Sublimation Printer: What It Is and What It Costs (2026)

TL;DR: A sublimation printer is an inkjet that prints sublimation ink, mirrored, onto transfer paper. A heat press then turns that ink into a gas that bonds into polyester or a poly-coated blank, such as a mug, a coaster or a white polyester shirt. It has no white ink, so it needs white or light surfaces, and standard sublimation ink does not hold on cotton. You can buy one built for the job (Epson SureColor F-series, Sawgrass) or fill a new Epson EcoTank with third-party sublimation ink. With a 15 x 15 heat press and paper, a setup cost about $622 converted, $809 with Epson's F170 at list price and $1,050 with a Sawgrass bundle, before blanks or a mug press (prices read 8 November 2026). If you sell online and ship one item at a time, print on demand already sublimates for you.

I read the explainers on page one for this question on 8 November. They describe the process well, and most come from companies that sell the printers or the prints. So does this one, and I will say where.

Perfect Colours, a UK printer seller, names four Epson models and gives no price for any of them. Printful's guide explains the dye and ends on its own catalog. Neither says what a full setup costs, how much a converted EcoTank saves, or what it gives up in exchange.

This post is about the machine. The chemistry is in our sublimation printing guide, so I keep it to one paragraph.

What makes a printer a sublimation printer

Three things, and only one of them is the hardware.

The ink. A sublimation printer holds sublimation ink instead of the dye or pigment ink in a home printer. It prints your design mirrored onto sublimation paper. A heat press then turns the ink into a gas that bonds into polyester or a polymer coating, so the print sits inside the surface and has nothing to peel. A-SUB, a paper and ink brand, says regular dye or pigment ink will not transfer properly (a-sub.com, November 2026).

The print head. The ink has to leave through a head that does not heat it. Ink Experts, a UK sublimation supplier, says printers with thermal heads cannot be used, which rules out Canon, HP, Lexmark and Dell. Printers with Micro Piezo heads can, and it names Epson and Ricoh (inkexperts.co.uk, November 2026).

The press. The printer only makes the transfer. Nothing is finished until it is pressed at the right time, temperature and pressure; our sublimation temperature chart lists the settings blank makers publish.

That leaves two kinds of sublimation printer. Purpose-built ones, like Epson's SureColor F-series and Sawgrass's SG500 and SG1000, come from the maker with sublimation ink and a warranty that covers it. Converted ones are ordinary piezo inkjets, usually an Epson EcoTank, filled with sublimation ink from another company.

Two quirks catch beginners. There is no white ink: Ink Experts notes that white areas are left as bare paper, so they take the color of the blank. And a fresh print looks dull, because the colors change in the press. Judge the pressed blank, never the paper.

Sublimation printer vs regular printer

Sources: a-sub.com, inkexperts.co.uk and epson.com, read 8 November 2026.

People learn the documents row late. Jennifer Maker, a crafting blogger, says a converted printer will not suit regular printing again without a complete system flush, which she does not recommend (jennifermaker.com, updated April 2026). Keep your old printer for shipping labels.

What a sublimation printer is used for

Epson aims its desktop F170 at awards, mugs and mousepads, and its new 13 x 19 inch F370 at shirts, towels, cutting boards and photo panels (epson.com, November 2026). Sawgrass says its SubliJet ink prints on any polyester or poly-coated product made for sublimation (sawgrassink.com, November 2026).

In practice, the blank sets the list, not the printer.

Ink Experts says sublimation ink will not bond with natural fibers such as cotton, and that sublimation-ready items carry a polymer coating (inkexperts.co.uk, November 2026).

For what to make, see our 14 sublimation ideas; for where to buy and how to test blanks, sublimation blanks.

Sawgrass's printer page calls its VersiFlex system the only one for sublimation on cotton (sawgrassink.com, November 2026). Epson announced a Sublimation Primer for Cotton on 23 September 2026, at $149.95 MSRP, for white and light-colored cotton garments (news.epson.com). Both stop at light colors. Neither prints white, so dark shirts stay a job for DTF, as our DTF vs sublimation comparison explains.

Sublimation printer for shirts: the width problem

Shirts are where a cheap printer runs out first, and the limit is width, not quality.

Transfer suppliers put a full-front print on an adult medium tee at about 9.5 to 10 inches wide and 12 to 13 inches tall, and up to 13 inches wide on a 4XL. Our DTF size chart lists their figures by size. Here is what each example printer can feed.

Sources: epson.com, Epson's ET-2800 paper specifications (files.support.epson.com) and sawgrassink.com/printers, November 2026. The ET-2800 and F170 take longer custom sheets, but not wider ones.

