Getting a printer for sublimation...

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mikic1
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Getting a printer for sublimation...

Post by mikic1 »

Hi guys,

Just looking for some advice, on getting a printer for sublimation etc.

I have a chance to get a used Epson SP 7900. Does anyone here have experience with how hard it is to convert this to a sublimation printer? Will it do the job!?

Another thing is, I read that the ink is very expensive? Jet I see that the sublimation ink can be bought in 1L or so? Is it only the 240mL cartriges that are expensive or...? And what is a good place to get the ink from?

Anything special I need to look out for, some problems I can expect to face?

Thank in advance!
Cheers
M
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chrismp
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Post by chrismp »

Don't get the x900 series. They have soo many colors that are hard to find as sublimation inks! I would not go beyond the 8-color models (C,M,Y,K,LC,LM,LK,LLK). Have a look at the Surecolor SC-T series. They're four color printers which print at high speeds and the four colors make it easy to source inks. The difference in the color gamut between 4-color and 8-color models is not that high if you make proper profiles for your printer.

If you want to buy used look for the SP x800/x880 series printers. I have both a 4800 and a 4880. Both were bought used for a few hundred euros and I just recently bought a new print head and ink pumps for them (about 600 euros for each printer) which makes them as good as new.
mikic1
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Post by mikic1 »

Thanks for the reply!

Got it, stick to 4 or max 8 colors!

I really need something that can print around 500mm as I do also wake/kite boards. Any printers you know that can do this?

I read a lot of bad stuff on the Epson printers, especially 7900 about clogging and replacing the head yearly, so I think I changed my mind. I will not use it so much that I can afford to get new heads each year.

Do you think Surecolor SC-T 24'' wide (T3000) could do the job better? I am considering Canon also. ipf6300 or so?

Thanks in advance!
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chrismp
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Post by chrismp »

You can only use printers with piezo print heads, which basically leaves you only Epson as an option. Canon printers won't work with sublimation inks. Ricoh makes sublimation printers as well, but only for smaller formats and without roll paper option.

You can minimize the clogging issues by hooking up the printer to a pc or print server that has a script that automatically prints a test page every day or so (if you don't have the skills to write the code yourself, there's a software called printer jockey for epson printers that lets you autoprint). One more important factor is the room temp/humidity. Try to keep the temps between 18-30°C and humidity between 50-70%. This helps immensely with clogging issues.

The SC-T series has a newer print head which should clog a little less than the old ones. If you follow the guidelines above and have a new print head/printer, it should print trouble free for years.
mikic1
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Post by mikic1 »

Alright Chris,

thanks a lot.

This is also what I can read on forums, but its nice to hear you say it. I think it might be the a T3000 from Epson.

Also, many say that it is important to stick to the Epson or Sawgrass inks. ( which are somewhat expensive?) .Do you have any input in inks for me, and a potential source in Europe?
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chrismp
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Post by chrismp »

I'm currently using inks from china (http://www.aliexpress.com/store/326368) but had some clogging issues. However, these issues might be due to the fact that the printer was bought used and the printhead was already too old and not well maintained.

My next inkset will be from http://www.colgraphix.com/en/. They carrry both sawgrass subliM inks and j-teck j-next inks. Both are about 65 eur/litre. I think I'll get the j-teck inks.
mikic1
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Location: sweden

Post by mikic1 »

Thx!

I tried to 'pm' you, but it wont go thru. Ill just post it here...

I also sent a sawgrass an email. I read on forums that the right ink will prevent clogging, so I would rather pay extra then risk to pay so much for a new printhead on the t3000 :).

I got 2 questions as I am researching it more

1) I found a 7880 epson, for around 1k euro, used. Working. Any experience with it? Now it would be interesting to know where you get your printheads so I can check what it would cost for the 7880, just in case I need to do it later on vs. a brand new t3000.

2)I was researching how much ink would it cost to print an image for 1 snowboard/ski? I get various results anywhere from few euros to 10 euros, depending on what facts to use. What is your experience, how many ml is used on one pair of ski/snowboard image?

Thanks a lot!
Mirsad
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chrismp
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Post by chrismp »

I get my spare parts from http://www.gedat-ersatzteile.de/ (just use google translate on the site if you don't know German). They're the official Epson parts dealer in Germany. A new print head for the 7880 is 624 EUR incl VAT. The ones for the T3000 are 1.437 EUR.

I have no clue how much ink is used per print, sorry.
Gumby
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Post by Gumby »

Anyone used a Epson Stylus Pro 9600 as a sub printer???
mikic1
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Post by mikic1 »

getting started with sublimation is anything but easy...

I got refill cartridges with chip.

I got a epson sc t-3200 and I got sawgrass ink from a supplier colgraphics in NL. Unfortunatelly the ink is SubliM and after I got it Sawgrass told me that this ink will kill the print head on an Epson sc t-3200.

So they recommend another ink, SubliJet E ink , however this ink is only supplied in 700L cartridges???, which is very expensive, so now it seems as I have to look for a new supplier of ink that will not damage the print head....

anybody got some input, any ink you know works on this printer and can be supplier in 1L bottle?

Update: Got quick service from J-teck, very happy for this. It seems as they have ink for T-series, would still like to hear if you guys have good experience with this ink?

Thx
Miki
fred
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Re: Getting a printer for sublimation...

Post by fred »

Hi everyone,

I would like to take this topic up again. What are the printers (and ink systems) to consider in 2024 for topsheet/base sublimation?

many thanks,
Fred
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