5 Best Sublimation Printers in 2024

Have you ever heard of a sublimation printer? Well, if you’ve bought custom made t-shirts and mugs, it’s likely this printer was used. The best sublimation printers work by using heat to transfer contents onto a surface (not limited to paper), instead of simply printing it on a compatible surface like standard printers work. There are several kinds of best sublimation printers out there, and the most handy is perhaps the ones that are portable and easier to carry around.

While not all sublimation printers offer the same kind of features, the technology underneath is pretty much the same. Given how much fun this can be, we decided to list five of the best sublimation printers available for purchase in 2024. So without waiting any further, let’s have a look at our list.

Best Sublimation Printers

1) Epson Stylus C88+

This printer follows the old printer design which means it’s not too big, but not too small either. However, the form factor makes it ideally suited for small desks or tables. Among its features are the 130 tray paper sheet, meaning you will be changing paper less often with this offering. As far as printing quality is concerned, the company claims that the prints are water resistant, which is already an advantage over conventional printers.

Since Epson uses an individual tank system, you don’t have to replace the entire ink apparatus each time. Instead, the user can simply remove the ink that has run out and continue using the rest. This printer can also take some amazing borderless photos, making it ideal for professional photo prints. While it cannot print on surfaces or mugs, it can certainly offer better print quality compared to conventional inkjet printers.

One big caveat here is the lack of wireless printing. This means you will have too setup your printer the conventional way before you can start using it. While the printer itself is pretty cheap, it makes a great deal of sense to get the printer and ink bundle on Amazon.

2) Canon SELPHY CP1300

As the name indicates, this printer is meant for photo printing. Moreover, the company claims that the prints taken from this printer can easily last for up to 100 years. This means that you can be worry free for a long time after you’ve printed your favorite photos on this printer. This portable and handy printer can also print from a USB flash drive or a standard memory card, so there are more ways than usual to get your prints. Since this is a mobile printer, it also comes with an optional battery pack which can help you print photos on the go.

There’s a 3.2-inch LCD screen here as well, allowing you to quickly glance at your photos before printing them. Customers of this printer are recommended to use the Canon Print Plug In app to smooth things over. The printer is also compatible with the Canon Print app, allowing you to take quick prints using just your smartphone or tablet.

3) SAWGRASS VIRTUOSO SG400

This is a proper sublimation printer which comes included with sublimation paper, letting you get started on sublimation printing right away. The company mentions that this printer was co-engineered with Ricoh, a popular Japanese electronics company. The printer comes included with 110 sheets of sublimation paper and also comes included with the company’s creative studio software to help you create designs of your choice. You can use this printer on polyester materials, sublimation mugs, and Chromaluxe.

It is advised to use this against cotton T-Shirts as the print won’t work on this surface. It’s a pretty big product, so there’s plenty of room to print stuff on your T-Shirt, mugs and other materials. As you would expect, a sublimation printer certainly won’t come cheap. So you’re going to shell out a decent price for this product, making this the most expensive offering on our list.

The company offers 1-year of warranty for the product and customer support for any questions or queries you may have about the product. It’s only available in White, though, so color options are non-existent. The printer also comes with the company’s proprietary SUBLIJET-HD ink.

4) Kodak Dock & Wi-Fi

Kodak makes multiple photo printers catering to a wide range of audiences. This particular offering is no different, but since it uses sublimation technology, prints are expected to long significantly longer than on conventional inkjet printers. Moreover, this offering comes with a mobile dock, allowing you to instantly print photos from your phone. There’s very little flexibility in terms of photo sizes though, as this printer can only print on  4×6” paper.

It also features other connectivity options like micro USB for Android users, direct USB connectivity for iPhone and digital camera users, in addition to using a regular USB flash drive. You can also get a lot more out of the printer using Kodak’s Photo Printer app for mobile devices. This app can help you create or add filters, stickers, or even card templates, and even use the collage maker.

5) Epson Workforce WF-7210

This is a relatively large printer, which is expected from a wide-format printer. While it doesn’t appear to be a sublimation printer at first glance, it can comfortably handle sublimation ink to print on your favorite surfaces. However, it’s not as easy as it seems, so we recommend reading the user manual carefully before trying to use sublimation on your favorite materials.

What’s even better is the fact that it comes with a 500-sheet paper capacity, allowing you to keep all the paper stored up without having to replace it every now and then. This wide format printer is also suitable to print borderless photos with immense detail. This printer is also pretty economical, saving up to 80% power compared to standard color laser printers.

The printer also supports duplex printing, which can be handy if you’re also looking to print standard color or black documents. The printer comes with Amazon Dash replenishment enabled, so you’ll never run out of ink again. Be sure to check it out.