The Best Sublimation Printer for Cricut Crafters

Any sublimation printer works with any Cricut, because they are unrelated machines. A Cricut cuts; a sublimation printer prints a transfer you press. Nothing about owning one narrows your choice of the other — so buy on the same criteria as anyone else: converted and cheap, or dedicated and supported.

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...	Adding sublimation to an existing Cricut setup	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...	Skipping the conversion entirely	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
3	A-SUB Sublimation PaperThe paper most beginners land on, and a sensible default: high transfer rate, dries fast enough to handle, ...	The transfer paper either way	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
4	Sublimation Tumbler BlanksPolymer-coated tumblers are the most forgiving sublimation blank there is — the coating does the work, so a...	The easiest first project	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 We do not publish prices — they move constantly, and a stale number is worse than none.

What the combination actually adds

The reason to add sublimation to a Cricut setup is that it does the things vinyl cannot, and it uses equipment you mostly already own.

Read that table as complementary rather than competitive. Most people who own both choose per project: cotton tee or dark hoodie means vinyl, white polyester or a coated tumbler means sublimation. The full comparison.

How we picked

We ranked on the same criteria as any sublimation printer purchase — supported versus converted, running cost, and print width — because the Cricut in the room genuinely does not change them. Product availability and specifications were read from each manufacturer's published pages. Our methodology.

Our picks in full

1. Best for adding sublimation to an existing cricut setup

Epson EcoTank ET-2800

Epson · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

For someone who already owns a cutting machine and a press, this is the cheapest way to add a genuinely different capability. A converted refillable-tank printer costs a fraction of a dedicated machine and the running cost per page is low. Since you already have the heat source, the printer and its consumables are the only new spend. Read the warranty position before you pour anything in: Epson's coverage excludes damage from non-genuine ink, and the conversion cannot be undone.

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 skipping the conversion entirely

Sawgrass SG500

Sawgrass · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

If the one-way conversion or the warranty question puts you off, this is the supported alternative — sold as a sublimation printer, with color profiles provided and a support line. It costs considerably more to buy and to run. Worth it if you would rather the thing simply worked than spend an evening troubleshooting a clog with a forum thread open.

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 the transfer paper either way

A-SUB Sublimation Paper

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

Needed whichever printer you choose. A high transfer-rate paper releases more of the printed ink to the blank, giving brighter results from the same press settings. Cheap enough to practice with, which matters because the first few attempts teach you what a correct transfer looks like.

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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4. Best for the easiest first project

Sublimation Tumbler Blanks

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

Polymer-coated tumblers are the most forgiving sublimation blank there is — the coating does the work, colors come out bright, and small timing errors do not ruin the result. A better place to learn than fabric, and they pair naturally with the vinyl decal work a Cricut owner is already doing on drinkware.

What works

• The coating makes color come out bright and sharp
• Very forgiving of small timing errors
• Sold in cheap multi-packs so practice costs little

What does not

• Must be sublimation-specific — an ordinary tumbler will not take the ink
• Needs a tumbler press or an oven; a flat press cannot do it
• Not dishwasher-proof in practice, whatever the listing says

Not for you if

You only have a flat heat press. A flat plate cannot wrap a tumbler evenly.

Key specs

Coating

Polymer coating — required for sublimation to bond

Common size

20 oz skinny tumbler

Heat source

Tumbler press, convection oven, or shrink wrap plus oven

Color

White or very light — sublimation ink is translucent

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Where your Cricut still does the work

Sublimation does not make the cutting machine redundant, and there are two jobs it keeps doing in a combined setup.

Cutting the transfer to shape. A printed sublimation transfer is a rectangle of paper. For hard blanks with an awkward shape, trimming the transfer accurately matters, and a print-then-cut capable machine can cut around a printed design precisely.

Everything sublimation cannot touch. Cotton shirts, dark garments, car decals, wall quotes, tumblers without a coating, stencils. That is most of what a Cricut owner actually makes, and none of it moves to sublimation.

What you need beyond the printer

• Sublimation ink matched to the printer, with the maker's color profile installed. The profile matters more to your results than the ink brand does.
• Sublimation paper — a coated transfer sheet, printed on the coated side only.
• Polyester or polymer-coated blanks, white or very light. An ordinary tumbler takes nothing.
• Heat. Your existing flat press handles fabric; round blanks need a tumbler press or a dedicated convection oven, because a flat platen cannot wrap a cylinder. Which presses suit sublimation.
• Heat-resistant tape, so the transfer cannot shift and ghost.

If this is your first look at sublimation, start with the beginner walkthrough rather than buying — it covers the two hard limits before you spend anything.