Sublimation Printer and Ink

There are exactly two routes: fill a refillable Epson EcoTank with third-party sublimation ink, which is much cheaper and is the one Epson's warranty does not cover for ink-related damage, or buy a printer sold as a sublimation printer with the manufacturer's own ink and support. Whichever you pick, the ink is the thing that makes a printer a sublimation printer — and both routes still need sublimation paper and a polyester or polymer-coated blank before anything works.

Why the ink decides the printer

Sublimation is not a printing method so much as an ink chemistry. Dye-sublimation ink turns to gas under heat and pressure and embeds itself in polymer — polyester fabric, or the polymer coating on a mug or tumbler. Ordinary inkjet ink sits on a surface and cannot do that at any temperature.

So the question is never which printer prints best. It is which printers can be loaded with sublimation ink and survive it. That narrows the field to two kinds of machine: refillable-tank printers people fill themselves, and printers sold with sublimation ink already specified.

What conversion actually means

The word makes it sound like a modification. It is simpler and more final than that: you fill the empty tanks of a new printer with sublimation ink instead of the Epson ink in the box, install the ink seller's color profile, and run a few sheets through.

Two consequences matter. It is one-way — once sublimation ink has been through the print head, the printer is not going back to household document printing, so do not convert the printer the family uses. And it moves you outside Epson's coverage for ink-related damage, which Epson states plainly in its own documentation. The hardware still works; the safety net for ink problems is gone. The EcoTank conversion, honestly is the long version of this decision.

The color profile matters more than the ink brand

This is the part that surprises people who have already bought everything. Sublimation ink prints in colors that look wrong on paper and correct after pressing, because the heat is what develops them. Getting predictable output means telling your software how this specific ink behaves, which is what an ICC profile does.

Buy ink from a seller that publishes a profile for it and explains how to install it. Without one, the most common complaint is colors that come out dull or shifted — usually blamed on the ink, when it is a missing profile. A manufacturer-supported printer avoids the issue because the profile comes with the machine.

What else the setup needs before it makes anything

A printer and ink alone produce a printed sheet of paper. Three more things turn that into a product, and leaving any of them out is the usual reason a first attempt fails.

1. Sublimation paper. Coated to hold the ink on the surface and release it under heat. One printable side only.
2. A heat source that holds temperature under pressure. A flat press for fabric and sheet blanks; a curved press for tumblers and mugs, because a flat platen cannot wrap a cylinder. Sublimation printer and heat press covers how to size one.
3. Polyester or polymer-coated blanks. Not cotton, and not dark. The blanks that work is the shopping list, and the limits are physical rather than a matter of technique.

Our picks

1. Best for the cheapest way to start

Epson EcoTank ET-2800

Epson · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

The printer at the center of the conversion route, and the reason sublimation is affordable at all. It is sold as an ordinary refillable-tank document printer, and the tanks that make it cheap to run are what make it fillable with sublimation ink instead. It prints up to 8.5 inches wide, which covers shirt fronts and most blanks. Epson states its warranty does not cover damage caused by non-genuine ink, and that is the trade you are accepting here.

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

Check price on Amazon

#ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify

2. Best for converting a tank printer

Third-Party Sublimation Ink

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

The half of this pair that people underestimate. What makes a printer a sublimation printer is the ink, not the chassis — dye-sublimation ink turns to gas under heat and embeds in polymer, which ordinary ink never does. Buy from a seller that supplies an ICC color profile, because the profile affects your output more than the brand does. Once the ink is in, the printer cannot go back to document printing.

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

Check price on Amazon

#ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify

3. Best for a setup with nothing to work around

Sawgrass SG500

Sawgrass · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

The alternative route in one product: a printer sold as a sublimation printer, with the manufacturer's own sublimation ink, color profiles and support behind it. Nothing about it is a community workaround, and if something goes wrong there is a manufacturer to call. You pay more up front and more per page for cartridge ink than tank ink, and you get the same 8.5 inch width as the cheap option.

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

Check price on Amazon

#ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify

4. Best for the third thing both routes need

A-SUB Sublimation Paper

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

Neither route prints onto a shirt directly — the ink goes onto transfer paper first, and ordinary printer paper does not hold or release it properly. Sublimation paper has a coating that keeps the ink on the surface so most of it transfers under heat. It is printed on one side only, and putting it in the wrong way round wastes the sheet and the ink.

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

Check price on Amazon

#ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify

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 to start	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
2	Third-Party Sublimation InkThe ink that makes an EcoTank conversion work, and the exact thing that puts the printer outside Epson's in...	Converting a tank printer	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
3	Sawgrass SG500A real sublimation printer sold as one — you pay more up front and in ink, and in exchange nothing about it...	A setup with nothing to work around	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 third thing both routes need	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.

How to choose between the two routes

The honest decision rule is about your tolerance for troubleshooting rather than your budget.

• Convert an EcoTank if you are experimenting, enjoy fixing things, and would rather spend the difference on blanks and a press. This is the right call for most people starting out.
• Buy a sublimation printer if the output is going to customers, or if an unsupported printer with a voided ink warranty is a problem you do not want in your week.
• Buy neither yet if your shirts are cotton or dark. Heat transfer vinyl does both, with no printer at all. What you need to start sequences a first setup properly.

For the full lineups rather than the pairing question, the best sublimation printer for beginners covers the entry models, Sawgrass versus Epson EcoTank is the head-to-head, and sublimation for beginners is the plain-language walkthrough of the whole process.