DSF

I'm new here and sooooo confused! I'm just starting out with printing mugs, plates t-shirts ect and have a few questions.

Firstly Can anyone recommend a good but low cost printer? I have an Epson sx130 and have read in some places this can be used to sublimation inks but that it can't in others. I've only used it 3/4 times but with standard inks so would I need to do anything to it to be able to use sublimation inks? Is it 'sublimation inks' I need to look for? As in is this the best thing for mugs/ plates ect as after hours/days of reading my brain is frazzled in all the different idea's others suggest.

Secondly I have been offered a vinyl cutter SC631E as well as the obvious making signs/ logo's can you print onto vinyl? (So can actually have different coloured designs/pictures) If so what ink/printer would this need to be done with so I can use these for heat pressing into t-shirts.

Thanks

Hello and welcome to forum,
your best bet is to let us know what budget you have? We can then help you with what you need and where you can purchase from, I use a sx130 but it never had any other ink in it then sublimation, I'm thinking you would be better off starting from scratch.
The other question you ask is has many answers, vinyl can be printed on but your looking at least a 5k printer, I use many methods from laser printers to sourcing out from other members,
I'm only in RHoose nr Cardiff airport if you ever wanted to arrange a peek at my home se up then I would be more than happy to help you out.
First of all sit back grab lots of teas and read read read,
DaveDave

Yeah, you could use your current Epson for sublimation inks, with some refillable cartridges, would take a few head cleans/printing pages of full colour to flush your current inks through for the sublimations inks to come in.
You would then need a custom ICC profile creating (do a search on the forum) for your colours to be correct.

Thanks Dave,

I don't really have a set budget, I just didn't want to spend too much as I know the inks themselves are costly enough, if the sx130 is any good for sublimation then I would happily purchase a new one to use solely with sublimation inks as it only cost me £60-£70 recently in asda.

Are the laser printers you mentioned the ones that cost 5k+ or is that another way of printing onto vinyl?

Thanks for the offer, that really would be ideal although just looked at google maps and would currently take me almost 3 hours to get to you as would be using public transport however am looking to be driving in the next few weeks (providing I pass) so would be much easier then.

Thanks again.

Thanks Pisquee,

Would that need to be done with the sublimation inks? If so would that use pretty much most the cartridge? Wondering if it would be more cost effective to start with a new one then.

I've seen the refillable cartridges online for £20-£30 and the ICC profile thing for about £10 so with all that and the sx130 it would total around £100 minus inks which I've seen for £40-£50. Are there any other recommended printers that maybe come with ink?

There's some printers with inks on ebay, although i don't know if the inks they are 'giving away for free' with the printer are any good (!)
For the custom ICC profile, you're looking at around £30 - search Ebay for "custom sublimation ICC" to find the right service.
As you can get some Epson printers pretty cheap, you could just get another one - if you look at some of the workforce pro models, you can get 100ml refill carts for them, and have removable waste tanks. To an extent you get what you pay for, so buying the cheapest printer you can find may not give you the best print quality (or even print quality that is good enough) or be reliable to trust to just print ... if this is going to be a business, then don't spend too cheap with the printer, and make sure you get branded inks, not just any old crap from china!

As you're new to sublimation, you're letting yourself in for a whole load of hassle sourcing ink etc. through eBay. You'll not be aware but Sawgrass own a patent on the use of sublimation in small format printers so to get the support (that believe me you'll need) you have to buy into certain printers and inks. Cost wise you'll notice these setups are considerably more expensive but over time you'll see why.

Of course, this forum is the best place for you to get general support anyway but we can't advice you on third party inks. We can only offer you many years of experience and my advice to you is go to a reputable supplier for the printer and inks. Save yourself a lot of time and money in the long run. You'll find an abundance of posts on here where new members have started with cheap inks and printers only to end up buying from a decent supplier and not looking back.

Wise words from Justin.
i started out trying to cut corners, very quickly I upgraded as I realised that I would spend more time repairing things (or trying to get them working properly at least).

it reminded me of the time I used to use Windows rather than a Mac (I wont start that line of conversation again..lol) and I never want to go down that road again.

I started with Chinese ink from eBay (an epson xp-250 I think for a printer and a ciss system) and a heat press bundle bundle from monster doodles (met somebody yesterday who has just started with that same configuration and they already realise it was a mistake).. All of that was just a waste of money.

now I have an Adkins flat bed press, ricoh 3110 and Sawgrass sub inks - everything works well. Also I have a Liyu sc631e which is great.. That optical eye (lazer pointer) is a waste of time though.

you are doing the right thing asking here first, if only I had done that I would have saved hundreds.. Well, actually I did still save hundreds from the discounts my premium membership entitles me to... I just would have saved even more hundreds.

p.s. i still cant print onto vinyl, I ask another member to do that for me.

There is a thread at the top of this part of the forum, with the title "FAQ: Which Printer" which goes into some of the issues brought up in this thread, so be good for you to read through that, and then post back here with any questions on it.

Justin;84183 wrote:You'll find an abundance of posts on here where new members have started with cheap inks and printers only to end up buying from a decent supplier and not looking back.

Whilst this is true, there are also plenty of users that manage to find a printer which suits their needs, source their own inks, and get everything up and running no problems. It just depends on where your priorities are in terms of getting set up (money, time, quality, freedom, choice) Equally dependent on whether you are technically minded, and enjoy fiddling with things and working out how things work, or want to just be a designer and pay for someone else to do the techie work.