printer. It’s not touchscreen but still helps a lot. Furthermore, the panel contains a button pad so users can navigate quickly. The button pad has a power button, menu, reset, Etc.
The quality of a printer depends on the quality of customer satisfaction. And Sawgrass has proved it. They highly focus on the user experience. This benefit gives you the confidence to decide to buy it.
With the printer, you’ll have access to CreativeStudio Online Designer, Sawgrass Print Manager, Etc. The warranty offered by them is two years, which we liked a lot. Additionally, they offer in-house support to guarantee the lowest power consumption and the smallest amount of ink usage.
The printer comes in with a USB and Ethernet port to help with connectivity. The wireless option is also available for enhanced convenience. The Wi-Fi connection enables you to connect your mobile device and laptop to the printer.
- Durable and Excellent warranty /support
- Low power usage
- No wastage of ink
- HD prints
- Ink availability is often an issue.
- No touchscreen
Our Opinion:
Sawgrass SG500 is a name of sublimation. The reason for buying it is its top-notch printing quality and accuracy. You can print up to 51 inches on media if you already own a tray for the SG500. Like other Sawgrass printers, this one offers automatic maintenance for seamless printing without issues. Now, you can create stunning HD images for yourself or for sale.
6- Epson Artisan 1430 – Sublimation Printer For Professionals
I am concluding my Package with Epson-the inkjet printer for sublimation-Artisan 1430. I suggest you consider this inkjet printer for the best printing quality and the fact that it has a long-lasting guarantee.
Artisan 1430 prints borderless prints that are of the highest quality. The photos will have a size of up to 13 x 19 inches and will be in high definition. Moreover, the Claria 6-color ink also plays an essential role in the quality of prints. With it, you can create images of the best quality and durability, prints that last four times more than the photo that’s printed in a lab.
I found it one of the best inkjet printers for sublimation. They are using the unique technology called DX5 MicroPiezo printhead. You can now experience 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution and HD image quality with refined details. Fantastic! Plus, ink droplets for printing will be no larger than 1.5 picoliters.
You can use Wi-Fi direct to pair the printer with your Android device or smartphone for quick connectivity. If wireless is not possible, USB and ethernet options are also available. SD cards are also supported. Lastly, you will also experience unique printing with Artisan 1430. It is possible to print directly on printable CDs or DVDs. Therefore, there is no need for labels on the discs.
- Excellent print quality and paper feed tray
- High-resolution images
- SD cards supported
- USB and ethernet compatible
- Single ink cartridges
- Speed is a bit slower.
Our Opinion:
Again, it’s by Epson that is a great brand. The most appealing feature is Claria 6-color ink. It helps a lot in making great quality prints. In addition, you can also pair it with your Android devices and laptop.
How To Select Best Sublimation Printer
Purchasing any product or service can be tricky if you don’t have the basic knowledge about it. Research is an essential factor to consider when finding the sublimation printer.
Printing Speed
Time is money. Therefore, Speed is an essential factor in any machine or device. In the same way, the faster your printer is, the more satisfied you will be. More so, sublimation printers are inkjet printers. As we all know, the inkjet printer is slower than the advanced laser printer.
However, there is no reason to worry. You just need to find the fastest printer out of the options available. Therefore, before purchasing a sublimation printer, you should research it and note how you can print many pages per minute to find the best option. We recommend that you select one that can handle a speed of approximately seven to ten pages per minute.
The Print Quality
There is nothing more important than the print quality and resolution of the printer. When choosing a sublimation printer, you should look for high print quality.
Is it possible to work with a printer that produces low-quality images? Of course not! Following are the brands you should check once to get one with excellent print quality.
- Epson
- Sawgrass
- Brother
The three brands listed above are known for their high-end printing machines. Another feature you should also notice is their color accuracy, which produces clear and crisp images.
Cost
Before you buy anything, you should consider your budget and the cost of the product. Your budget should be mid-range if you want the perfect sublimation printer.
The prices of printers on the market vary according to the quality and features they offer. As a result, you may ask yourself one of the most critical questions: How much budget do we need?
The answer is quite simple. At least $400, and at most $1000, or even more. You can get a decent sublimation printer with excellent printing quality on this budget.
Paper Tray
The paper tray is an essential part of any printer. There’s no doubt about that! How do you choose a suitable paper tray? Not every printer comes with a big tray. Make sure you remember that large paper trays will benefit you a lot.
More importantly, the large tray allows you to manage more papers easily. It won’t be necessary to replace or refill your paper trays very often. If your printer has a smaller paper tray, you may have to do this more often. You will get tired of constantly refilling the tray.
It’s recommended that you have a 200-sheet paper tray. However, a few fewer sheets are good as well.
Connectivity
I just wanted to mention that you should choose a printer compatible with your device. It is not essential whether you use a smartphone, iPad, computer, or laptop. You should be able to connect it with your printer.
The connectivity makes managing and operating the printer very easy. Sometimes, the buttons on the printer can be confusing.
Versatile Functions
Different types of models are available in the market with different titles. Some are manufactured to meet the solo action with perfection. At the same time, others have multiple functions in a device.
Therefore, the perfect printer for you depends upon your purpose of purchase. If you need average volume and quality with scanning and faxing, choose one with versatile functions. However, if you need a professional printer, select the solo action for HD-quality prints.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can print beautiful and creative designs on paper or fabric using sublimation. However, what makes sublimation so bad? Sublimation has the disadvantage of printing on a light color, preferably white. For example, you cannot print on dark-colored paper, cloth, Etc.
As we described earlier in the article, both are top brands with endless happy customers. Therefore, we recommend printers by both companies. However, Sawgrass ink is a little bit more expensive than Epson ink. So, to save money, you should purchase Epson printers.
Yes, that’s the quick answer because sublimation printers are cost-effective and deliver accurate results. These printers work well with stiff paper and cardboard. Their print quality is outstanding. They also cost less and offer more benefits.
Sublimation printers are primarily used for printing on polyester-based materials, such as polyester fabrics, polyester-coated ceramics, metal, and certain types of plastics. The process relies on the dye’s ability to bond with polyester molecules, resulting in vibrant and durable prints.
When selecting a sublimation printer, consider factors such as print size and resolution, ink capacity, connectivity options, ease of use, and compatibility with sublimation software. Additionally, consider the brand’s reputation, customer support, and availability of compatible accessories and consumables.
Sublimation printers are not designed for regular document printing. The specialized inks and transfer process used in sublimation printing are not suitable for producing standard text or graphics on regular paper. It is recommended to have a separate printer for regular document printing needs.
Final Verdict:
Earlier in the article, we discussed the top 6 best sublimation printers that are worth buying. All of them are selected by our research team after a thorough process of reviewing the top-rated sublimation printers.
Furthermore, you should not overthink, buy the one that suits your needs if you’re still confused about which one is the best among them. Let me help you with that
- Epson Expression XP-15000 is the best option if you have a low budget. A lot of useful features make it an ideal printer.
- Alternatively, if you have a mid-range budget, I recommend Sawgrass SG500.
- And lastly, Epson Artisan 1430 is recommended for very high budgets!
I have enlisted the Best Performing Printers that can boost your printing business. Let me know about your experience with the products I mentioned above.