Sublimation is a procedure with which you can easily print the pictures, whatever picture you want, into some specific materials that accept it!
You have definitely seen T-shirts or mugs with specific pictures or sayings attached to them; That’s basically what the sublimation process is!
In the photography field, we find dye sublimation as a technology that brings amazing printed pictures.
If you are a beginner in this field and you want to find the best sublimation printer, I am here for you! To help, you find the best sublimation printer for beginners!
In this article, you will find the top four picks, and I assure you that all of them are the greatest ones!
Now, without further ado, let’s get to the best sublimation printer for beginners!
A Quick Look at My Favorite Sublimation Printers
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 8.6 | Check Price On Amazon | |
 | 8.5 | Check Price On Amazon | |
 | 9.1 | Check Price On Amazon | |
 | 8.8 | Check Price On Amazon |
Key Takeaways
- The remarkable sublimation process makes it simple to print photos and other media types.
- You can get some incredible sublimation printers right here that are well worth the money.
- The Epson EcoTank ET-15000, which offers incredible features for a low price, is the best overall, in my opinion.
- Also highly recommended is the Sawgrass SG500, which has fantastic features and produces immersive results.
- Before buying a printer, you should consider several aspects, including the printing quality, the printer’s size and weight, and many more. this article
The Top Four Best Sublimation Printers for Beginners
4. Epson EcoTank ET-2800
What I Like
- Excellent print quality
- Affordable
- Light and compact
- Supports Wi-Fi Direct mobile connectivity
What I Don’t Like
- Low paper capacity
Epson is a very well-known name that deals with different printers. Those that come from this brand assure you that will do the job quite correctly! This printer, even though is an inkjet one, when you use dye sublimation brings to you the most amazing sublimations ever!
As a whole, this printer measures 22.8 x 14.8 x 10 inches and it weighs 11.97 pounds. It is a bit big, but still, once put in its place, I don’t think that you will have the necessity to move it. It comes in white color.
The printer is very well-built. Epson promises that once you purchase the EcoTank ET-2800 you can do whatever you want for a very long period of time! That means that this printer is a long-lasting one.
In order to use this printer, you will have to work through the buttons that are placed in front of it. They are accurate, and they work fine. Just as they should.
You can print different versions of papers! It brings to you envelopes, glossy photo paper, and also normal paper. The sizes that it brings are 4 x 6 inches, 5 x 7 inches, A4 papers, A6 papers, and also, you can choose from 2.2 x 3.4 inches and 8.5 x 47.2 inches. A lot of choices mean a better job!
You can use this printer in two ways, regarding the connectivity with your devices. It works with WiFi and USB as well. The WiFi is quite accurate it can get connected to different devices.
Everything that you will print with this one, will be brought to you with great quality.
Why should you buy it?
This printer works with WiFi and USB as well, so you can connect it with your devices and use it in two ways.
3. WorkForce WF-7210
What I Like
- Good output quality
- Auto duplexing up to tabloid-size
- Two large paper drawers
What I Don’t Like
- High cost per page
Here goes another Epson printer, but in this case, we have another version. It is the WorkForce, which works perfectly fine when needed for sublimation. This printer is also an inkjet one, but, once you find the dye sublimation to use, it is more than great!
Measuring 31.8 x 22.3 x 12.7 inches and weighing 32.8 pounds, this printer deserves a special place in your office or in your home. That may be a problem for the travelers, but still, since many people do the sublimation process in a particular place there’s no problem.
The printer has an amazing build quality. It is resistant to something that may happen unexpectedly, and just as the one mentioned above, almost all Epson printers are durable and long-lasting.
The WorkForce WF-2800 has a 2.2 inches LCD touch screen, which works better than you can ever imagine and the navigation can be easily done since it is very easy to be used.
Everywhere is mentioned, that this Epson printer, brings to you wide format prints, of any kind. The prints that come out of this printer are 13 x 19 inches big, and a specialty that the printer owns is the ability to print on two sides. The capacity is amazing since this printer accepts 500 sheets.
The printer uses Wifi, USB, and also you have NFC technology! So, basically, this printer works with whatever you need, with any device that you may own!
What deserves to be mentioned about this printer is that it brings perfect prints when it comes to color! Everything comes to you very clearly, just as you may have it on your devices.
Why should you buy it?
This printer is resistant to something that may happen unexpectedly, it is durable and long-lasting.
2. Sawgrass SG500 – Best Runner-Up
What I Like
- High-quality printing
- Low energy consumption
- Durable and sturdy build
What I Don’t Like
- The special ink is needed for sublimation
Another amazing brand that deals especially with sublimation printers is Sawgrass! They bring to you the best printers that you can ever find, and they cannot be left unmentioned when talking about sublimation in general.
The SG500 measures 22 x 21.6 x 13.2 inches and its weight is 27.2 pounds. The color of the printer is white, and I assure you that it is the most good-looking printer that you can ever find. It looks good, wherever you want to put it!
As you may have noticed, Epson printers are quite durable, and you don’t have to worry about this one either! It is one of the most amazingly built printers that Sawgrass has ever launched.
This one is a manual printer! That doesn’t mean that the others that own a touchscreen are automatic, but on this one are found buttons on the front part, and don’t worry because they work fine.
You can easily print 110 sheets that measure 8.5 x 11 inches, and also you can print 330 sheets that have a size of 8.5 x 14 inches.
