What is the cheapest printer that can be converted to sublimation?

Spread the word!

For more information, please visit 95gsm Sublimation Jumbo Roll.

Getting into sublimation printing is easy and the most important equipment you need is the sublimation printer. Your choices in which printer to get include those that are already made for sublimation printing and those that you have to convert to one.

Find the right one for you from this List of Epson Printers That Can Be Converted to Sublimation Printers so you can get started on your sublimation printing as a hobby or to start a small business. 

This list consists of both Epson WorkForce and EcoTank printers that you can convert to sublimation.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It means if you click and/or buy, we receive a small commission at zero additional cost to you. Read our Disclosure Policy for details.

What is sublimation?

Before jumping in to your sublimation journey, let&#;s get to know the basics. Sublimation is the process of permanently adding a full-color design on a sublimation blank such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, tumblers, garden flags, and more. These designs are printed using a special printer which are then pressed onto the polyester-coated sublimation blank using heat. When heat is applied to the design, the ink turns to gas and binds to sublimation blank. 

What type of printers can be used for sublimation?

In order for a printer to be used for sublimation, it has to have a specific type of print head. The printers with the Piezo print heads work for sublimation and those with the Thermal print heads won&#;t work. 

Thermal Print heads

Thermal print heads use heat to boil the ink and create an air bubble of ink vapor. This bubble is forced through the print head nozzle where it explodes and comes out of the chamber. It is quickly cooled at the end of the process as the ink gets deposited onto the paper. Thermal print heads use water-based inks to help with this heating process. Printers such as Canon and HP use this type of print head. 

Piezo Print Heads

Piezo print heads have a thin film on its head that is exposed to an electric charge and in turn, causes it to vibrate. This vibration is a signal for the film to bend and flex, build up the pressure which forces the ink from the nozzle onto the paper. The quick vibration and flexion of the film gives it a more precise control of how fast the ink gets pushed out. This type of print heads are compatible with water-based, oil-based, eco-solvent, solvent, and gel-based inks. Printers such as Epson, Sawgrass, and Roland have this type of print head and can be used for sublimation. Just to note, there are other printer brands that have this Piezo Print Head but there are no sublimation inks for them. 

Should you convert an Epson Printer to a sublimation printer?

Since there are printers that are sublimation ready, why are people choosing to convert an Epson Printer insead? There are many reasons and the main one is the overall cost. When someone is trying a new hobby or starting a small business, the bottom line is always important to keep in mind. 

Sublimation printers that do not need to be converted

Both Sawgrass and Epson offer sublimation printers that do not need to be converted.

They start under $500 and can print 8.5×14&#;. Sounds like a great price right? But you also have to figure in the cost of ink replacements and printer availability.

RELATED: Read our detailed Sublimation Printer guide to learn more about these sublimation printers that do not need to be converted. 

Sawgrass ink can cost around $77 ( price and can change without notice) for each color cartridge and that can be a lot for someone who is just starting out on their home-based business or personal hobby.

The new Epson F170 are sublimation printers that do not need to be converted and the replacement ink, the T49M series are around $25 per color ( price and can change without notice).

The one issue with this is availability. These new Epson F170 Sublimation Printers were released in January and inventory at the authorized dealers were limited. Availability for these printers are better now a days. Setting up our Epson F170 was simple and we were printing within an hour.

REVIEW: &#; The Epson F170 is a true sublimation printer and does not need to be converted. Read about the pros and cons of the F170 Sublimation Printer in our comprehensive review which includes test print images and settings.

The major advantage of using a printer that is made for sublimation is it comes with a manufacturer warranty and technical support. If you have a problem, the manufacturer and in some instances, the authorized vendors, have a dedicated tech support team to help you solve your problem. If they are not able to fix it, a replacement printer can be sent.

Epson printers that need to be converted for sublimation printing

One of the main reasons why some decide to convert Epson printers to use for sublimation is because they are readily available at major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, Adorama, and more.

Epson ecotank printers start at $170 so this low cost is another major factor for the decision. The new ET- is the lowest cost and became available in . Check out our review on the Converted Epson ET- for Sublimation to see how well it does for sublimation.  

The disadvantage to keep in mind is that these printers do not come with tech support if you use it as a sublimation printer. And adding sublimation ink to it voids the manufacturer warranty too. So if you have any problems, you would have to figure out how to fix it on your own. But don&#;t fret because there are tons of social media and public forum groups where you can try to get help. 

