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Best Printer To Convert to Sublimation

Sublimation printers are almost similar to regular computer printers. The major difference between them is the paper holding capacity and ink quality. Sublimation printers only hold special paper, “Sublimation Transfer Paper.” It also prints with the help of special ink named “Disperse Dye.”

But if you try putting these types of equipment in a regular printer then It’s not going to work. In the market, converting regular printers to sublimation is trending to get the most perfect results. Because you can handle sublimation with a simple printer that can fit anywhere in your shop, home, and office. Always choose the best printer to convert to sublimation.

However, if you are a hobbyist and don’t want to spend a lot of money on printing presses, then converting your regular printer into a sublimation printer is the best solution for running your printing business. It is not in demand only for shopkeepers; office runners also use it for its high-quality printing. Sublimation paper becomes the part of printing media that becomes non-scratchable. It uses the heat transfer method through which the ink fuses with the printing media and becomes a part of it permanently.

Nowadays, people are also using Vinyl printing, for printing colorful clothes. Vinyl printing requires a big setup and is costly but on the other side, sublimation is easy and budget-friendly. Therefore, nothing can replace sublimation you can print mugs, phone cases, and many irregular surfaces with a sublimation printer. 

The sublimation process is mainly used by businesses but now anyone can convert their regular printer to sublimation. Therefore, I carefully looked at many models of printers, and the most suitable brand for sublimation is Epson. But you must keep in mind that all types of printers cannot be converted

List of Best Printers That Can Be Converted To Sublimation Printer

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Top 6 Cheapest (Epson) Printer To Convert To Sublimation

Epson WorkForce Pro Convertible Printer

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Epson WorkForce WF-7820 is a wireless all-in-one easiest printer to convert to sublimation. Epson has been designed for micro to midsize offices. This printer has a mobile device that provides its users with tech support for easy handling.

A step up down from WF-7840, Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7820 is a multifunctional printer with a scanner, copier, and fax. It is capable of printing tabloid (11″ x 17″) and super tabloid (13″ x 19″) printing. WF-7820 has a single paper holding tray with 250 sheets in its main drawer. On the other hand, Epson WF-7840 has 2 paper trays of 250 plain and 50 rear sheets.

Weighing 39.9 pounds, the device is shorter and 5 pounds lighter than its other sibling, the WF-7840. I found it faster in speed than MFC-J6545DW and HP OfficeJet Pro 7720, with a printing speed of 27 pages per minute.

Whether it has multi features, WF-7820 provides recommended 300 monthly prints. For this reason, its replacement ink costs more than its competitors.

Epson EcoTank Printer ET-3830

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ET-3830 found the best sublimation printer for beginners in the office and home. Epson is an all-in-one EcoTank wireless inkjet printer with SupeTank. It provides high-quality color document printing. 3830’s photo quality is also demanding with the complete detailing of pictures. 

Its wide 2.4″ color display screen allows students to handle it easily with the given instruction buttons on it. At the same time, its other sibling Epson ET-2800 does not contain any display screen. ET-3830’s paper holding capacity is 250 sheets with 2-sided printing capability. Similar to its siblings, ET-3850 and ET-4850. Epson EcoTank ET-4850 has scan, copy, printing, and faxing features, while the 3830 lacks faxing. 

Overall, you will find a high-quality printer with a fantastic monthly duty cycle at a low cost. I recommend having this compact, lightweight printer on your desktop with an ADF feeder. Moreover, the manufacturer provides you with 2-years of product protection only with Epson registration. You can use this Epson only with suitable sublimation ink. Otherwise, print quality will fade out.

Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5800

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EcoTank ET-5800 is one of the latest models of Epson with all-in-one features of scan, copy, print, and fax. This professional model of Epson is used in offices. As bulk in features, consumers find ET-5800 the cheapest sublimation printer.

Epson is on the way to go with meager operating costs than its competitors in terms of economy. 5800 has the most adorable feature of voice activation. Using that, you can control cloud printing even with Alexa and google assistant. That’s similar to its upgraded versions Epson ET-5850 and ET-5880. The Black and white paper printing speed is 25ppm, similar to ET-16600 and other models. But EcoTank Pro ET5800 has a lower color printing speed than its advanced versions. 

Students and officer runners say we love Epson for its 2-years of warranty, good quality printing, and extended durability. Epson 5800 lacks super tabloid printing, but its other models, ET-16600 and ET-16650, have this feature but are costly.

Epson ET-16600 Printer

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Epson ET-16600 is the latest business class professional use printer with 500 sheets of paper handling capacity. It’s an inkjet all-in-one wireless inkjet color printer with a super tank. Epson is a moderate device and lasts for months without refilling. The printing cost of Epson is only 2cents per paper, which is very low and affordable. 16600 can print super tabloid but can scan only tabloid papers.