So an 8.5-inch printer suits left-chest prints, kids' tees and everything that is not a shirt. A full adult front needs an 11 or 13-inch machine, and that is where the price climbs.

Then the fabric: white or light polyester, which feels like a sports top, not a cotton tee. If your buyers want soft cotton or black shirts, read DTG vs DTF first.

How much is a sublimation printer?

These are examples with the price I read on 8 November, not a ranking.

Epson: each printer's page on epson.com, November 2026; the F370 ships from November (news.epson.com). Sawgrass: shop.sawgrassink.com shows one price per bundle with the SG500 and SG1000 as options, without saying which one that price buys. The 3-year term covers purchases from 1 October 2025, original buyer only (sawgrassink.com/printers).

The F170's box holds four 140 mL bottles of Epson's sublimation ink, so its price is not directly comparable with a printer that still needs ink.

Refill ink, as listed that day:

• Epson T49M, the ink for the F170, F370 and F570: $24.95 per 140 mL bottle, so $99.80 for all four colors. Magenta was out of stock (epson.com, November 2026).
• A-SUB, a third-party ink for EcoTanks: $21.99 for four 120 mL bottles (a-sub.com, November 2026).
• Sawgrass VersiFlex: $99.95 for one 31 mL cyan cartridge. The page showed no price for single SubliJet cartridges, only a discount (sawgrassink.com/shop, November 2026).

Per milliliter, that is about 18 cents for Epson, under 5 cents for A-SUB and $3.22 for VersiFlex. That is not cost per print, and I found no neutral test of ink used per print, so I will not invent one.

What a full setup costs, line by line

The printer is only one line. Three example setups, with a mug press added at the bottom:

Paper: A-SUB 8.5 x 11 inch, 125 gsm, on sale from $24.99 (a-sub.com). Press: the HPN MPress 15 x 15 clamshell, on pre-order, with one year of coverage included (heatpressnation.com). Mug press: the HPN MPress mug press, on sale from $159.95, shown as unavailable when I looked (heatpressnation.com). All read 8 November 2026. Blanks, heat tape, shipping and tax are left out.

What follows:

• On a converted setup, the press costs twice the printer. The printer gets the attention; the press is the bigger bill. Cheaper presses sell on general marketplaces, but I priced one from a specialist's own page.
• The gap between converted and built-for-it is about $187 against the F170 and $428 against the Sawgrass bundle, with their boxed ink already counted.

Can you convert an Epson EcoTank?

Yes, and it is the cheapest way in. The guides I read agree on three steps:

1. Start with a new printer. Jennifer Maker's guide says it must never have had ink inside, so the bottles in the box stay sealed. Converting a used one means flushing it first, the hard way.
2. Fill it with sublimation ink sold for that model. A-SUB lists the ET-2720, ET-2760, ET-4700 and ET-4800 among the models its set fits. Refillable tanks are why EcoTanks became the default.
3. Treat it as a sublimation printer from then on. It will not print documents again without that flush.

Epson does not sell or support this, which is where the trade-offs come from.

What a cheap converted printer gives up

The $187 saving against the F170 is real. Here is what it costs you.

1. Cover for the damage the ink causes. The ET-2800 and ET-15000 pages both warn that non-genuine ink could cause damage the printer's limited warranty does not cover. Epson's FAQ on third-party ink is more precise: using it does not void the original warranty, but if it causes a failure, "the repair of that failure will not be covered under warranty" (epson.com, November 2026). The FAQ is filed under an older Epson professional printer, and it is the most direct statement I found. So, on Epson's wording, converting does not void the warranty; it leaves you paying for any failure the ink causes. The F170 page adds that it is designed for Epson ink bottles only.

2. Someone to call. Sawgrass covers its printers for 3 years or 100,000 prints, and its shop offers free one-on-one training with every printer (sawgrassink.com, November 2026). Johnson Plastics Plus, a Sawgrass dealer, lists lifetime Sawgrass technical support (jpplus.com, November 2026). Epson's F170 comes with a one-year unit exchange and toll-free phone support. A converted printer's help comes from the ink seller, if at all.

3. A color profile made for your setup. Ink Experts explains that an ICC profile color-matches one specific setup of printer, ink and paper. Sawgrass's SubliJet bundles include its Print Utility, and the F170 ships with Epson's print software. With a converted printer, a profile comes from the ink seller, a blogger, or nobody, though Jennifer Maker says you can skip ICC profiles entirely. Either way, expect to spend a few blanks learning your colors.