Type of PrinterCostInkWarrantyTech SupportConverted Epson Printer$170+$12+nonoTrue Sublimation Printer$400+$25+yesyesTrue Sublimation Printer versus Converting an Epson Printer Comparison

.

How easy is it to convert an Epson printer to a sublimation printer?

You will be surprised at how easy it is to convert a regular Epson printer to sublimation.

When you purchase your Epson printer, make sure you also purchase sublimation ink from a third party ink vendor. When setting up your printer, install the sublimation ink instead of the regular inkjet that came with the Epson. And that&#;s it. You now have a converted sublimation printer.  This simple conversion only works for the EcoTank series.

The WorkForce series needs a little more work to convert. You will have to buy the ink and cartridge from your sublimation ink supplier. Those cartridges need to be filled with the ink using a syringe. Then install those cartridges instead of the regular inkjet ink.

One problem that most converted WorkForces have is when Epson updates their firmware. When that happens, the chip in your third-party cartridge will not be recognized and your printer will not print. Because of this, most people do not update their Epson WorkForce printers.

should you update the firmware?

Updating the firmware in your Converted Workforce printers can make your cartridge chips unreadable. The recommendation is to NOT update the firmware for Workforce printers.

It&#;s ok to update the firmware in the converted EcoTanks because there are no chips or ink cartridges in these printers.

Disclaimer: Once you use a sublimation ink in your Epson printer, it is no longer under warranty by Epson. This is because those EcoTanks and WorkForce printers are not designed for sublimation and using them for that voids the warranty. One way to avoid this loss of warranty is to purchase a printer that is made for sublimation and does not require a conversion.

Additional steps for conversion

Before you start printing sublimation transfers, you may need to download and install the sublimation ink&#;s ICC profile to your computer. These are available from the vendor that you purchased your sublimation ink from. There are also some ink that do not require these ICC profiles too which makes things a little easier. 

What is an ICC profile and is it needed? 

ICC stands for International Color Consortium and it is a set of standard data that manages the color output of your printer. The color profile&#;s main goal is to get the printed output as close as possible to your design software&#;s color instructions. Remember that what you see on your screen may not be printed exactly because other factors such as screen calibration and design software play roles in the final printed output of your newly converted Epson printer. 

To find out more about sublimation designs and how ICC profiles play a role on how vibrant your images print out, our easy to understand guide, Sublimation Designs And Color Basics, will be helpful.

There are a few sublimation inks that does not need an ICC profile. We&#;ve used both Printers Jack Sublimation Ink and Cyclone Ink for a couple of our Converted EcoTanks and both printed well without the ICC profiles. Check out how they performed in the Converted ET- Printer Review and Converted ET- Printer Review.

Epson WorkForce vs EcoTank for sublimation

At this time, you have the option of choosing between Epson WorkForce and EcoTank printers to convert to sublimation. The main difference between the Epson WorkForce vs the EcoTank is the type of ink cartridge it requires.

The WorkForce printers require an entire ink cartridge with a sublimation ink to be inserted into the printer whereas the EcoTanks have a built-in ink tanks that you just fill with the sublimation ink.

Since the WorkForce printers require ink cartridges, problems such as cartridge chip errors can occur. So with the EcoTanks only requiring an ink refill into their already built-in tanks, it is the easiest type of Epson printer to convert to sublimation. 

List of Epson Printers that can be converted to Sublimation Printers

Discontinued Epson Printers

The following Epson printers can be converted to sublimation printing but they have been discontinued by the manufacturer. You may still find these as a refurbished printer direct from Epson or may even be in the used market place. One thing to be cautious when buying them second hand is to make sure their print heads are still functional. If the printer has been unused and unplugged for a while, chances are print heads are dried up. So, buyer beware. 

• Epson Artisan
• Epson WorkForce WF-
• Epson WorkForce WF-
• Epson WorkForce WF-
• Epson WorkForce WF-
• Epson WorkForce WF-
• Epson WorkForce WF-
• Epson WorkForce WF-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-
• Epson EcoTank ET-

.

Available Epson Printers

Here is a list of the available Epson printers that you can convert to sublimation printers. You can find these Epson inkjet printers at your major retailers and converting them to sublimation can be as easy as installing a third party sublimation ink. This, by no means, is not a comprehensive list but these are the most common Epson printers that have been converted, used by other sublimators, and have third-party sublimation inks available.

RELATED: Read our complete guide to Sublimation Printers to find out what the differences are between all these Epson Printers that you can convert to sublimation printers. Find their average cost and the maximum print size of each printer so you can decide which one to choose.

