Want to start sublimation

[KDM_Freak 23]

so I would really like to know how this process works I watch a lot of youtube videos on how its done and whats required but do not see "type of paper, Ink, Printers that can be used besides espon, & process" I saw at a local walmart a epson WF and just wanted to know if its good to start up with ... Id like to do phone cases, mugs, shirts, hoodies, koozies ... Here is the link http://www.walmart.com/ip/Epson-WorkForce-WF-2540-Inkjet-Multifunction-Printer-Copier-Scanner-Fax-Machine/21672926

All advice is greatly appreciated & thank you very much in advance .. the more detail the better or if you can point me to the right spot on the forum .. i did do a lot of looking and not much found .. :/

[MZ SKEETER 4,708]

https://www.cobraink.com

 

this is where mr300s started...

[KDM_Freak 23]

https://www.cobraink.com

 

this is where mr300s started...

Thank you Mz SKEETER .. I bookmarked the site, Still confused on how it works & what I can see is there is different Papers and inks for different jobs? and I would clearly want a 5-9 color printer not 4-6 ?

[MZ SKEETER 4,708]

   Your welcome    maybe someone will come along and answer,  I only read what they write,  I don't do it,,, here are some printers on the UScutter site also.   The info is out there on the internet..

 

http://www.uscutter.com/Dye-Sublimation-Printer-Ricoh-SG-7100DN

 

 

from another site

 

If you want to print on mugs, license plates and other popular hard surface items then Dye Sublimation printing is the answer!

Dye Sublimation, as a process is really very simple. It is the method of applying an image to specially coated ceramics, metals and polyester cloth, using three main ingredients: sublimation ink, heat and pressure.

Sublimation ink is unique in its ability to convert from a solid to a gas without going through a liquid form. (Just like dry ice.) The conversion is initiated by heat and controlled with pressure and time. Hard items such as ceramic, fiber board, metals, etc. requires a special coating to accept the sublimation inks. You must purchase the mugs, tiles, metals, etc. with the coating already on them, it is not something you can coat yourself. We carry a full line of these sublimatable blanks. When you apply to 100% polyester (ie: our mouse pads and puzzles) you do not need any coating, it is applied directly to the 100% polyester fabric.

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

http://www.vinylforum.org/smf/sublimation/what-is-sublimation/

[mr300s 1,272]

That printer will not work for sublimation,  Well the printer will but it will come with pigment ink which you can't use.  You will need high temp ink for sublimation.  Check out Richard at Cobra ink he will answer any questions you have even if you don;t buy the equipment from him.  He will also now be able to sell you the High Temp ink.

 

Also mention my name and he will tale 10% off of whatever you buy...

 

https://www.cobraink.com/

[OWJones 1,981]

You need a few things to do sublimation:

 

1) A printer capable of printing sublimation inks.  Your two main choices there are Ricoh and Epson.  They use a printing process that doesn't use heat (HP and most other brands heat the ink to expel it) and so they can lay down ink without it sublimating during the printing process.   I am a fan of the Epson printers, because they're cheaper and I'm a cheapskate by nature.  The ink is also much cheaper for the Epson printers than it is for the Ricoh pritners.   The cheapest Ricoh printer that US Cutter carries is $225 and that does not include ink.   You can get an Epson that prints much larger prints for less.  I use an Epson Stylus 1400 that prints up to 13"x19" - I bought it used for $80.   Ricoh printers use a gel based ink that doesn't dry out and requires less maintenance than dealing with an Epson.

 

2) Sublimation ink.  Here's where the big difference in price comes into play.  A set of 4 ink cartridges for the Ricoh printer will set you back $325.  A set of 1 oz. bottles of sublimation ink for an Epson will set you back $34 (yes, about 1/10 the price) plus a set of refillable cartridges which will set you back another $25-35, or you can go hog wild and setup a CISS system - they start about $70 and go up - they'll hold up to 4 oz. of each color of ink and let you go a l-o-n-g time between refills.  You can get the inks, cartridges and/or CISS kits from www.cobraink.com - and I believe that if you mention MR300s name, you'll get a discount.

 

3) Sublimation transfer paper.  This is basically a paper with a special coating that gives it a very smooth surface and keeps the ink from sinking too far into the paper.  It is relatively inexpensive as far as transfer papers go and comes in a variety of styles and sizes.  Certain papers are better for fabrics/textiles and others are better for hard, smooth surfaces like coffee mugs.   I have both kinds, but find that I primarily use the hard surface paper more, as most of my sublimation work is plaques, dog tags, pet tags, etc.

