Many people buy Saw Grass printers. You can now buy Epson printers meant for sublimation. I personally bought an Epson ET-16600 standard inkjet printer. Mainly so I could do up to 13" x 19" prints. You have to start with Sublimation Ink from the start. Some people have purged their printers, and then added the sublimation ink. I opted to start new. Plus, I really like the Eco-Tank printers for easy ink fills.
There are a lot of brands of papers and inks. Once you decide on an ink, you don’t change brands. Although, I’ve heard you can purge and then start with new ink.
I went with Cosmos Ink and use A-Sub paper. Typically, you print on polyesters, or something that has been given a coating to be able to sublimate.
You also need a heat press. I have a 15"x15" that I’ve had for seven years, and it works quite well for me. Depending on what you’re going to press, you may decide you need a larger heat press, a slide-out tray, or a swing away arm, or an auto-open. Prices range greatly by what feature you want. For large presses, I use a large sheet of cardboard to be able to move the project without shifting. Some people use thin sheets of wood.
I use A-Sub Sublimation paper. Purchased in three sizes.
Lint roller and microfiber cloth
Heat gloves
Heat tape for sublimation with dispenser
Butcher paper
Parchment paper (depending on project)
Then I always go a bit overboard, so that I can do most anything that I might want. So, I have a mug press, a tumbler press, and a hat press. Obviously, if you’re only interested in wood … you wouldn’t need any other presses.
I use Siser Easy-Subli to print on cotton fabrics. I’ve printed directly to it (non-mirrored) or I’ve applied it to the fabric and then used the A-Sub paper to sublimate onto the Easy-Subli.
To cut intricate things I have a Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro to cut things out.
Long reply. Sorry. It helps to know exactly what you want to do with the sublimation. YouTube has a LOT of videos. I watched videos and read everything I could before taking the leap. I price shopped for every little thing to find the best prices. Including a lot of blanks.
I have three sizes of tumblers, 15 oz cups, towels, puzzles, mouse pads, fabric to make yard flags, polyester t-shirts in all sizes. Like I said, I go a bit overboard.
It’s been a lot of fun. If it helps to discuss something further, shoot me a message and we can talk on the phone. There are people on the forum that have done wood. So, if you’re only interested in wood … they might be a better group to question.
