Is this set up any good for sublimation?

[coolkidirish]

Hi lads and lassies,

I am very new to all of this so please bare with me as I am fairly stupid when it comes to this.

I am starting to set up a small business (part time business from home, on the side of m real job) selling iPhone/Samsung/HTC/etc accessories. As part of this business I have seen a demand for personalized phone covers. I have done a bit of research over the last week and have read a decent bit about sublimation for phone covers. I have found a full set up on eBay at a reasonable price I would think (I am not made of money and I am only 22 so money is definitely an obsticle)? What do you think of this set up?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FULL-SUBLIMAT ... TQ:GB:1123

From this set up I would make personalized phone covers, mugs and computer mouse mats. Mugs are necessary but would be a nice option to supply also.

The printer will either be an Epson s22 or an Epson sx130 according to the seller. I will purchase a CISS also to make things easier for myself and to allow that printer to work.

I have a few questions.

1.I have read that I will need to Profile my printer to get it to print the correct colors? Are there any guides online to do this right and is it tough to complete successfully?
2.Where can I purchase decent quality ink at the lowest possible price (I want customers to come back so I don't think I want cheap stuff that will last about a month and fade)
3.Are the Printers Epson s22 and sx130 decent enough for making the things I listed above?
4. What would people recommend themselves as cheap alternatives?

Thanks in advance

[Justin]

This seller has been mentioned on the forum before. I've had dealings personally over a different item and struggled with support (big time) Others have had better experiences but this is just my personal view.

You're just starting out so support is critical. The DSF will help you along the way of course but supplier support is important. Presses can be sourced relatively cheaply, printers aren't too bad either, it's the inks that will set you back the most. Prices are set by Sawgrass for sublimation ink so you won't save much shopping around.

Sure, you can source your own third party unsupported inks, we don't allow discussions on the forum about these because of the patent Sawgrass hold so you're on your own with those. You may be lucky and get good ones, you may be unlucky and lose a couple of printers to poor ink. I've just read his ad and I see he does state you should get Sawgrass inks. My opinion is you want the right setup so you can get making money and see a return on your investment as quickly as possible.

Cheap isn't always the best route but you don't need to spend £1000's to start out.

The Ricoh A4 printers have a great reputation, easy to setup and maintain, limited hassle.

[socialgiraffe]

Can't comment on the heat press as I do not know too much about any of them (just know what works for me). However with regards to the printer and judging by your specific circumstances I would avoid an epson. I say this because you are about to do this as a sideline hobby, Epsons really need to be used very often and at least daily otherwise they clog up with ink and become almost useless. In my opinion your only option is a Ricoh.

My suggestion would be for you to save a bit more and then purchase from a reputable dye sublimation supplier like BMS. Yes they will be more expensive than ebay but they are always on the end of the phone (or here for that matter) should you need them, it is probably far more important for you to purchase good quality machinery than it is for an experienced person like myself. Another good reason to purchase from a reputable supplier is because they will supply you with the right inks and remove the standard ones. This may sound stupid but I can see how easily its done and it did happen recently to a member on this forum. They purchased a Ricoh from a supplier who supplied both sets of inks. The end result is that the printer needed a lot of flushing and wasting of expensive dye sub ink to work properly. had they purchased from BMS there would have only been one set of inks in the box.

Sorry, this may sound like an advert for BMS, and in a way it is, there are other reputable companies out there and others will recommend them, I can only speak from the service I get from the companies I use and BMS is superb.

Also, if you are going to purchase then it is worth becomming a premium member as many suppliers offer discounts to members of this forum.

Many people join this forum looking for a quick buck money making scheme. Those that actually do make money purchase good kit that lasts. Have a search around, you will see many members who have gone the cheap route and then post messages of HELP, THIS WONT WORK or WHAT HAS GONE WRONG HERE. Those who have saved a bit more and purchased reputable kit from a reputable supplier are posting messages asking WHERE CAN I FIND THIS PRODUCT. In other words they have moved on from experimenting with dye sub to trying new products and increasing their product lines.

[Justin]

Becoming a premium member for just £10 will open up some great discounts with (among others) BMS and also Listawood, the latter having 10% off everything for Premium members at the moment.

[WorthDoingRight]

As Justin said if you want to avoid hassles and frustrations when starting up then you are better off buying a tried and tested solution with support.

If you can afford it then buying one of the new Ricoh A4 printers with the sublimation ink cartridges should get you producing quality images for sublimating. The current A4 model is the SG3110DN which if bought complete with the sublimation ink cartridges would cost you in England around £350 (Not sure about suppliers or price in the RoI).

[WorthDoingRight]

The heatpress looks like the standard 'chinese' 30 x 38 model and I own two of these and they have worked fine so far. Only issue is the press may be in degrees F not C.

I would also like to point out that if you need to buy the sawgrass Artainium ink for the Epson CISS then it is going to cost around £240 for CMYK 125ml of each.

[pisquee]

Please have a read through the FAQ linked to below in my signature, which you may find helpful...

[coolkidirish]

Thanks very much for your responses. They have all been extremely helpful. I will probably hold off on the Mug Printer for a few months and go with the Printer you suggested and just make sure I have quality goods starting off.

How long do you find the ink tends to last as I've heard it can be expensive? I will only be making mostly phone covers starting off and maybe 1-2 a week I reckon at the start until more people hear about them?

[WorthDoingRight]

I would think that the ink cost for printing a phone cover would be around 25p - yes more expensive than normal printing but hopefully not a large amount in the total cost of the case you produce.

[coolkidirish]

I would think that the ink cost for printing a phone cover would be around 25p - yes more expensive than normal printing but hopefully not a large amount in the total cost of the case you produce.

That sounds great:biggrin: One last thing and I apologise for all the questions...replacement ink, is it just the SawGrass Ink that can be used as people have told me they can be quiet expensive?