4. Upkeep it handles itself. Sawgrass says its printers run automatic maintenance to avoid clogs. Ink Experts recommends using a sublimation printer every 3 days to keep the heads clear. A converted printer left idle for two weeks is yours to unclog.

5. Width, unless you pay for it. The converted route to 13 x 19 is the ET-15000 at $699.99 before ink, against $999 for Epson's F370. That saves $299, with every trade-off above attached.

My read: a converted EcoTank is a sensible way to find out whether you like pressing things. If it earns its keep, the extra $190 to $430 for one built for it buys a warranty that covers the ink, which matters once orders depend on it.

When you should not buy one at all

If you sell online and ship one item at a time. Print on demand companies already sublimate mugs, all-over shirts and home goods after each sale. Printful's mug page says it uses sublimation printing, with free signup and no minimum. Its White Glossy Mug showed $6.07 on the product page and from $8.17 on the mug overview page (printful.com, November 2026). The converted setup with a mug press, $721.89, equals the base price of about 119 of those mugs, before you buy a single blank. Our print on demand mugs guide covers that route.

If your buyers want dark or cotton shirts. No sublimation printer fixes that. Ordered DTF transfers and a heat press do.

If you do not have a buyer yet. Test the design on print on demand first, then buy equipment for designs that have sold. Our guide on how to start a t-shirt business shows why: once postage is counted, printing your own stock saves almost nothing on items mailed one at a time.

A sublimation printer earns its place when the item leaves in your hands or needs a personal touch: names, dates and photos on gifts, team orders, a market stall. Then speed and control are worth the $622 to $1,150.

Check the theme before the machine

The printer decides how a design looks on a mug. It cannot make anybody want the mug. What sells is a theme people are already paying for, with room left for a new design. By hand, checking that across four marketplaces takes hours for one idea.

That is the check we built Trendlytic for, so weigh this knowing it is our product. One search shows what is selling for a theme on Etsy, Redbubble, TeePublic and Amazon US side by side, and Etsy rows show favorites and listing dates, never sales. Rising marks new designs already selling. It starts from $19.99/mo, with 100 searches plus the 1,000 top winning designs of the day in Best Design Instant. A USPTO lookup is one click on any phrase, worth doing before a line goes onto forty mugs, and the 3-day trial takes a card. Check your theme before you price the press.

FAQ

What is a sublimation printer?

A sublimation printer is an inkjet that prints sublimation ink, mirrored, onto transfer paper. A heat press then turns the ink into a gas that bonds into polyester or a poly-coated blank. Some are built for it, like Epson's SureColor F-series and Sawgrass printers; others are Epson EcoTanks filled with third-party sublimation ink.

What is a sublimation printer used for?

Mugs, tumblers, coasters, keychains, mouse pads, photo panels, ornaments and white or light polyester shirts, all made from blanks sold for sublimation. It is not for cotton, dark fabric, uncoated mugs or everyday documents.

What is the difference between a sublimation printer and a regular printer?

A regular printer puts dye or pigment ink on paper you keep. A sublimation printer prints a transfer that becomes the product only after a heat press moves the ink into a polyester or coated surface. It needs a piezo head, cannot print white and does not suit everyday printing.

How much is a sublimation printer?

On 8 November 2026, an Epson EcoTank ET-2800 to convert was $189.99 on sale, Epson's SureColor F170 listed at $399 MSRP, a Sawgrass SubliJet bundle was $659.95 with ink and paper, and Epson's 13 x 19 inch F370 was $999. With a 15 x 15 heat press and paper, a setup ran about $622 to $1,050 before blanks.

Can you use a sublimation printer for shirts?

Yes, on white or light polyester. A full front on an adult medium tee is about 9.5 to 10 inches wide, so an 8.5-inch printer only covers smaller prints. Dark and cotton shirts need DTF or DTG, apart from new light-cotton options from Sawgrass and Epson.

Can you convert an Epson EcoTank to a sublimation printer?

Yes. Start with a new EcoTank that has never had its own ink, fill the tanks with sublimation ink sold for that model, and use it only for sublimation from then on. Epson does not support the conversion.

Does sublimation ink void the Epson warranty?

Not by itself, according to Epson's FAQ on third-party ink. But Epson says a failure the third-party ink causes is not covered, and its EcoTank pages warn the same about damage from non-genuine ink.

Can a sublimation printer print white?

No. Sublimation printers have no white ink, so white parts of a design take the color of the blank. That is why they need white or light surfaces.

Which blank would your first sublimation printer press, and would it reach the buyer by mail or by hand?