Top 10 Best Sublimation Printer – Review & Buying Guide

sublimation printer is a computer printer which uses heat to transfer dye onto different materials such as plastic and fabric.

So sublimation is actually the process of heat and thermal printing. Many of these printing devices are used for photo printing, mug and t- shirt designs, to name a few.

If you’re looking to buy a dye sublimation printer for your business, home or studio, there are some salient features that you should keep in mind before choosing the most suitable model for you; which we’ll look to cover throughout this guide.

For instance, if you have a label or sticker printing business, you should instead consider a vinyl sticker printer. Check out our detailed guide on buying the best printer for vinyl sticker printing, to help you choose.

Our Top Pick

Top 10 Best Sublimation Printer

10 Best Sublimation Printer Reviews

SaleBestseller No. 1
MY PRINT Metal Heat Press 5 in 1 Multi Functional Machine with Sublimation Printer Epson L130 with Sublimation Ink (Black, Pack of 1)
  • Including : HEAT PRESS 5IN1 MACHINE + EPSON PRINTER L130 WITH SUBLIMATION INK + SUBLIMATION PAPER 200 PAGE + HEAT TAPE 2 PCS + 3 Pcs Sample T-Shirt
  • Polyester T-Shirt - 1 | Cotton Feel T-shirt -1 | DotKint T-shirt - 1 | Sublimation Mouse Pad : 2 Pcs | Heat Tape - 2
SaleBestseller No. 2
MY PRINT | Complete Setup Sublimation Printing | Heat Press Combo 5 in 1 | Epson Printer L130 with Sublimation INK | Sublimation Paper 200 Pcs
  • MY PRINT | Heat Press 5 in 1 Digital Multi Functional Sublimation Machine for T-Shirts (Any Flat Product), Mug, Plate Heat Press Machine 12x15 Inch
  • USE FOR: This machine transfers on many flat surfaced items, Cap, Keychain, such as fabric, metal, wood, ceramic, crystal & glass. Create your own custom t-shirts, mouse pads, school bag, license plates, and many other unique items.
  • Sublimation Metal Sheets, MDF Sheets, Upgraded elevated lower platen allows room for t-shirts to be easily placed into and removed from machine.
  • 2D mobile covers, Full-range pressure-adjustment knob allows the pressure to be adjusted according to the thickness of the material you're transferring to which can improve the quality of the finished transfers.
  • Bed-sheets, Cushion covers, Mouse Pad and all Flat Surface Products
SaleBestseller No. 3
MY PRINT | Heat Press 5 in 1 Digital Multi Functional Sublimation, Vinyl Printing Machine for T-Shirts (Any Flat Product), Mug, Plate Heat Press Machine 12x15 Inch | DTF PRIINTING | VINYL PRINTING
  • MY PRINT | Heat Press 5 in 1 Digital Multi Functional Sublimation Machine for T-Shirts (Any Flat Product), Mug, Plate Heat Press Machine 12x15 Inch
  • USE FOR: This machine transfers on many flat surfaced items, Cap, Keychain, such as fabric, metal, wood, ceramic, crystal & glass. Create your own custom t-shirts, mouse pads, school bag, license plates, and many other unique items.
  • Sublimation Metal Sheets, MDF Sheets, Upgraded elevated lower platen allows room for t-shirts to be easily placed into and removed from machine.
  • 2D mobile covers, Full-range pressure-adjustment knob allows the pressure to be adjusted according to the thickness of the material you're transferring to which can improve the quality of the finished transfers.
  • Bed-sheets, Cushion covers, Mouse Pad and all Flat Surface Products
  • DTF PRINTING, VINYL PRINTING, SUBLIMATION AND This is Multi Purpose Heat Press MACHINE
SaleBestseller No. 4
MY PRINT | EPSON SureColor SC F130 with Sublimation Ink | Sublimation Printer
  • My Print | EPSON SureColor SC F130 WITH SUBLIMATION INK
  • Best Printer for Sublimation Printing
SaleBestseller No. 5
Epson EcoTank L130 Single Function InkTank Printer
  • Printer Type: InkTank; Functions: Print; Printer output: Colour; Connectivity: USB 2.0; Scanner: No; Scanner resolution: NA
  • OS Compatibility: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later; Mobile connectivity : NA; Hardware Interface: USB 2.0; Enlarge/reduce option: NA; Duplex: NA
  • Maximum Print Speed: 27 ppm/ 15 ppm (Black/ Colour); Print cost Monochrome: NA; Print cost color: NA; Maximum Print Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi
