Today, the cost of sublimation printers is a major problem. To print large amounts of mugs, t-shirts, hats, and other goods when running a business, you might need a specialist printer. You will find a solution to this issue today if you have been held up by the expensive cost of these sublimation printers. To make things economic, you may convert an HP printer into a sublimation printer.
In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to change an HP printer into a sublimation printer. We also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of switching from an HP printer to a dye-sublimation printer.
Essentials to Convert an HP Printer into a Sublimation Printer
Printer
A printer is a tool used to print documents. A person or a so device that copies something.
Sublimation Ink
A unique kind of ink called sublimation ink is used to print on materials like paper, leather, canvas, etc. It quickly evaporates to leave a print, but the oily coating keeps it affixed to the substrate.
Heat Transfer paper
A very thin plastic film covered with a pigment is present on a heat transfer paper (pigments are not transparent). The pigment penetrates the paper when it is rubbed against a surface.
Heat Press
A heat press is a tool that uses heat to flatten or make more flexible a product, generally paper.
Steps to Covert an HP Printer into the Sublimation Printer
Step#1: Take a Printer
Make sure it isn’t in use if you want to change your HP printer to a sublimation printing machine.
If it has been used, there may have been some mixing of sublimated dyes and regular ink, which would cause you to lose all of its advantages.
Therefore, you should confirm that the printer is not in use before beginning the conversion procedure. Once you’ve verified this, you can go to work on the net phase.
Step#2: Take a Sublimation Ink
The best technique to guarantee sublimation printing is to select the proper ink and paper. If you use a color that clashes with the ink on your teeth, the color will disappear.
In the actual world, you want to make sure that every element works together to get the intended result.
To do this, verify the labels in advance to ensure that there are no problems when it comes time for manufacturing.
Check labels beforehand to ensure there are no discrepancies when it comes to manufacturing. This can be done for all components, or just one. By preventing these issues, you’ll be able to proceed with confidence and finish your project on schedule.
Step#3: Take a Sublimation Paper
An significant factor is the printer paper’s quality. It is advised to select the paper that is both affordable and of great quality.
The printing paper also has to be sturdy and capable of maintaining a high-quality print. In general, there are three categories of paper quality: plain paper, coated paper, and laser paper.
A different sort of paper should be used if a sheet is not appropriate for your intended application. Please keep the following things in mind to make the most of the printer.
Printing Paper Specifications
- Paper Types
- Paper Weight
- Paper Thickness
- Paper Quality
- Paper Source
- Paper Sizes
Step#4: Fill the Sublimation Ink Tanks
The next step is to take out the outdated ink cartridges and put in suitable sublimation ink cartridges in their place.
You may quickly refill the ink cartridges with sublimation ink after you locate appropriate replacement cartridges for your printer.
For certain models, like Epson printers, this is simpler to perform than for others, like HP printers.
However, it is important to get compatible cartridges from a reputable online printer cartridge provider like Cartridge Save if you want to ensure that you receive the greatest print quality from your sublimation inkjet printer.
For a selection of inkjet printer brands, including those from HP, Canon, Lexmark, Epson, Brother, Xerox, Sharp, and Dell, visit Cartridge Save.
Step#5: Download and Install the Sublimation Software
A printable vinyl sticker made from a picture is produced using sublimation software. It is simple to use and available in a range of colors and sizes.
You will require a computer, an inkjet printer, a smartphone or digital camera, as well as the necessary software, to get started.
You may use this application to transform t-shirts into picture prints. Open this software after downloading it, then choose your print size.
Next, select a suitable image and edit its dimensions before saving it. Check the print on your t-shirt before you start printing. Check again to be sure it’s what you had in mind!
You’ll get more comfortable with this application the more you use it. Additionally, you may combine several images into a single t-shirt print.
Once you’ve found the ideal shot, you should alter the photo’s dimensions. It will be a terrific idea to make sure that the snapshot fits your attire after you have the ideal photograph.
You may accomplish this by manually cropping the image or by using the “Fit” tool.
Step#6: Start Printing
Important instruments used to create photographs include printers and paper. We’ll use standard-sized paper for letter-size printouts in this lesson. You ought to be able to get them because they are simple to locate at the local shop.