If you&#;re only interested in converting an Ecotank, check out our complete list of the Epson Ecotanks you can convert for sublimation. Find out what the best one is in both the small and wide format.

We used a converted Epson EcoTank ET- to make this sublimated kitchen towels with a design we made in Canva. As you can see in this Video Tutorial on How to Sublimate on Kitchen towels, the colors are amazing. So using the lowest cost Epson EcoTank works great for sublimation and you don&#;t need to spend a lot of money on a printer.

Wide Format Epson As A Sublimation Printer

If you are mainly looking at printing the larger 13×19-inch sublimation tranfers to make garden flags, door mats, blankets, and larger images on clothing, then you need a wide format sublimation printer. There are a few Epson Inkjet Printers that are considered Wide Format and can print that size. As of summer , these Wide Format Epson Printers that you can convert to sublimation printers are hard to find but they do come in and out of stock. Patience is key when looking for one of these printers.

NOTE: The Epson EcoTank ET- is hard to find. It is back ordered from all retailers. There are a lot of people that want this printer because it can print 13×19&#; which are great for larger sublimation projects such as XL shirts, doormats, and garden flags. There are also rumors that this printer is discontinued but that is not true. I contacted Epson directly and they confirmed that the ET- has not been discontinued and they are having some manufacturing delays instead. See copy of their below.

Now that we are in a couple of years after the supply issues caused by Covid, the availability of the ET- is better. You can find it at its regular retail price but there are still lots of resellers selling them for an inflated price. Don&#;t buy them for more than retail&#;save your money for other sublimation equipment such as a heat press or mug and tumbler presses.

Suggestion if you&#;re having a hard time finding the ET-:

1. Purchase a smaller format EcoTank that is available now so you can get started on sublimating. Place your order for the ET- and while waiting for it, you can practice and learn sublimation with the smaller format Ecotank. Hopefully, the wait isn&#;t too long for the ET- and once you get it, you&#;ll be ahead of the learning curve already. 
2. Consider getting a refurbished (aka reconditioned) ET- from Epson&#;s Official Ebay store for around $600. They have been reconditioned and as good as the new ones. I haven&#;t seen anyone complain about it not working. I actually use a reconditioned Epson as one of my sub printers and have been happy with it.
3. Get another model. Check out what other wide format Epson Ecotanks you can convert for sublimation in this complete list. They&#;re a little more expensive than the ET- and also out of stock from most places but they become available more often.

*DISCLAIMERS: Any prices mentioned above are the price at the time of the original publication. These can vary, can fluctuate, and can change at any time. Please check the retailer for current prices.

We make every effort to make sure the above information is correct and up to date by doing our due diligence when performing our research. However, typos can occur and unintended mistakes happen. We are not responsible for any incorrect data published here.

Updates & Social Media:

We often post on our social media channels when there are updates, tips and tricks, behind the scenes, and even great deals on sublimation blanks and equipment. You can also ask us your sublimation related questions too.

Facebook Page | Youtube | Pinterest | TikTok

The company is the world’s best sublimation paper roll jumbo roll manufacturer supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Any supplies used may be given to me free of charge, however, all projects and opinions are my own.

Are you ready to start your sublimation journey? I&#;ve been testing out sublimation printers to help you figure out which one is the best sublimation printer for your crafts.

Before we start, I did want to note that the best sublimation printer will really depend on your needs and where you are in your sublimation journey. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about picking the right sublimation printer for you.

If you&#;re brand new to sublimation check out my Sublimation Beginner&#;s Guide here.

In my craft room right now I have 3 sublimation printers: an Epson EcoTank printer that has been converted for sublimation, an Epson F170 sublimation printer, and a Sawgrass SG500. I&#;ve been using all of these for a while so I really know how they work. I know how they compare to each other and the pros and cons of each one. I&#;m ready to share my honest opinion on which printer you should pick.

The best sublimation printer for your particular crafting will likely depend on how much sublimation you&#;re doing. Keep reading to learn more about each printer if you can&#;t watch the video or just need more information.

Epson EcoTank

The Epson EcoTank printer is what I consider a budget-friendly sublimation printer. Epson EcoTank is actually a regular printer that can be converted for sublimation. When you buy the EcoTank, it&#;s set up for regular inkjet printing. You need to buy separate sublimation ink and add it to the printer instead of the ink that comes with the printer.

