Sublimation printing is a fantastic way to create custom clothing and other textile products. It’s a process that directly transforms the source image (usually a digital file) into a printed piece without any intermediate stages. The result is an image that has been converted into heat, which causes the fabric or other substrate to change its chemical properties. This in turn results in a final product that retains the visual appearance of the original source image, with no visible ink or dye anywhere on it. In this article, we will look at how you can use your regular printer to print on sublimation paper instead of getting a special sublimation printer. You might be thinking why do this when you can get cheap sublimation printers for as low as $60? But what about if you don’t need prints often? Maybe you just have some standard images with friends or family members in them? If so, then using your regular printer to print on sublimation paper would make much more sense.
Can you use a regular printer for sublimation?
No, you cannot use a regular printer for sublimation. Sublimation printers are designed to handle the high temperatures required for the sublimation printing process. Regular printers are not built to withstand these temperatures and will be damaged if used for sublimation printing.
Which Printers Can Be Used To Print On Sublimation Paper?
1. Canon iPF770
This is a sublimation printer that can be used to print on sublimation paper. It uses the PGI-900 inkjet cartridge. You can also use other inkjet cartridges such as the PGI-820 and PGI-820XL. The Canon iPF770 is a good choice if you want to print on sublimation paper because it’s relatively inexpensive, has decent print quality, and works well with the most commonly used inkjet cartridges.
2. Epson Stylus Pro 3880
This is another sublimation printer that can be used to print on sublimation paper. It uses the Epson PGX9000 inkjet cartridge. This cartridge is one of the most popular for use with the Stylus Pro 3880 and other Epson printers including the Stylus Pro 3880, Stylus Pro 4000, and Stylus Pro 4800 printers. You can also use other inkjet cartridges such as the Epson PGX9000XL, Epson PGX9500XL, and Epson PGX9700XL (for those who are looking for more expensive options). Like all standard Inkjet printers, it has a limited number of pages per roll so you will have to replace it sooner than you would like if printing a large volume of images or documents.
The main downside about this printer is its price which starts at around $200 for an older model (the Stylus Pro 3880) and goes up to over $400 for the newest model (Stylus Pro 3880XL).
3. HP Deskjet 2540
This is yet another sublimation printer that can be used to print on sublimation paper. It uses the HP PGI-900 inkjet cartridge. This cartridge is one of the most popular for use with the HP Deskjet 2540 and other HP printers including the Deskjet 2540, Deskjet 3510, and OfficeJet J4580 printers. You can also use other inkjet cartridges such as the HP PGI-820XL, HP PGI-820, and HP PGI-810XL (for those who are looking for more expensive options). Like all standard Inkjet printers, it has a limited number of pages per roll so you will have to replace it sooner than you would like if printing a large volume of images or documents.
The main downside about this printer is its price which starts at around $100 for an older model (the Deskjet 2540) and goes up to over $200 for the newest model (Deskjet 3510LX).
4. Brother HL-2070CDW
This is yet another sublimation printer that can be used to print on sublimation paper. It uses the Brother MFC-9460CDN inkjet cartridge. This cartridge is one of the most popular for use with the Brother HL-2070CDW and other Brother printers including the Brother MFC-9340CDW, Brother MFC-9460CDW, and Brother DCP-7065DW printers. You can also use other inkjet cartridges such as the Brother MFC-9460CN, MFC-9460cn, and Mfc-9460cdn (for those who are looking for more expensive options). Like all standard Inkjet printers, it has a limited number of pages per roll so you will have to replace it sooner than you would like if printing a large volume of images or documents.
The main downside of this printer is its price which starts at around $80 for an older model (the HL-2070CDW) and goes up to over $150 for the newest model (HL-2070CDWT).
5. HP Officejet 4500A
This is yet another sublimation printer that can be used to print on sublimation paper. It uses the HP PGI-9120XL inkjet cartridge. This cartridge is one of the most popular for use with the HP Officejet 4500A and other HP printers including the OfficeJet J4580DNF and HP OfficeJet J4610DWF printers. You can also use other inkjet cartridges such as the HP PGI-9120XL, HP PGI-9120, and HP PGI-920XL (for those who are looking for more expensive options). Like all standard Inkjet printers, it has a limited number of pages per roll so you will have to replace it sooner than you would like if printing a large volume of images or documents.
The main downside about this printer is its price which starts at around $130 for an older model (the Officejet 4500A) and goes up to over $200 for the newest model (Officejet 4500A Plus).
Why Use Your Regular Printer To Print On Sublimation Paper?
- You have a lot of documents and images that you need to print on sublimation paper.
- You don’t use your printer often enough to justify the cost of a high-end printer.
- Your printer doesn’t have a sublimation feature built-in and you want to be able to print on sublimation paper without having to buy an additional printer.
- You have a classic printer that you don’t use very often and you want to be able to use it for this purpose as well as for printing on normal paper (for example, if you are looking for more affordable options).
Step By Step Guide: How To Print On Sublimation Paper Using Your Regular Printer
Step:1
Printing on sublimation paper is very similar to printing on normal paper. You will need a digital camera, a regular inkjet printer, and sublimation paper.
Step:2
Take the printable file of your choice (such as an image) and print it out using your regular inkjet printer. The only difference is that you will have to print the image using sublimation paper (because your printer doesn’t have the capability to produce these types of images themselves).
Step:3
Once you have printed out your image, place it on top of one sheet of sublimation paper. Then take another sheet of sublimation paper and place it on top of the first sheet. Then use double-sided tape to stick both sheets together so that they are stuck together at one end.
Step:4
Use a credit card to gently press down onto the printable side of the second sheet (the side where you have placed the image). This will make sure that there is no air in between the two sheets and that they are stuck together well enough for printing purposes.
Step:5
Place your regular inkjet printer on top of both sheets and start printing!
Conclusion
Sublimation printing is a fantastic way to create custom clothing and other textile products. It’s a process that directly transforms the source image (usually a digital file) into a printed piece without any intermediate stages. The result is an image that has been converted into heat, which causes the fabric or other substrate to change its chemical properties. This in turn results in a final product that retains the visual appearance of the original source image, with no visible ink or dye anywhere on it. When printing on sublimation paper, it’s important to choose the right paper and prepare the image correctly. With a little bit of preparation, you can use your regular printer to print on sublimation paper.
