Dont know which to choose!

[joyid]

Hi

I really want to be able to print mainly on mugs, t shirts, plates and anything that can be personalised.

I have been reading posts about sublimation, heat transfer and various other printing method, which is the best option to be able to print all these items.


Also if I was to go down the sublimation route, can the printer also be used to print on normal paper as at the moment I make greeting cards and think I need a laser printer as my hp inkjet does not really give the quality I need.

Hope someone can help.

Thanks

Jo

[Paul]

sublimation IS heat transfer

http://www.dyesubforum.co.uk/vbforum/sh ... ch-Printer

[socialgiraffe]

Sublimation is a heat transfer as Paul says, some people refer to heat transfer when they actually mean laser transfer (I do it all the time which is a mistake).

In answer to your question there is not a one size fits all system.

Dye sublimation requires specialist ink, which if you are talking small format printers (less than 17inch wide) is very expensive and you certainly would not want to be using it for printing anything but dye sub items.

If you wanted to print all the items listed above and continue with your greeting cards then the ultimate system would require three printers, one for dye sub, one for laser transfer (i.e. cotton tee shirts) and one for your cards. The card one I personally think should be an ink jet. You probably just need a better printer or card stock that is suited to the printer you have (have you tried HP branded paper to see if the result it better?).

Paul has suggested the thread for choosing a dye sub printer, this is an excellent thread and a must read

laser printers are a bit easier. give the guys a The Magic Touch a call and they will be able to help. You can get cheaper printers than the ones sold by TMT (I had one that cost £100.00 and worked a treat), but it needed quite a bit of modifying and tinkering to work. If you are new to the business it would be better to purchase from a company that will give you the training and technical support that you are going to need.

Good luck!

[joyid]

Sublimation is a heat transfer as Paul says, some people refer to heat transfer when they actually mean laser transfer (I do it all the time which is a mistake).

In answer to your question there is not a one size fits all system.

Dye sublimation requires specialist ink, which if you are talking small format printers (less than 17inch wide) is very expensive and you certainly would not want to be using it for printing anything but dye sub items.

If you wanted to print all the items listed above and continue with your greeting cards then the ultimate system would require three printers, one for dye sub, one for laser transfer (i.e. cotton tee shirts) and one for your cards. The card one I personally think should be an ink jet. You probably just need a better printer or card stock that is suited to the printer you have (have you tried HP branded paper to see if the result it better?).

Paul has suggested the thread for choosing a dye sub printer, this is an excellent thread and a must read

laser printers are a bit easier. give the guys a The Magic Touch a call and they will be able to help. You can get cheaper printers than the ones sold by TMT (I had one that cost £100.00 and worked a treat), but it needed quite a bit of modifying and tinkering to work. If you are new to the business it would be better to purchase from a company that will give you the training and technical support that you are going to need.

Good luck!

OK Thank you, so as far as I can workout is that these printers are inkjet printers with micro-piezo technology that have been modified, you modify by using dye sub ink in cartridges or continous flow system and you also have to create a ICC profile that will over ride the printers original profile, Is that correct?

[logobear]

I don't know if any 'modification' is done, think it is just the same BUT with sublimation inks from new, and ideally correct icc profiles.
Regarding ink, it can be supplied from
cartridges,
refilled carts
or bulk ink
and this can either be official/approved and supported, or unofficial.
There are countless posts on here about this, no right or wrong.
Your best option would be to spend a day visiting Magic Touch, or google FESPA - sign up online and go to Docklands tomorrow saturday, can see several suppliers in 1 huge hall.
The Magic Touch are a superb supplier, and their tec support and aftersale service unbelievable ! - they are not the cheapest, but I would not buy from anyone else!

[joyid]

Thank you, I think it's a bit clearer now

[logobear]

factor in a few hundred pounds worth of mistakes, or a day or two training and some less mistakes.
When you are a beginner, you can get very uptight about every cost, and (for sure) we all want to minimise waste, BUT - you will make some crap, in fact, the very best way to learn is to make some bad stuff.
there are a lot of variables, your artwork, your printer, the way your artwork talks to your printer, the media you use, ink, paper, product, and then the application process, time, pressure, heat, ...... and the age of the blanket and quality of your machine, so perhaps environmental factors too, PLUS - yu are human, so there will be the human factor too.
If you are spending X on your setup, factor in at least 20% of X as learning curve, and then, you will still be a beginner! - I learnt new stuff today, and started in 1987.
Follow children, the best way to learn is to play !

[tlworkwear]

factor in a few hundred pounds worth of mistakes, or a day or two training and some less mistakes.
When you are a beginner, you can get very uptight about every cost, and (for sure) we all want to minimise waste, BUT - you will make some crap, in fact, the very best way to learn is to make some bad stuff.
there are a lot of variables, your artwork, your printer, the way your artwork talks to your printer, the media you use, ink, paper, product, and then the application process, time, pressure, heat, ...... and the age of the blanket and quality of your machine, so perhaps environmental factors too, PLUS - yu are human, so there will be the human factor too.
If you are spending X on your setup, factor in at least 20% of X as learning curve, and then, you will still be a beginner! - I learnt new stuff today, and started in 1987.
Follow children, the best way to learn is to play !

logobear pretty much summed it up there, and love the last comment particularly! I have only been doing vinyl printing for 3 years but I find that I still learn something new every day and now I am just getting into sublimation it's yet another learning curve. When I first started with vinyl I was trying to be so careful not to waste anything as I was worried about losing money but I realised that it is part and parcel of the industry and with the sublimation I have bought a few blanks specifically for testing and most likely messing up but I would rather mess up at the start and learn from my mistakes rather than take on an order and send out a poorly finished product.