When you convert the EcoTank, it becomes a sublimation printer. After conversion, you can print sublimation prints with it. However, because you&#;re using the printer for something it wasn&#;t intended for, there are some drawbacks. Epson EcoTank converted sublimation printers are the ones that have the most issues. Let&#;s talk about what some of those issues can be.

Common Epson EcoTank Sublimation Issues

Here are a few issues that I regularly see from people that use an Epson EcoTank printer for sublimation:

• They are the most difficult to set up. Some people have no problems at all and other people have issues with the ink flowing through the printer and getting it to start printing.
• Color issues are a problem a lot of people have. This is the only printer of the three that I have had color issues with. This happens because you&#;re using the printer for something it wasn&#;t intended for. I share a lot about manual color correction, ICC profiles, etc here on my site to try to help you get your EcoTank working well for you. Unfortunately, some people are never happy with the colors they get and that is a risk you take with using a converted sublimation printer.
• Because you&#;re running ink through the printer that wasn&#;t intended for it it does have a tendency to clog up. Printing regularly does help but does not guarantee that you will not have issues. I do recommend printing weekly if you can.
• You need to be aware that you&#;re voiding the warranty of your printer. That means that you can&#;t just reach out to Epson for support. If your colors aren&#;t correct or your printer is not working, you&#;ll have to troubleshoot that yourself

What EcoTank Model Should You Buy?

I don&#;t believe that one EcoTank model is better than another when it comes to converting to sublimation. The models reference printer features and don&#;t relate to how the ink flows through the printer. However, if you want a printer that prints larger than 8 1/2 x 14 inches, you may want to do some research here as there are some EcoTank models that can print large format.

If you decide to go this route, I recommend finding a model that is in stock and on sale vs. worrying about model numbers. I&#;ve seen people have similar issues and successes with all the different models. I think it&#;s just hit or miss, you may get one that is amazing and you may get one that just doesn&#;t convert well.

With any sublimation printer, you should probably print about once a week. With a converted EcoTank, it is extremely important that you print at least once a week to avoid clogging issues. That means if you go on vacation or are going to be gone for more than a week, you will need to figure out a way to print.

The great thing is that you&#;re not wasting that ink or supplies, you can save those prints and use them later. Just remember, set an alarm if you need to, but remember to print at least once a week. If you forget and let it sit for a while, you can expect to spend a lot of time trying to get it unclogged and working correctly.

I really recommend you do your research ahead of time, talk to your friends that use an EcoTank for sublimation and find out what printer model and ink they are using and if they like it or not.

Epson EcoTank Benefits

Now that we&#;ve talked about the cons let&#;s talk about the pros of the Epson EcoTank and why it may be the best sublimation printer for your craft room.

The main benefit is the price. The Epson EcoTank is very budget-friendly. The ink is also relatively inexpensive. I do recommend you choose an ink to use and then stick with it. It&#;s very difficult to switch ink brands and I really don&#;t recommend it.

If you are looking to get started with sublimation on a budget, an Epson EcoTank is the way to go! Just go into it aware of the issues that you may experience and realize that it may take you longer in the beginning to get projects you love.

Epson F170 Sublimation Printer

The next step up from the EcoTank is the Epson F170 Sublimation printer. This printer is a dedicated sublimation printer. It was made for sublimation and comes with sublimation ink. Using a dedicated sublimation printer eliminates a lot of the issues that you may have using a converted EcoTank.

These printers come with a printer driver where you easily pick either rigid or textile for what you&#;re pressing on. That choice will adjust the colors for you. I personally have had great luck with this printer. The colors look amazing without having to do any extra settings.

Cons of Epson F170 Sublimation Printer

First, let&#;s discuss the drawbacks of the F170 printer.

• The biggest con of the F170 is that it can be so hard to find. They are only sold through authorized retailers so you won&#;t find them on places like Amazon. You will have to find it in stock at an authorized retailer. Then when you do find it, it&#;s probably at a place you don&#;t recognize which can make people uneasy when purchasing.
• Epson recommends only using Epson ink and Epson paper with this printer. Personally, I view this as a little bit of a drawback because finding the ink and paper can be difficult. This also means that the ink and paper are a bit more expensive than with the EcoTank model above.
• Just like the EcoTank, if you choose to try a different ink in the F170 you will void your warranty. I don&#;t want to do that, I want to keep that warranty so I can contact Epson during that first year and tell them the problem I&#;m having and get their help so I use their ink.
• The print size for this printer is a maximum of 8 1/2 x 14 inches. To get larger with an Epson Sublimation printer, you have to go to the F570 model which is MUCH more expensive.