 

4) Heat press.  You'll need an appropriate size press for whatever you're planning to sublimate.   Most people who are seriously into sublimation will skip buying a mug press or other specialty presses and use a product like a

 and bake them in a conventional oven.  They provide more thorough coverage and you can buy multiple wraps and bake multiple items at the same time.   Swing away presses are superior to clam shell presses as you need even pressure for proper sublimation and most budget clamshells can't provide even pressure across their entire platen.

 

With regards to the 5-9 vs 4-6, that refers to the number of colors of ink that the printer uses.  Most people use 4 color ink systems for sublimation as that is 50% fewer heads to clog and 50% less ink that you need to buy.  I'm a rebel and use a 6 color printer which allegedly gives better flesh tones.   Most common printers that support sublimation are 4 colors.

[KDM_Freak 23]

You need a few things to do sublimation:

 

1) A printer capable of printing sublimation inks.  Your two main choices there are Ricoh and Epson.  They use a printing process that doesn't use heat (HP and most other brands heat the ink to expel it) and so they can lay down ink without it sublimating during the printing process.   I am a fan of the Epson printers, because they're cheaper and I'm a cheapskate by nature.  The ink is also much cheaper for the Epson printers than it is for the Ricoh pritners.   The cheapest Ricoh printer that US Cutter carries is $225 and that does not include ink.   You can get an Epson that prints much larger prints for less.  I use an Epson Stylus 1400 that prints up to 13"x19" - I bought it used for $80.   Ricoh printers use a gel based ink that doesn't dry out and requires less maintenance than dealing with an Epson.

 

2) Sublimation ink.  Here's where the big difference in price comes into play.  A set of 4 ink cartridges for the Ricoh printer will set you back $325.  A set of 1 oz. bottles of sublimation ink for an Epson will set you back $34 (yes, about 1/10 the price) plus a set of refillable cartridges which will set you back another $25-35, or you can go hog wild and setup a CISS system - they start about $70 and go up - they'll hold up to 4 oz. of each color of ink and let you go a l-o-n-g time between refills.  You can get the inks, cartridges and/or CISS kits from www.cobraink.com - and I believe that if you mention MR300s name, you'll get a discount.

 

3) Sublimation transfer paper.  This is basically a paper with a special coating that gives it a very smooth surface and keeps the ink from sinking too far into the paper.  It is relatively inexpensive as far as transfer papers go and comes in a variety of styles and sizes.  Certain papers are better for fabrics/textiles and others are better for hard, smooth surfaces like coffee mugs.   I have both kinds, but find that I primarily use the hard surface paper more, as most of my sublimation work is plaques, dog tags, pet tags, etc.

 

4) Heat press.  You'll need an appropriate size press for whatever you're planning to sublimate.   Most people who are seriously into sublimation will skip buying a mug press or other specialty presses and use a product like a

 and bake them in a conventional oven.  They provide more thorough coverage and you can buy multiple wraps and bake multiple items at the same time.   Swing away presses are superior to clam shell presses as you need even pressure for proper sublimation and most budget clamshells can't provide even pressure across their entire platen.

 

With regards to the 5-9 vs 4-6, that refers to the number of colors of ink that the printer uses.  Most people use 4 color ink systems for sublimation as that is 50% fewer heads to clog and 50% less ink that you need to buy.  I'm a rebel and use a 6 color printer which allegedly gives better flesh tones.   Most common printers that support sublimation are 4 colors.

 

That printer will not work for sublimation,  Well the printer will but it will come with pigment ink which you can't use.  You will need high temp ink for sublimation.  Check out Richard at Cobra ink he will answer any questions you have even if you don;t buy the equipment from him.  He will also now be able to sell you the High Temp ink.

 

Also mention my name and he will tale 10% off of whatever you buy...

