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Hi all!
Many of you are asking which sublimation printer or heat press to get and where to buy them from. We have therefore, created this blog to answer those questions and help you on this doubtful journey of starting your own sublimation business!
This page will be updated regularly so keep an eye out for any updates.
Here are some of the essentials for every sublimation business together with links to products that we can recommend!
Sublimation printer
A4 printer
We got our A4 printer from Ink Experts a few years ago in one of their sublimation bundles. The exact printer model that we’ve got is no longer available, however, there is a very similar one that will work as well!
In this bundle you get everything you need to start printing as it comes with sublimation paper and sublimation ink. You will also get their ICC profile which you will need to install on your laptop/computer before printing. This will help you get the most accurate colours when printing - https://amzn.to/46D2dbM
A3 printer
If you want to be able to print larger designs, it might be worth looking at A3 printers instead. They are a bit more pricey but will allow you to print on larger items such as blankets or beach towels. - https://amzn.to/3A8ph5L
Once you’ve purchased your sublimation printer from Ink Experts, we highly recommend you watch the video below! This video shows how to install your ICC profile and how to get the most vibrant prints! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mh06e5hMeA&t=82s
Heat press
Flat heat press
If you are getting an A4 printer you don't need a massive heat press. You will get away with one costing less than £150.
Here is the one we've got https://amzn.to/4d9NXcG
Previously, we had one with additional attachments such as mug press, hat press, plate press etc but we've never actually used them and it was almost impossible to unscrew some of the parts of the heat press to replace the attachments so it was a wasted money! However, if you do need those then it might be better for you to buy them all together as a bundle - Amazon has got a few options available.
If you are frequently sublimating small designs (up to approx 6cm x 10cm) onto t-shirts etc, it might also be worth getting a small hand heat press so that you don't have to be turning the big one every single time as it will take more time and electricity for it to warm up.
We've been using this one and it is so much easier and quicker to use than the big heat press - https://amzn.to/3YvIrN4
Mug press
We don't really use one anymore as all mugs can be done in an air fryer / convection oven, however, if you do really want one, you can check some of the options below.
https://amzn.to/3WAI2qghttps://amzn.to/3LUb5Ae
We have not tried any of the listed mug presses, however, we have heard some good things about them!
Tumbler press
We've never really owned one for the standard 20oz straight skinny tumblers as all of our tumblers are done in an air fryer!
And truthfully, I think it might be a waste of money to be buying one as you are quite limited to the size/type of the tumbler that you can make in those so it is better to use an air fryer / convection oven.
However, as the popularity of 30oz and 40oz cups increased we have started looking into getting one specifically for those. We have tried a 30oz/40oz tumbler press https://amzn.to/3yp5kY6 which is quite pricey but it does sublimate the cups really well! The only downside to it and the reason why we have decided to return it was that it had a lot of issues with the screws. They were constantly getting stuck so we had issues with adjusting the tightness and changing the attachments. Yet another reason why we prefer air fryers!
Air fryer / Convection oven
And finally our favourite! Ever since we heard that air fryers can be used to sublimate items, we never went back to using a mug press!
So the very first air fryer that we bought for sublimation was COSORI Air Fryer 5.5L https://amzn.to/3Yz0JNK
It is really good and we've been using it for over 2 years now. We use it to do standard 11oz mugs, 15oz tumblers, glass mugs, glass cans, 20oz straight skinny tumblers and more! They all come out perfectly each time!
The only downside of this airfryer is that it is relatively small and it can't fit a 40oz cup.
So if you do want to sublimate 40oz cups you might be better off looking at larger air fryers / ovens.
After returning our 30oz/40oz tumbler press, we have decided to upgrade our air fryer to a larger one. After a bit of research we have ended up buying a 26L Air Fryer Oven https://amzn.to/4cfBcfE .It is not too large on the outside but it has got 26l capacity which is big enough to fit two 40oz cups!
We've had not had any issues with either of the air fryers just yet and since we've got 2, we're using the smaller one for smaller items such as mugs and 20oz straight tumblers and the larger one for 30oz and 40oz cups.
Heat Gun
Another alternative to using a mug/tumbler press is a heat gun.
Very affordable, costing only £19.99 can help you get the PERFECT prints on all insulated bottles!
We've got this one and we've had it for well over 2 years and can not recommend it enough! -> https://amzn.to/4fL8c2r
It is perfect to use on straight as well as curved surfaces. You can control the heat and time and can see exactly when the cup is ready as you will be able to see when the ink starts showing through the paper.
We still use the airfryer oven in most cases, however, whenever we are not too lazy and we want the cup to be perfect, we use the heat gun instead. This can also come in handy if you want to 'engrave' wooden items without spending a lot on laser engravers. You can just buy a Torch paste https://amzn.to/4du9CMF buy or make some stencils and burn the wood using your heat gun!
Accessories and consumables
Apart from the heat presses and printers, you will also need to purchase some additional items to start a sublimation business.
Some of the essentials are:
Sublimation paper: https://www.sub-blanks.co.uk/products/a-sub-sublimation-paper-a4-125-gsm
Heat Resistant Tape: https://amzn.to/3yv3vJ5
Heat press transfer sheet (for flat heat press only): https://amzn.to/4duqnHt
Heat resistant gloves: https://amzn.to/46xvYuu
Tape dispenser (not necessary but very useful):
We recommend using one where you can add multiple tapes if you are using a few different tape sizes: https://amzn.to/4fvIy1m
Or if you only ever use one type / size you can get a simple one like this https://amzn.to/3SAPGzN . Please double check the overall size of your tape against the product specs to make sure it can fit it.
Paper cutting: You will also need something to cut / trim your designs.
We can highly recommend this paper trimmer https://amzn.to/3A8zf7j
It is very easy to use and very convenient when you want to trim your designs or when printing multiple designs on one page and you want to separate them without using scissors.
You can get it for only £8.99 with the option to add a pack of 8 replacement blades for an additional £6.49 - https://amzn.to/3WQvT1B
It will also be useful to have a craft knife to help you take the heat tape off your tumblers (be careful to not damage the coating of the sublimated item while doing so) - https://amzn.to/3Yz1kis
Ready to get started?
Check out Creative Fabrica for millions of amazing graphics, thousands of fonts and plenty of tutorials on sublimation and other crafts!
Visit now! https://www.creativefabrica.com/ref/924408/
To get the most out of their page, we recommend buying their yearly subscription as it provides the most value for the lowest price ever!
Disclaimer
We do not take the responsibility in relation to any of the above products, unless sold by ourselves in which case our standard T&Cs will apply.
The above are recommendations only and you should conduct your own research into each product to make sure it meets your requirements.