  • Page size: A3, A4, Legal, letter; Max paper thickness: 256 gsm; Maximum Input Sheet Capacity: Upto 50 sheets; Compatible ink: Black Ink Bottle T6641 Cyan Ink Bottle T6642 Magenta Ink Bottle T6643 Yellow Ink Bottle T6644; Additional Printer Function: Print; Power wattage of printer: 9 W
  • Special Features: A3 paper printing ; Ideal Usage: Home; Included Components: Inks, Printer, User Guide, USB Cable
SaleBestseller No. 6
CoYlBod Sublimation Ink Inkjet Printers for ET-2760 ET-4750 ET-4760 ET-3710 ET-2700 ET-2750 ET-3700 ET-3750 ET-7700 ET-7750 ET-2720 ET-4700 Heat Press Transfer on Mugs, Polyester Shirts, Phone Cases
  • 🖨️ 100% Compatible: Sublimation Refill Ink for ET-2760 ET-4750 ET-4760 ET-3710 ET-3760 ET-2700 ET-2750 ET-3700 ET-3750 ET-15000 ST-2000 ST-3000 ST-4000 ET-7700 ET-7750 ET-2720 ET-4700.
  • 👕 Wide Range Of Applications: ISO 9001 and MSDS Certified. High quality sublimation Ink Heat Transfer Printing Refills suitable for coffee cups, mouse pads, shot glasses, flasks, T-Shirts, mugs, phone cases, etc. And it has provided the same quality prints on every texture and surface. This ink can only be used in fabrics containing less than 30% cotton.
  • 🌈 OutStanding Ink Stability: Free ICC Profile for Windows and Mac can be downloaded to calibrates the colors. More Vibrant and Vivid Colors, High saturation, good permeability, fast drying, waterproof and no fading. No damage for print head and print smoothly.
  • 😃 Easy To Use: Each color has different auto-stop inject heads to prevent mixed up color injections.
  • 💯 High Quality Service: If you are not satisfied with our products, you can contact us to apply for a full refund. We are always working to provide better products and professional services.
SaleBestseller No. 7
Urban Jungle Heat Press 5 in 1 Digital Multi Functional Sublimation, Vinyl Printing Machine for T-Shirts (Any Flat Product), Mug, Plate Heat Press Machine 12x15 Inch
  • Heat Press 5 in 1 Digital Multi Functional Sublimation Machine for T-Shirts (Any Flat Product), Mug, Plate Heat Press Machine 12x15 Inch
  • USE FOR: This machine transfers on many flat surfaced items, Cap, Keychain, such as fabric, metal, wood, ceramic, crystal & glass. Create your own custom t-shirts, mouse pads, school bag, license plates, and many other unique items.
  • Sublimation Metal Sheets, MDF Sheets, Upgraded elevated lower platen allows room for t-shirts to be easily placed into and removed from machine.
  • 2D mobile covers, Full-range pressure-adjustment knob allows the pressure to be adjusted according to the thickness of the material you're transferring to which can improve the quality of the finished transfers.
  • Bed-sheets, Cushion covers, Mouse Pad and all Flat Surface Products
SaleBestseller No. 8
INKRITE Sublimation Ink DTP SUB Printer L800, L1800, L810, L805,L130,L220,L380,L3110,L3150,L4150,L5190,L1300 for Heat Transfer Printing on Garments,Sportswear ,Flag and Buntings,
  • Print Quality Same as Original
  • Does Not Damage Printer
  • Heat Transfer Printing on Garments,Sportswear ,Flag and buntings,Soft Signage and Clothes like polyester and Polyster Blends
  • Sublimation Ink DTP SUB Printer L800, L1800, L810, L805,L130,L220,L380,L3110,L3150,L4150,L5190,L1300
  • Environmental & Health & Safety -- Ensure each customer can experience the highest quality INK, meanwhile be an enviromental-friendly citizen
  • Small effort, big impact -- High-quality black for everyday printing. Performance and value for your reports, invoices and spreadsheets.
SaleBestseller No. 9
MY PRINT | EPSON Printer L130 with Sublimation Ink, Including 200 Sublimation Paper | Heat Tape 5 Pcs | 3 Pcs T-Shirt | Sublimation Mouse PAD 2 Pcs
  • EPSON PRINTER L130 WITH SUBLIMATION INK, INCLUDING 200 SUBLIMATION PAPER |
  • HEAT TAPE 5 Pcs | 3 Pcs T-shirt |
  • Sublimation Mouse PAD 2 Pcs
SaleBestseller No. 10
Presto Heat Press 5 in 1 Digital Multi Functional Sublimation, Vinyl Printing Machine for T-Shirts (Any Flat Product), Mug, Plate Heat Press Machine 12x15 Inch
  • Heat Press 5 in 1 Digital Multi Functional Sublimation Machine for T-Shirts (Any Flat Product), Mug, Plate Heat Press Machine 12x15 Inch