You may always ask for a sample of special paper at your local office supply store if you want to go fancy.
Click File in the top menu and then select Print from the drop-down menu that appears to print your project.
Next decide the sublimation printer you want to use. Before pressing the Print button, be sure this option is chosen.
When you’re happy with your choice, press the Print button.
Make sure your machine is running the most recent software version by checking first. Right-click the Start button and choose All Programs to do this.
After that, look up sublimation printers. Once you’ve located it, select Install to start downloading the most recent version of the programmes.
Second, confirm that you’ve chosen the appropriate printer settings. The software ought to recognize these settings on its own.
You can manually set them if they aren’t. Click the Settings tab to accomplish this. After that, select the option for Printer Options.
This will bring up a window with a number of choices. The default printer setting is the first choice. You may either keep the settings as they are or modify them to your preferences.
Step#7: Observe the Image Quality
After printing your page, thoroughly review it. Throw away that page and print another if you see any lines or gaps and continue doing so until you are done.
You can use a heat press to add sublimation ink to your clothing if the printing has problems and it appears to be fine after carefully inspecting the result.
However, once the ink has been applied, any little faults that are not readily visible under close inspection may become visible.
Step#8: Iron the fabric
Make sure your cloth is level and straight if you intend to print your shirt. If you want a crisp print on your T-shirt, this is really crucial.
Prior to sublimating your T-shirt, iron it! It can get wrinkled if you don’t iron it correctly. This could result in an excessively sloppy final product.
Prior to sublimation, you must carefully press your shirt so that it is smooth and flat for the heat to print on. Additionally, your sublimated t-shirt won’t wrinkle or have creases.
The greatest solution is to iron clothes since it maintains them smooth and wrinkle-free.
Step#9: Do Heat Press
In the end, printing text and images directly onto garments is not possible. You should instead use ink that won’t adhere to other surfaces. A heat press is used to do this.
Use the first two sheets of your printout and tape them together at the joints to begin pressing properly. Hold the pages firmly with both hands and make sure there are no gaps between them.
It’s simple to become bogged down in the specifics of creating a t-shirt. Before getting started, you might want to think about the aesthetics.
Keep in mind that you are creating a shirt that will continue to exist after you have worn it, so make sure it fits well and looks fantastic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you turn any printer into a sublimation printer?
By enabling you to turn any Epson printer into a sublimation printer, InkPot makes it possible for you to accomplish sublimation printing on a budget. Our US-made dye sublimation ink is reasonably priced and produced. For optimal convenience, Dye Sublimation Ink Cartridges can also be used.
Can you use a inkjet printer for sublimation?
Sublimation printing cannot be done with inkjet printers equipped with thermal printing heads. Inkjet printers made by Canon, Hewlett Packard (HP), Lexmark, or Dell are therefore inappropriate. Sublimation printing may be done with printers that include Micro Piezo printing heads.
Can I use any inkjet printer for heat transfers?
While any inkjet printer will handle heat transfer paper, for the best results, you should get a While any inkjet printer will work with heat transfer paper, for the best results, choose a printer with better color accuracy, one that utilizes pigment-based inks, and one that can print onto bigger paper. Some of the most well-liked models are the Epson SureColor P700 and Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300.
Can you mix sublimation ink with regular ink?
You must completely flush the system. Reason being the color and chemical make up of the The system must be fully flushed. The reason behind this is that the inks’ colors and chemical compositions differ. Therefore, using ordinary ink and then applying sublimation will result in incorrect prints and a mess since the ink doesn’t adhere to the substrate.
What equipment is needed for sublimation printing? You’ll need a sublimation printer, sublimation ink, sublimation paper, design software, sublimation blanks, heat press, heat tape or sticky spray, heat resistant gloves, and butcher paper for sublimation printing.
Final Words
In this article, we’ve done extensive site-research and discovered how to convert a sublimation printer into a sublimation printer. We are all well aware of how pricey sublimation printers are, but the work they can do for us is amazing.
So, we’ve walked you through each step in this post so you may easily utilize a regular printer for sublimation printing.
