The Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners

Convert a cheap refillable-tank Epson if you are experimenting; buy a dedicated Sawgrass if you want it supported. The conversion is far cheaper and very widely documented, and it voids Epson's coverage for ink-related damage and cannot be reversed. Neither route is wrong — but the decision should be deliberate.

Quick picks

#	Product	Best for	Price
1	Epson EcoTank ET-2800The printer most people convert — cheap, refillable, and widely documented. Read the warranty section befor...	The cheapest way in	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
2	Sawgrass SG500A real sublimation printer sold as one — you pay more up front and in ink, and in exchange nothing about it...	A supported setup with no workarounds	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
3	Third-Party Sublimation InkThe ink that makes an EcoTank conversion work, and the exact thing that puts the printer outside Epson's in...	What makes the conversion work	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
4	A-SUB Sublimation PaperThe paper most beginners land on, and a sensible default: high transfer rate, dries fast enough to handle, ...	The paper, whichever printer you pick	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. We do not publish prices — they move constantly, and a stale number is worse than none.

Before anything: check sublimation can do your project

This matters more than which printer you buy, because the wrong project makes the printer choice irrelevant.

The two routes, compared

Note that both routes give the same print width. Paying more does not buy you larger transfers at this level — it buys support and no workaround.

How we picked

We ranked by what a beginner actually has to weigh: total cost to get printing, what happens when something goes wrong, and whether the setup is supported or improvised. Warranty positions come from the manufacturer's own published terms rather than from community summaries. Our methodology.

The picks in full

1. Best for the cheapest way in

Epson EcoTank ET-2800

Epson · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

The printer most people convert, and for good reason: it is inexpensive, its refillable tanks make running costs low once filled with sublimation ink, and the conversion is documented in enormous detail by the crafting community. Read the warranty section below before you pour anything into it — Epson's coverage does not extend to damage from non-genuine ink, and the conversion is one-way.

What works

• By far the cheapest way to start sublimating
• Refillable tanks mean low running cost once converted
• Very widely documented by the crafting community

What does not

• Converting it with third-party sublimation ink voids Epson's coverage for ink-related damage
• A converted printer cannot go back to regular ink
• 8.5 in width limits you to letter-size transfers

Not for you if

You want a supported, warrantied sublimation setup you can call for help on. Buy a dedicated sublimation printer instead.

Key specs

Type

Refillable-tank inkjet — sold as a regular printer

Sublimation

Not a sublimation printer as sold; people convert it

Max print width

8.5 in (letter)

Ink system

Four refillable tanks

Warranty note

Epson's warranty covers damage from genuine ink, not third-party ink

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2. Best for a supported setup with no workarounds

Sawgrass SG500

Sawgrass · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

A real sublimation printer sold as one. No conversion, no warranty question, manufacturer color profiles supplied and supported, and a support line when something goes wrong. You pay considerably more up front and meaningfully more per page for cartridge ink. Worth it if you want the thing to simply work, or if you are building a business on it and cannot afford an unsupported tool.

What works

• No conversion, no warranty question, no community workaround
• Color profiles supplied and supported by the manufacturer
• Manufacturer support when something goes wrong

What does not

• Much higher purchase price than a converted EcoTank
• Cartridge ink costs considerably more per page than tank ink
• Same 8.5 in width limit as the cheap option

Not for you if

You are experimenting to see whether you like sublimation at all. That is a lot of money to spend on a maybe.

Key specs

Type

Dedicated sublimation printer

Sold as

A sublimation printer — no conversion involved

Max print width

8.5 in (letter)

Ink

Sawgrass SubliJet sublimation ink cartridges

Support

Manufacturer support and warranty for sublimation use

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3. Best for what makes the conversion work

Third-Party Sublimation Ink

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

The ink is what turns a cheap printer into a sublimation printer, and it is also exactly what puts it outside Epson's ink-damage coverage. The color profile supplied by the ink maker matters more to your results than the ink brand does — without one, colors print noticeably off.

What works

• Turns a cheap printer into a working sublimation printer
• Far cheaper per page than cartridge sublimation ink
• Most sellers supply an ICC profile for color accuracy

What does not

• Voids Epson's coverage for damage caused by non-genuine ink
• Color accuracy varies a lot by brand without a good profile
• There is no going back to regular printing

Not for you if

The printer is also your household document printer. Once it is converted, that is over.

Key specs

Type

Dye-sublimation ink in refill bottles

Used with

Refillable-tank inkjets, most commonly Epson EcoTank

Color profile

An ICC profile from the ink maker matters more than the ink brand

Reversible

No — a converted printer stays converted

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4. Best for the paper, whichever printer you pick

A-SUB Sublimation Paper

A-SUB · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

Needed regardless of route. Sublimation paper is a coated transfer sheet that releases ink to the blank under heat, and a high-transfer-rate paper gives brighter results with less ink. Cheap enough to practice with, which matters because early attempts get wasted.

What works

• Consistent results across shirts, mugs and hard blanks
• Dries quickly enough that sheets do not smudge when stacked
• Cheap enough to practice with

What does not

• Only works with sublimation ink — regular ink will not transfer
• Printing on the wrong side wastes the sheet and the ink

Not for you if

You are printing on dark fabric. Sublimation does not work on dark fabric at all, whatever paper you use.

Key specs

Type

Dye-sublimation transfer paper

Weight

Commonly 125 gsm

Sizes

Letter and larger sheets

Transfer rate

High — most of the ink releases to the blank

Printed side

One side only — the coated side

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What the conversion actually involves

Worth understanding before choosing it, because "just fill it with sublimation ink" undersells it slightly.

1. Buy the printer new and never install the supplied ink. This is the important part. Once regular ink has been through the system, flushing it sufficiently is difficult and results stay unreliable.
2. Fill the tanks with sublimation ink matched to that printer, following the ink maker's instructions.
3. Run the initial charge cycle so ink reaches the print head.
4. Install the ICC color profile supplied by the ink maker. Skipping this is why converted printers get a reputation for poor color — sublimation colors look wrong before pressing and correct afterwards, and the profile is what makes that predictable.
5. Print a test sheet and press it on a scrap blank to check color before committing to a real project.

None of it is difficult. It is simply a one-way door, and it is worth walking through it knowingly. The full honest version.

What else the setup needs

• Sublimation paper — a coated transfer sheet. Which to buy.
• Polyester or polymer-coated blanks. An ordinary tumbler will not take sublimation; it needs the coating.
• A heat source. A flat press for fabric; a tumbler press or convection oven for round blanks, because a flat plate cannot wrap a tumbler evenly.
• Heat-resistant tape and butcher paper, so the transfer cannot shift mid-press and the ink cannot gas onto your platen.

Should this be your first purchase?

Almost certainly not. Sublimation is a second hobby sitting next to the first one — its own printer, its own consumables, its own blanks, often its own heat source — and it cannot make a design on a cotton shirt, which is what most beginners actually want first.

Start with a cutting machine and vinyl, find out whether you enjoy the process, and come back when you have a specific project that genuinely needs sublimation. Sublimation for beginners is the place to start when you do.