  • Use for: This machine transfers on many flat surfaced items, Cap, Keychain, such as fabric, metal, wood, ceramic, crystal & glass. Create your own custom t-shirts, mouse pads, school bag, license plates, and many other unique items.

  • Sublimation Metal Sheets, MDF Sheets, Upgraded elevated lower platen allows room for t-shirts to be easily placed into and removed from machine.

  • 2D mobile covers, Full-range pressure-adjustment knob allows the pressure to be adjusted according to the thickness of the material you're transferring to which can improve the quality of the finished transfers.

  • Bed-sheets, Cushion covers, Mouse Pad and all Flat Surface Products are printed.

Choosing the Best Sublimation Printer [Buyer’s Guide]

Please make a note of these important hallmarks while buying a colored dye sublimation printer for your t-shirt, mug and other photo printing on different items.

  1. Price: You will need to be careful while buying a printer at an affordable price which is efficient and qualitative at the same time
  2. Quality: The quality of the ink as well as the way in which the printer ejects color on the material is quint-essential
  3. Uses: The sublimation printer should be able to serve a wide range of functionalities at a significant standard

Sublimation Printing vs Heat Press Printing

Many people think that sublimation and heat press is the same. However, there are some slight differences, we think we should make that clear.

For instance, heat press printing uses heat and pressure to apply prints to t-shirts. While in sublimation printing, different dyes are printed on a transfer medium with the help of a high-quality inkjet printer.

The sublimation dyes are then transferred to sublimation papers onto the desired object with the help of a commercial heat press.

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ’s]

Q1. Can you use any printer for sublimation?

Ans. For sublimation printing, the most popular printers are the Ricoh and Sawgrass models. As they are specifically designed with sublimation print heads. However, they can be somewhat expensive and therefore unaffordable for most people.

Fortunately, there are a lot of great Epson color inkjet printers which can also be used for sublimation printing. As you can simply buy refillable ink cartridges and separate sublimation ink and place it in their compartment.

And there you go, you now have a cheap solution for your sublimation printing needs, with an Epson inkjet printer. Bare in mind, it is better to use large format inkjet printers for the sublimation process.

Q2. How much does a sublimation printer cost?

Ans. With the advent of technology in our everyday lives, sublimation has become quite popular for acrylic, plastic and vinyl printing. Sublimation is a very low cost printing solution and it can be very profitable too, especially for small business and startups. With a low startup cost. Depending on the image size, a sublimation compatible inkjet printer with sublimation ink costs in the range of $300 – $600 for 8.5 x 14 inches and around $1,660 for 13 x 19 inches. Imaging costs are no more than $0.01 per square inch.  Whereas high quality, industrial level heat press and sublimation printers cost anywhere between $1,500 and $6,000 US dollars. 

Q3. What is the best printer for sublimation?

Ans. We have analyzed all the available sublimation printers and have concluded that the Epson Workforce WF-7110 is the best sublimation printer. It is a high quality, affordable wide-format inkjet printer which can print sublimation paper sheets of up to 13 x 19″ inches. 

It also has a very high resolution of 4800 x 2410 which ensures high-quality image printing and can also be used for heat transfer purposes too. It also has a large 250 sheet tray, which is enough for large scale printing productions. Making the Epson Workforce WF-7110 a great choice at under $200.

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Mark Cook

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