Sublijet-R or Sublinova?

[muckyducky]

Hello fellow sublimation enthusiasts, I have a few questions.

I was about to purchase a Ricoh 3110DN printer for sublimation, until I noticed the price of the Sublijet-R ink, which put me off. £200 seems a tad OTT for a set of cartridges.

I hear lots of other people around the forum swear by Sawgrass inks, and I was wondering if you think it's worth its cost and approximately how much it costs per average print? Is it economical? Is the pricing of the end product still competitive?

Does the gel last longer than typical ink (let's say standard inkjet ink, for example)?

Or, alternatively, would you recommend to use an authorised alternative ink instead?


- MD. :biggrin:

[Justin]

We can't recommend anything other than Sawgrass approved inks due to patent restrictions but tbh I wouldn't waste my time looking for this printer.

£200 may seem a lot but they do last an awful long time in the Ricohs. When you break down the price per print it's not too bad at all. I think there are figures available, I don't bother working it out myself in any particular detail.

[pisquee]

You can't use Sublinova in a Ricoh printer - I tried it and it didn't work (streaky/blotchy prints)
If you want the option to source your own ink then you need an Epson based inkjet printer (or a Brother)
We use Sublinova Smart and love it, for small products like mugs and coasters, but also printing runs of fabric, and it works just as well on them all. We don't have any problems with clogging, and the shelf life of the litre bottles is usually between 18-24 months, so plenty of time to use it all up - even if you don't the cost per ml compared to Sawgrass Consumer inks like Sublijet-R are still hard to beat.

[muckyducky]

Yes, I meant authorised inks in my Epson printer

Do you need an ICC profile for Sublinova Smart or is it supplied?

And can you buy it in smaller quantities (100ml)?

[GoonerGary]

Paul on here can do you a custom profile for your choice of inks. I use Sublinova SEA and love it. I did see someone selling 'test' bottles, but I doubt those auctions will last long.

[muckyducky]

Paul on here can do you a custom profile for your choice of inks. I use Sublinova SEA and love it. I did see someone selling 'test' bottles, but I doubt those auctions will last long.

Thanks @GoonerGary, I've had one from Paul before, just wondering if Sublinova ink had pre-made profiles.

I saw the test bottles on eBay, but I agree, I can't justify 4 bottles at £330-odd (despite it being fantastic value for what you get), as I'd probably never use it all. If the seller of the samples disappears, then that's me looking for ink again

Visi-sub is another option I've looked at, again, better value but a tad on the pricey side.

[GoonerGary]

Inktec Sublinova won't do profiles for smaller printers, but a pre-made profile is just a generic profile and can only give you fairly accurate colours. If you are going to be doing this small scale I would stick to the authorised ink and printers rather than large scale bulk ink. Unfortunately this business requires a fair degree of capital investment.

[pisquee]

Inktec have one profile for one small format printer, the old Epson R265 IIRC - remember that not all regions of the world recognise or care about Sawgrass' patent claims, and in some markets Inktec does sell 100ml bottles of the sublimation ink legitimately.
A custom profile will always beat a generic one anyways, if done well.

[Sioux]

i use sublijet and sawgrass - the results are superb so I go with the cost

[muckyducky]

Thanks for your help folks, it's been really useful!