 

https://www.cobraink.com/

 

http://www.vinylforum.org/smf/sublimation/what-is-sublimation/

You guys are all awesome I love this forum always clears up my cloudy head .. Thank you I will continue to research before making a bad choice haha

[mr300s 1,272]

You need a few things to do sublimation:

 

1) A printer capable of printing sublimation inks.  Your two main choices there are Ricoh and Epson.  They use a printing process that doesn't use heat (HP and most other brands heat the ink to expel it) and so they can lay down ink without it sublimating during the printing process.   I am a fan of the Epson printers, because they're cheaper and I'm a cheapskate by nature.  The ink is also much cheaper for the Epson printers than it is for the Ricoh pritners.   The cheapest Ricoh printer that US Cutter carries is $225 and that does not include ink.   You can get an Epson that prints much larger prints for less.  I use an Epson Stylus 1400 that prints up to 13"x19" - I bought it used for $80.   Ricoh printers use a gel based ink that doesn't dry out and requires less maintenance than dealing with an Epson.

 

2) Sublimation ink.  Here's where the big difference in price comes into play.  A set of 4 ink cartridges for the Ricoh printer will set you back $325.  A set of 1 oz. bottles of sublimation ink for an Epson will set you back $34 (yes, about 1/10 the price) plus a set of refillable cartridges which will set you back another $25-35, or you can go hog wild and setup a CISS system - they start about $70 and go up - they'll hold up to 4 oz. of each color of ink and let you go a l-o-n-g time between refills.  You can get the inks, cartridges and/or CISS kits from www.cobraink.com - and I believe that if you mention MR300s name, you'll get a discount.

 

3) Sublimation transfer paper.  This is basically a paper with a special coating that gives it a very smooth surface and keeps the ink from sinking too far into the paper.  It is relatively inexpensive as far as transfer papers go and comes in a variety of styles and sizes.  Certain papers are better for fabrics/textiles and others are better for hard, smooth surfaces like coffee mugs.   I have both kinds, but find that I primarily use the hard surface paper more, as most of my sublimation work is plaques, dog tags, pet tags, etc.

 

4) Heat press.  You'll need an appropriate size press for whatever you're planning to sublimate.   Most people who are seriously into sublimation will skip buying a mug press or other specialty presses and use a product like a

 and bake them in a conventional oven.  They provide more thorough coverage and you can buy multiple wraps and bake multiple items at the same time.   Swing away presses are superior to clam shell presses as you need even pressure for proper sublimation and most budget clamshells can't provide even pressure across their entire platen.

 

With regards to the 5-9 vs 4-6, that refers to the number of colors of ink that the printer uses.  Most people use 4 color ink systems for sublimation as that is 50% fewer heads to clog and 50% less ink that you need to buy.  I'm a rebel and use a 6 color printer which allegedly gives better flesh tones.   Most common printers that support sublimation are 4 colors.

Damn Tell me you didn't take TYPING in school

 

[MZ SKEETER 4,708]

I love this  little guy!!!    He has me rolling....

[mr300s 1,272]

Carolyn almost looks llke he's trying to squash a Skeeter

[MZ SKEETER 4,708]

Carolyn almost looks llke he's trying to squash a Skeeter

       beating my azz good.....

[djque 246]

that printer and refillable cartridges will work just make sure you dont install the ink that comes with it. and sublimation paper is also what you use. here is links to everything to get you started. also I would go with a bigger printer like the 7510 something that prints bigger. Trust me the 8x11.5 will play out fast. 13x19. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Epson-WorkForce-WF-7510-All-in-One-Printer-Copier-Scanner-Fax-Machine-Refurbished/39577189

 

http://www.inkpro2day.com/workforce-wf-2540-ink-cartridges/

http://www.inkpro2day.com/4-color-package-180ml-refill-sublimation-ink-epson-desktop/

http://www.dyetrans.com/item.php?item_no=8511SPP

http://www.dyetrans.com/item.php?item_no=MUG11

http://www.dyetrans.com/item.php?item_no=SPP002

http://www.dyetrans.com/item.php?item_no=SPP004

everything on this page you can sub. http://www.dyetrans.com/a2z.php?webmaincat=sub_prods&cat=true&title=All%20Sublimatable%20Products

You going to need a heat press also if you dont have one. to do mugs you need a mug press also.

http://www.dyetrans.com/item.php?item_no=DK3110 you can find a used one or china one but will run into problems if you get a bad one. I been doing sub for 2 years so I can help if you need to ask any questions.

 

 Also if you dont know sub is for polyester material and your limited on clothing like black but they have vapor apparel that most use.

 

When doing mugs use mug paper I posted if you get the 11oz mugs always get the 15oz paper so you get top to bottom and for the phone cases use the phone case paper or mug 15oz and you can get 2 cases on 1 sheet and cost less and can get 200 total and not 100.