ET-16600 printing super tabloid size (13″ x 19″) paper similar to its advanced sibling Epson ET-16650. But its other models, including ET-5800, 5850, and 5880, lack this printing size. Epson ET-16600 is a moderate machine like its other models, with multifunction features of scan, copy, and print. 16600’s black and white color printing speed 25 pages per minute point to point, similar to the printers mentioned above. 

Consider buying this best Epson printer to convert to sublimation with all the advanced features and compact design that can fit on your desktop. Consumers invest in this printer for its 2-years of limited warranty with registration for their better security.

WorkForce WF-7210

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WorkForce WF-7210 is the cheapest printer to convert to sublimation with excellent wireless connectivity. WF provides the Wcheaifi Direct and NFC mobile networking. A perfect match with office and home desktops. WorkForce 7210 is a compact but heavy design that requires a separate room.

WF-7210 bears a strict resemblance to its predecessor, WF-7110. Both the models having the single printing feature provides excellent mobile connectivity. A high duty cycle of 20000/month printer with recommended 1300 pages to print is recommended. Have multi-drawers to place envelopes and a separate 20 pages photo paper drawer. WF-7210 measures 7.6 color pages per minute, similar to Epson WorkForce WF-7710.

WF provides multiple connectivity options, including Wifi, Ethernet, Wifi Direct, and a single PC through USB and NFC protocol. Even it builds a strong connection with your mobile for remote printing. I chose Workforce for its overall better output quality and large paper holding capacity. It does not support a USB drive thumb, but its competitors do. 

Epson Premium EcoTank 2803

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Epson Premium EcoTank 2803 performs as a sharp all-in-one inkjet printer. You don’t need any cartridge to run it. It has 4 colors super tank—a good enough device for students, small and medium-sized offices. For high-quality photos, consider 2803 to place on your desktop.

Instead of a touch screen display, you will find a display controlling with given buttons. You will never find a headache in replacing cartridges like Brother MFC-J4335DW whether they both are inkjet printers. Epson provides the incredibly cheapest printing cost per page than its competitors.

2803’s monthly printing capacity for color print is 7500, and black-white provides 4500 pages for individual and workgroup offices. Epson Premium EcoTank 2803 lacks an automatic document feeder.

What to Consider While Converting Your Epson Printer To Sublimation?

There are several things to consider when looking for your desired product. Think about the marked-up features you want, not the price.

Sublimation Ink

Always use pigmented ink when considering switching a standard printer to sublimation. The ink you choose should dry fast to get instant results on time. You must clean your sublimation regularly and use it at least twice a week. Otherwise, the ink head will dry out and cost a lot of maintenance. If you’re DIY, it will take a long time to retain. There are thousands of inks available in the market, but I use Hippo. 

The printer should contain 4 ink containers, including the colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). Some printers are also available with 8 additional colors. They are also suitable to purchase.

Print Field Size

There are different paper sizes a printer can bear. It all depends on your requirement for printing. Moreover, try to find out the smaller one preferable with many page sizes, including 13″ x 19″, which is ideal for any sublimation printing. The size of the printing paper should be a little smaller than the heat press so it could fit exactly. 

Printing Speed

A converted sublimation printer should at least print 32 pages per minute. Keep in mind when you convert a printer, its speed varies. If the page size is big, it will take a little more time.

How to Convert an Epson EcoTank Printer into a Sublimation Printer?

Hi crafty friends! I am excited to tell you about converting an Epson Ecotank printer into a sublimation printer. It’s a piece of cake to do this job with the help of the following steps. Let us get started it! Before converting your Epson into a sublimation printer, you must fulfill some essential steps and requirements.

Basic Things Required

  1. An Epson Printer.
  2. Pigmented Sublimation Ink (Suggested Hippo Sublimation Ink).
  3. Good quality sublimation paper.
  4. Sublimation blanks.

Before converting an Epson into a sublimation printer, you need to know a few basic things.

  • First, ensure that the Epson printer you are converting should be brand new to work better. If you select a used printer, you will have to clean all the ink inside the bottles, which takes a lot of time. Moreover, you will find a mixed result or ordinary sublimation ink.
  • Remember that once you convert a printer into sublimation, you cannot rewind it to regular use.
  • A converted printer voids its warranty, and you cannot reverse it.
  • Any Epson printer you can use for converting in sublimation. The important thing is it should have refillable tanks. 

Related – How to Remove Sublimation Print

Now the real fun begins from here. Follow these steps to convert your printer easily.

Step 1

The primary step is unboxing your new printer and hippo inks. Do not plug in your printer. 

Step 2

Fill up the syringes with black ink. Now open the tank house and flip the blue cover on the black ink container. I slightly tilled the syringe in the black tank and filled it up. One by one, fill all the inks using different syringes.

Step 3

Set up your printer according to the booklet given by the printer. Switch on your printer.

Step 4

Take your sublimation paper, place it in your printer, and command “Print” Check out if it’s working better. When you print the first time, take rough prints to bring your printer into a working position.


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