Sublimation printing doesn’t sit ink on top of a shirt. It turns ink into a gas that bonds with the fabric itself, so the print never cracks, peels, or fades the way a cheap iron-on does.
That’s the appeal. It’s also why picking the best sublimation printer for your setup matters more than most people expect.
Buy too small, and you’ll outgrow your printer in a few months. Buy too big, and you’ve sunk money into a machine built for a print shop when you needed something for weekend orders.
We researched the full range, from beginner desktop machines to the wide-format printers commercial shops run all day, based on official specs and how each one actually gets used. Here’s what to buy, based on what you plan to print and how often.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
| Printer | Best For | Format | Ink System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawgrass SG500 | Best overall | Desktop, 8.5″ | SubliJet UHD |
| Sawgrass SG1000 | Best for bigger prints | Desktop, 11″ | SubliJet UHD |
| Epson EcoTank ET-2800 (converted) | Best budget option | Desktop, standard | Converted, third-party ink |
| Epson EcoTank ET-15000 (converted) | Best budget wide-format | Desktop, 13″x19″ | Converted, third-party ink |
| Epson SureColor F570 | Best for a growing business | Desktop, 24″ | Genuine Epson sublimation ink |
| Sawgrass SG500 Starter Bundle | Best starter kit | Desktop, 8.5″ | SubliJet UHD |
What Makes a Sublimation Printer Actually Good?
A good sublimation printer gives you consistent color, a reliable ink supply, and software that doesn’t fight you every time you print. That’s it. Everything else is a bonus.
Resolution matters less than most buying guides make it sound. Every printer on this list prints sharp enough for shirts, mugs, and most hard goods.
What actually separates a good machine from a headache is the ink system. Dedicated sublimation printers like the Sawgrass line use purpose-built SubliJet UHD ink designed specifically for that print head. It’s formulated for consistent color, so you’re not guessing at settings every time you print a new design.
Converted printers use third-party sublimation ink in a machine that wasn’t built for it. That can work fine, but you’re on your own for color calibration and troubleshooting.
Connectivity and included software matter too. Sawgrass printers come with their own design software built in, so you’re not stuck buying a separate program just to print your first shirt.
New to this entirely? Our best sublimation printers for beginners guide walks through the easiest starting points in more depth.
The Best Sublimation Printers Right Now
1. Sawgrass SG500: Best Overall
The SG500 is the printer most small sublimation businesses end up buying, and for good reason. It’s a dedicated 8.5″ desktop machine built specifically for sublimation, not a converted inkjet.
It uses genuine SubliJet UHD ink cartridges, backed by a three-year or 100,000-print warranty, whichever comes first. Wi-Fi connectivity means you can print from anywhere in your workspace.
The tradeoff is cost.
You’re paying for a dedicated machine and cartridges instead of a converted all-in-one. For most people running a real side business or full-time shop, that tradeoff is worth it.
For a closer look at what it’s like to run one day to day, check out our full SG500 review.
2. Sawgrass SG1000: Best for Bigger Prints
The SG1000 is the SG500’s bigger sibling, built for shops that need wider prints and higher output. It handles media up to 11″ x 17″ standard, expanding further with a bypass tray.
If you’re printing full-chest shirt designs, larger photo panels, or just running higher volume than a desktop SG500 can keep up with, this is the upgrade. It uses the same SubliJet UHD ink system, so there’s no new learning curve if you’re moving up from the SG500.
3. Epson EcoTank ET-2800 (Converted): Best Budget Option
If you want to test sublimation before committing real money, a converted Epson EcoTank is the cheapest legitimate path in. The ET-2800 uses refillable ink tanks instead of cartridges, which some crafters convert to sublimation ink using a compatible ink kit.
This isn’t Epson’s intended use for the printer. Using non-Epson ink won’t automatically void your warranty, but any failure the third-party ink causes won’t be covered. Once you’ve converted it, there’s no going back to regular printing.
If you’re comfortable with that tradeoff and want the lowest possible entry cost, this is your option. If you’d rather not gamble on a DIY project, skip straight to the SG500.
4. Epson EcoTank ET-15000 (Converted): Best Budget Wide-Format
The ET-15000 is the ET-2800’s bigger sibling, and the same conversion logic applies. It’s not built for sublimation out of the box, but its larger 13″ x 19″ print size makes it a popular DIY conversion for crafters who want bigger prints without paying for a dedicated wide-format machine.
The same warranty caveat as the ET-2800 applies here. You’ll also want to source your own sublimation ink and run your own color profiles, since Epson doesn’t support this use case.
5. Epson SureColor F570: Best for a Growing Business
The F570 is where you land once your order volume outgrows a desktop Sawgrass. It’s a 24″ dedicated dye-sublimation printer, meaning it comes ready for sublimation out of the box with genuine Epson ink, no conversion needed.
It handles all-over shirt prints, larger panels, and higher-volume runs that would bottleneck a smaller machine. It also uses refillable ink bottles instead of small cartridges, which brings your cost per print down at scale.
This is a serious investment, and it’s not the printer to start with. But once you’re pressing shirts daily and a desktop machine can’t keep pace, it’s the natural next step before wide-format.
6. Sawgrass SG500 Starter Bundle: Best Starter Kit
If you’re starting from zero and don’t want to source ink, paper, and a printer separately, the SG500 starter bundle solves that in one purchase. It pairs the SG500 with a starter ink set and sublimation paper, so you can print your first project the day it arrives.
It’s the same SG500 hardware as our top pick, just packaged for someone who wants to skip the research and start printing.
Sawgrass or Epson: Which Brand Should You Buy?
Buy Sawgrass if you want a printer built specifically for sublimation from the ground up, with dedicated software and support that assumes you’re doing sublimation. Buy Epson if you’re comfortable managing your own ink and color profiles, or if you want a dedicated model like the F570 at a higher production tier.
