EPSON S22 for sublimation

[Air MArshall]

I want to get into the biz of customising shirt and stuff. This is a whole new world to me! I have just purchased a Epson S22 with refillable cartridges and sub inks, I am yet to order a heat press. Been doing vehicle vinyls for about a year now. I haven't even installed the printer yet! No sub paper, I have to import. Scared to print photos with the OEM cartridges as I have heard that once you install them you cant go back to non-OEM! Anyway, I hope to learn a lot here. Thanks. Yes,one more problem: ICC colour profiles, I have never had to think about them since I was doing only vinyl. The guy I bought my kit from has not idea where I can get them, so I am tracking down the ink supplier Ink Mate, South Africa.

[Paul]

I can help with icc if you realllllllly want to keep your printer. But i would strongly suggest to return it if is unused. S22 is not sublimation printer. Well... None of them are but this one is extremely useless. It can be used but wont work to long. No matter what the seller told you. Sorry for bad news. But better of to buy better printer.

[Air MArshall]

Thanks Paul. Maybe I should have joined this forum before purchasing. I suppose I just have to keep it because the cost of returning it (freight) is almost half the purchase price. I imported it from South Africa, couldn't get any sub printer locally (Botswana). I will raise money to get myself a real sub printer (with your help,of course!). I guess I'm wiser now, thanks a lot. For now maybe you could get me the ICC? I'm kind of taken aback but learning is good, ain't it? And expensive too!!!

[pisquee]

It is a shame that you hadn't come here before buying as you say.

The S22 is/was the cheapest inkjet that Epson did, although it has been replaced now. It is not cut out for making quality prints, or being a reliable printer - it is for occasional home use. If you are doing sublimation, then you need a printer designed to be a reliable business printer, that can print good quality and cope with churning out prints day in day out. For this you are going to have to spend more money.

Equally, with your inks and sublimation paper, you need to find a good quality brand, not the cheapest you can find to import.

I would strongly advise on finding a supplier who knows about sublimation and can help and guide you in getting set up properly. The fact that your current ink supplier doesn't know where to get an ICC for your inks/printer tells me that he isn't the best person to have as your supplier.

[Air MArshall]

You are right Pisquee. Now, if I try out sublimation (assuming I get the ICC from somebody) and I don't like the quality, can I still use the printer for regular printing using OEM carts?

[dazzul]

Paul can help you with the ICC profiles.

[Air MArshall]

My press and sub paper finally arrived and I did a test run at the weekend. The S22 is terribly slow but the prints came out fine without any modifications to profiles. I think it ok if you just want to use it for fun printing at home. I want to do the business at full throttle so the S22 is not the ideal machine as the turnaround time cannot sustain a business. I have to acquire a better machine. With the little experience I gained at the weekend, I think I am also qualified to not recommend the S22 for any serious sub work. I have not used the CISS that I got from China as a gift so Im going to use it for photos instead. Thanks guys.

[socialgiraffe]

One small tip Air Marshall

Even if you have nothing to print I would strongly advise you to print a sheet a day that prints from all four colours.

Supported dye sub printers are recommended not only because of the quality but also because the thicker dye sub ink does not block the print heads. If you leave your S22 alone for a while the head will block and you will need to replace the machine as it is not financially viable to replace just the head.

Personally if it were me I would print 1 sheet in the morning and 1 sheet at the end of the day. I know this will waste ink, but you are probably better off wasting ink than having to purchase a new printer.

Good luck in your new venture and I am sure you will get a lot of information from this fantastic (and truly international ) forum.

[Air MArshall]

Thanks socialgiraffe. Will certainly do that. International indeed!

[Air MArshall]

I have finally managed to get my system up and running, got my heat press. Everything is working well, for now. My question though is ; Can I use the OEM carts and the sub carts interchangeably without any effect to my work, equipment or my sanity? I wouldn't want the OEMs to go to waste if I can still print photos with them.