Everything that you may print, out of this printer, comes amazingly and all the things come clear. You can use this printer of sublimation with whatever you need.
Working with a WiFi connection, this printer is able to get connected to any device. That includes smartphones, tablets, computers, laptops, or any other that has WiFi!
Why should you buy it?
This is the most good-looking printer that you can ever find. It looks good, wherever you want to put it!
1. Epson EcoTank ET-15000 – Best Overall
What I Like
- Prints on the super-tabloid size paper
- Affordable
- Compact
- Lightweight
What I Don’t Like
- Scanning limited to legal size or smaller
This printer is one of the most used ones for sublimation! It is one of the first choices for beginners in this category and it works very accurately. It is considered an all-in-one printer because of its ability to work with inkjet and dye sublimation too!
Epson created a printer that measures 22.7 x 17.6 x 13 inches and its weight is 27.5 pounds. The color that this printer comes with is white and to be honest, it looks quite good anywhere you may put it.
Based on the build quality of this printer, it is one of those that stays for a pretty long time with you, just as any other Epson printer.
On the EcoTank ET-15000, we deal with a touchscreen, that measures 2.7 inches, and it works perfectly, and very accurately!
The sheets that come out of this printer measure 11 x 17 inches, meaning that they are big enough to be used however and whenever you want. It has a capacity of 250-sheet papers, and also, you can choose to print at 13 x 19 inches papers/prints. However, if you are not into big print sizes, this printer allows you to copy and scan 8.5 x 14 inches papers.
The colors and the quality of the prints are so good that you wouldn’t want to change this printer for the world!
This printer also works with WiFi and it is the fastest one that you can find in a printer. The compatible devices that you can use this printer with, are laptops and computers of any type.
Why should you buy it?
This printer is one of the first choices for beginners in this category and it works very accurately, and as such it is listed as the best overall.
Pros and Cons of a Sublimation Process
Pros
- You can print on different surfaces (mugs, T-shirts, plates, etc)
- Simple usage
- You can use any color
- The print comes dry
Cons
- The stuff that you use should be white, or in a light color
- It may lose color after long usage
- Limited print size
Epson VS Sawgrass
Sawgrass brings printers that are fully dedicated to sublimation as a feature! I would like to start with them!
Sawgrass printers come in different ways, but still, the one that I mentioned in this article stands as the best one from this spectacular brand.
The printers from Sawgrass are used in different offices, and by different people, that work with sublimation only. They are all great printers and they bring amazing prints with amazing colors.
Moving on to Epson printers, they are quite well made, but still, you may find some problems when not choosing the right one for sublimation.
Epson printers are also a lot in number. As said you should take care of the part, whether they accept dye sublimation, in order to use them for that particular thing.
The prints that come out of Epson printers, also come with great quality, and they are very clear in different ways.
A thing that should be mentioned is that the Epson printers come cheaper than Sawgrass ones.
This can only mean one thing: Epson printers come more versatile and on a budget.
Buying Guide
In this section, you can find some things that you may want to consider before choosing the best sublimation printer for beginners. Those things include:
Printing Quality
It is better if the printer that you use brings to you pictures with great quality, right? Well, the ones that are mentioned above are known for their quality! Always remember, you should take a deep look at the quality that a printer brings photos.
The Size and the Weight of the Printer
The size is important too! If you are traveling a lot, the thing that you should consider more is the size and the weight of the printer that you are about to buy. There are different printers to choose from and they all come with different dimensions.
What you should do is choose wisely!
Connections
Finding a printer with the best connectivity is the best thing that you can do! Most of the sublimation printers that are made in the latest years all include WiFi. That cannot mean anything besides perfection!
You won’t need a cable in order o connect your devices with it, but instead, they work very well with whatever you use them with.
FAQ About the Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners
What is a sublimation printer?
A sublimation printer is one of those that allows you to print anything you want and then print it on another material. The material that is used mostly is polyester!
Can any printer be a sublimation one?
Not really! Not every printer has the ability of sublimation! That’s why before choosing one you should do deeper research regarding the sublimation feature.
Can I use inkjet printers as a sublimation one?
Not at all! Inkjet printers are totally for something else! Now, if there’s an inkjet printer with the feature of dye sublimation, then it can. But, if it is only an inkjet one, then it is impossible to work.
Is a sublimation printer worth it?
A sublimation printer is one of the best things that you can purchase! That’s why they are definitely worth it. However, you should have in mind that most sublimation printers come with high prices.
Final Words
Here we came at the end of this article! As you can notice, the picks include more Epson printers, and that’s because Epson is known as a professional brand when it comes to printers in general.
As an overall opinion, I would like to mention that all of them work perfectly fine, and they stay among the best sublimation printers, especially for beginners! That’s because they are all very easy to be used and they won’t cause any problem!
I really hope that this article will help you choose the best sublimation printer for beginners!
Further Reading
Sublimation is a kind of art in itself! I think that if you chose one of the most amazing cameras used to photograph artwork, sublimate your art into whatever you want! It would definitely help!
However, if you are not into sublimation but somehow found yourself here, I would say check out our camera articles regarding some great makeup cameras or if you want to record while you are doing some activities on fitness, check out the prominent cameras for fitness videos!
Have Fun!
Photographer & Writer
I specialize in landscape, street and portrait photography and I have been featured in various galleries and publications. I believe that photography is a way to tell stories!