Sawgrass built its entire printer line around one job. The SG500 and SG1000 ship with Sawgrass’s own design software, and every part of the system, from the ink to the print head, is calibrated for sublimation specifically.
Epson takes a different approach depending on the model. The EcoTank line is a general-purpose printer that crafters repurpose for sublimation, while the SureColor F-series is Epson’s own dedicated sublimation line, built the same way Sawgrass builds its printers.
If you’re a beginner who wants the fewest decisions to make, Sawgrass wins. If you already know your way around ink profiles and want more control, or a lower entry cost, Epson’s ecosystem gives you that flexibility.
Should You Convert a Regular Printer or Buy Dedicated?
Converting a regular inkjet printer to sublimation means loading it with third-party sublimation ink instead of the manufacturer’s own ink. It’s the cheapest way into sublimation printing, but it comes with real tradeoffs you should know before you start.
The appeal is obvious. A converted EcoTank costs a fraction of a dedicated Sawgrass or SureColor machine. For someone testing whether sublimation is even a business they want to run, that lower barrier makes sense.
The tradeoffs are just as real. Converting the printer means you’re on your own for troubleshooting, color calibration, and print head issues. Using non-Epson ink means any resulting damage isn’t covered under warranty, even though the ink itself doesn’t void the whole warranty outright. And once you’ve committed the printer to sublimation ink, you generally can’t switch it back to regular printing.
If you’re testing the waters on a small budget, converting is a reasonable first step. If you already know you’re building a real business around this, buying dedicated from day one saves you from re-buying a printer in six months.
What Else Do You Need Besides the Printer?
A sublimation printer alone won’t get you a finished product. You’ll also need sublimation paper, a heat press, and blanks made from polyester or a polyester-coated material, since sublimation ink only bonds properly with those surfaces.
The heat press is the piece people underestimate most. It’s what actually transfers your printed design onto the shirt, mug, or tumbler, and a bad one causes faded or uneven prints even when your printer did its job perfectly.
If you’re starting with mugs specifically, a dedicated mug press handles the curved surface better than a flat-plate press ever will. And if you’re still deciding between sublimation and another printing method entirely, it’s worth reading how it stacks up against DTF printing before you commit to either one.
If t-shirts are your main product, our dedicated picks in best sublimation printer for t-shirt printing go deeper on that specific use case.
And if DTF turns out to be the better fit for your fabric, our best DTF printer for small business guide covers that path too.
How Much Does It Cost to Get Started?
The cheapest legitimate entry point is a converted EcoTank paired with basic ink, paper, and a budget heat press. Going with a dedicated Sawgrass setup instead costs meaningfully more upfront, but it removes most of the guesswork.
Stepping up to a business-ready setup means a Sawgrass SG500 or SG1000 plus a proper heat press, still well within reach for someone serious about a side business. Once you’re running a growing business, an Epson F570 setup moves you into a different tier of investment entirely, and it’s a purchase you make after you’ve proven the demand, not before.
However you enter, buy the printer that matches your actual order volume today. You can always upgrade once you outgrow it. The dye sublimation printing market itself is growing fast, projected to climb from around $16.85 billion in 2026 toward $28 billion within five years, so there’s no rush to overbuy before you’ve sold your first shirt.
When to Upgrade to a Wide-Format Sublimation Printer
You’ve outgrown a desktop sublimation printer when you’re regularly turning away large-format orders, running production for other businesses, or spending more time waiting on your printer than running it.
That’s where machines like the Epson SureColor F6370 come in. It’s a 44″ roll-fed printer built for print shops running commercial volume, not a home business testing the waters.
This isn’t a printer you start with. It’s the printer you buy once you already know sublimation works for your business and you need the throughput to match. We cover this tier in more depth in our upcoming wide-format sublimation printer guide.
Conclusion
Most people looking for the best sublimation printer overthink the decision.
Start with the Sawgrass SG500 if you want the least friction, or a converted EcoTank if you want to test the waters first.
Everything past that is about matching your printer to your actual order volume, not your ambitions.
A Sawgrass SG1000 or Epson F570 only makes sense once you’re actually printing enough to need it.
Whichever machine you choose, don’t skip the heat press. It matters just as much as the printer itself, and it’s the piece that turns a good print into a finished product you can actually sell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between sublimation and DTF printing?
Sublimation turns ink into a gas that bonds directly with polyester fibers, so there’s no layer sitting on top of the fabric. DTF (direct-to-film) prints onto a film first, then heat-presses that film onto the garment, which works on cotton and dark fabrics but sits on top of the material rather than becoming part of it.
Can I use any inkjet printer for sublimation?
No. You need either a printer built specifically for sublimation, like the Sawgrass SG500 or Epson SureColor F570, or a compatible printer converted to run third-party sublimation ink. Standard inkjet printers using regular ink can’t produce a sublimation print no matter how you set them up.
Do sublimation printers work on cotton?
Not well. Sublimation ink needs polyester or a polymer coating to bond with, so it works great on polyester shirts, mugs, and hard goods, but it won’t transfer properly onto 100% cotton. For cotton shirts, DTF or screen printing is the better method.
How long do sublimation prints last?
Sublimation prints typically last as long as the garment or item itself. Since the ink bonds with the material instead of sitting on top of it, there’s nothing to crack, peel, or wash away the way there is with vinyl or screen-printed ink.
Is Sawgrass or Epson better for beginners?
Sawgrass is the better starting point for most beginners. It ships as a complete, dedicated sublimation system with its own software and support built around that one job. Epson works well for beginners too if you choose a dedicated SureColor model, but converting an EcoTank adds a DIY step that’s better suited to someone with some printing experience already.