Pros of Epson F170

The benefits are that it&#;s really easy to use and set up. You can print from any program by just selecting rigid or textile to get the color changes you need. You can be making gorgeous projects with this printer in minutes as it really is that easy to get started.

NOTE: I would recommend that you still print every one to two weeks. I don&#;t find this as critical with the F170, but keeping that ink flowing and keeping those lines moving is never a bad idea.

Sawgrass Sublimation Printer

The Sawgrass SG500 is the most expensive of the three printers. It is also a dedicated sublimation printer and I consider Sawgrass the top-of-the-line for a home crafter sublimation printer. It is the easiest to set up, comes with its own software, and is perfect for those of you that may be running a home-based business.

Sawgrass Pros

Let&#;s talk about the pros of this printer first as that is where it really shines!

• The Sawgrass SG500 uses ink cartridges which makes the installation really easy. It is definitely the easiest printer to set up by far.
• If you need help, Sawgrass printers include a one-on-one call to help you get your printer all set up.
• Sawgrass comes with its own software that is easy to use. If you don&#;t have a lot of experience using layouts and templates, it comes together easily in their software.
• The printer has built-in color profiles you can pick based on what you&#;re putting the print on. You can choose polyester, metal, plastic, or whatever. Select the right base and then just click print.
• Sawgrass also takes care of the regular printing for you if needed. As long as you leave it plugged in, it does its own maintenance. That does use a little ink so it would be better if you printed every one to two weeks but if you forget you&#;ll still be safe.

Sawgrass Cons

The biggest con of the Sawgrass printers is startup cost. The inks and the printer itself are more expensive. I have the SG500 which prints up to 8 1/2 x 14 sized prints. If you want to print larger, you would need to look into something like the SG and the start-up costs would be even greater.

Which Sublimation Printer Do You Need?

Now that we&#;ve talked about all three printers which one do you need? Which is the best sublimation printer? Please note that I&#;ve had great results with all three so this choice is more about your personal needs rather than making a right or wrong decision.

The Epson EcoTank was much harder for me to get those great projects out of because I had to play with my colors some to get it looking the way I wanted. This can get frustrating for many people. And there are MANY people that end up giving up on an EcoTank and upgrading at a later date due to clogging and color issues.

With both the Epson F170 and the Sawgrass sublimation printer, the projects looked great immediately after setup. That is a HUGE benefit as often you want to just start creating rather than fixing issues from the start.

For my needs, I would pick the Sawgrass printer if I had the budget, especially if I was using it for a business. I feel like the warranty, the customer support, the software, and the ease of use all lead me to a Sawgrass printer.

If you don&#;t have the budget for a Sawgrass, I would go for the Epson F170 if you can find it in stock, at someplace you trust to purchase it. If you can&#;t afford the F170, the other option would be an Epson EcoTank. So it does fall at the bottom of my list, personally, because so many people have issues using it.

I will say that my Epson EcoTank hasn&#;t been bad. It was the hardest to set up, the hardest to get going, and the hardest to make the projects that I had in my mind that were Pinterest-worthy. It was the hardest to get to that point, but once I got it there, my printer has been fine.

Because so many people have problems, I don&#;t like recommending an Epson EcoTank printer for sublimation as it is an investment. When that investment only lasts a few months before it starts acting up and you have to buy a whole other setup, then the cost of that Epson EcoTank goes up exponentially. This is why I always put the Epson EcoTank at the bottom of my list of the best sublimation printers even though mine has been great. If you don&#;t want to gamble with your money, I would get something that is intended for sublimation.

Where to Purchase Sublimation Printers

Finding these sublimation printers can be difficult. I&#;m sharing links to the places I recommend purchasing them below:

Final Thoughts on Which is the Best Sublimation Printer

I hope this helps you pick a sublimation printer that is right for you. As you can see, picking the best sublimation printer for your needs will depend on a few things like your budget, how often you&#;ll be printing, and even the size of the projects you may need to make.

I do believe, if you have the budget, going with a dedicated sublimation printer is the best choice. You&#;ll have the warranty and support to help make sure your prints are exactly what you need.

If you&#;re ready to start your sublimation journey, make sure and join my new sublimation course Sublimation Prep! You&#;ll find everything you need to know about sublimation including how to choose supplies, heat presses, and so much more. Don&#;t miss Sublimation Prep and start sublimating like a pro!

If you want to learn more, please visit our website 90gsm Sublimation Paper Sheets.