The Essential Guide to Choosing the Best Cheap Sublimation Printers

So you want to get into sublimation printing? Unleashing your creativity to make fully customized shirts, mugs, phone cases and more goodies sounds amazing.

But here’s the catch: full-fledged sublimation printers can cost anywhere from $500 to $5,000+ dollars. Ouch!

Not to worry…quality cheap sublimation printers do exist without blowing out your budget. Perfect options actually for aspiring hobbyists and part-time merch creators.

In this epic guide, we’ll covers everything you need to know about affordable sublimation printing:

• Key factors in choosing the best model
• In-depth reviews of top low-cost printers
• Feature comparison charts
• Sublimation printing basics
• Handy tips from industry experts
• Real-world applications to inspire you
• Bonus equipment needed

Let’s dive in to unlock your full sublimation potential!

Overview: Choosing the Right Budget Sublimation Printer

Sublimation printing uses specialized ink, transfer paper and heat to “sublimate” or infuse prints into polyester fabrics, ceramics, and various goods. The results are vibrant, permanent images that fully integrate into the material unlike transfers and decals.

This opens amazing doors for one-of-a-kind customization opportunities. But your printer is the foundation. Here are key factors to evaluate:

Print Quality
Rich color and detail allow more photographic image reproduction. From sharp text to lifelike portraits, a good printer brings designs to life.

Print Size
Common dimensions are 8.5”x11” or 13”x19”. The larger the print area, the bigger products you can sublimate.

Print Speed
Faster speeds between 20-40+ ppm allow higher volume production crucial when selling merchandise. Consumer models start around 1-9 ppm.

There are other handy bonus features that improve the experience too:

• Scanning/copying functions
• Media versatility like print-to-cut for transfers
• Wireless connectivity
• Desktop footprint

Now let’s explore top affordable contenders that balance quality with a reasonable price…

Reviews: 5 Best Cheap Sublimation Printers

1. Epson EcoTank ET-15000

Print Quality: ★★★★☆
Print Size: 8.5”x14”
Print Speed: 9ppm Color // 17ppm Monochrome
Ink: Low-Cost Refillable Tanks

Pound for pound our top value pick is the EcoTank ET-15000. Its ace is literally up its sleeve: refillable ink tanks that drive costs to all-time lows. We’re talking pennies per mL compared to cartridge printers.

You get enough ink out of the box for a whopping 6,000 color and 7,500 monochrome pages. Do you know how many t-shirts that stacks up to? Let’s crunch the numbers…

Average T-Shirt requires ~30mL combined CMYK ink to sublimate front and back designs with 15% image coverage. 

The ET-15000 starter ink provides 6000 pages color ink total. 

6000 pages / 30mL per shirt 
= 200 shirts per ink fill!

At less than 1 cent per mL for eco tank refill bottles, you can bank serious dough long-term while maintaining startling print quality.

Ideal For
Hobbyists, merchants and decorators wanting beautiful results without bleeding cash constantly to the ink gods.

Downsides
Relatively slow for production environments. Max print dimension is limited to 8.5”x14”.

2. Epson WorkForce WF-7720

Print Quality: ★★★★★
Print Size: 13”x19”
Print Speed: 24ppm Color // 24ppm Monochrome
Ink: Cartridge

When only museum-grade quality will suffice, the WorkForce WF-7720 confidently delivers. It leverages Epson’s latest 10-channel PrecisionCore printhead to spit unparalleled accuracy and definition.

Black and white architectural renderings look sharp enough to pick up shifts at the patent office. Glamour portrait photography could highlight Vogue covers. And vibrant apparel pops to life with electrifying color depth thanks to unique ink chemistry.

With a generous 13”x19” print size, you can go big with personalized blankets, yoga mats, tile murals and other plus-sized merch. This workhorse also handles scanning, copying and fax duties reliably.

Just be prepared to pay a bit more for cartridge ink over time. But for image perfectionists without compromise, a fair tradeoff.

Ideal For
Graphic artists, photographers, creative pros, and merchants wanting gallery print quality fully realized.

3. HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e

Print Quality: ★★★☆☆
Print Size: 8.5”x14”
Print Speed: 35ppm Color // 35ppm Monochrome
Ink: Cartridge

Sometimes getting it done fast trumps finer details. The OfficeJet Pro 9015e rips through high volumes at locomotive speed thanks to a potent 250-sheet tray and 35ppm output velocity.

It may lack the photographic subtleties of Epson, but vibrant PowerPoint slides and event banners come out punchy nonetheless. Copy and scan flexibility coupled with light desktop footprint make this an ideal all-in-one value for busy offices and shipping warehouses.

Oh, and did we mention it’s Instant Ink ready? Sign up to have HP auto-replenish cartridges at home printer-esque prices. Just stick to 8.5’’x14’’ compositions and this thing will treat you right 24/7.

Ideal For
High volume merchants, architects, agencies prioritizing efficiency and everyday utility.

4. Brother MFC-L3770CDW

Print Quality: ★★★☆☆
Print Size: 8.5”x14”
Print Speed: 24ppm Color // 24ppm Monochrome
Ink: Cartridge

Brother is near legendary for out-of-box simplicity and weekday workhorse reliability. The MFC-L3770CDW delivers consistent performance thanks to fine-tuned drivers and mechanical components tested up to 50,000 pages.

While image quality won’t blow away graphic designers, vibrant color and respectably crisp text meet standards for most merch applications. Notably it does handle envelopes and heavy cardstock with aplomb though.

Scan, copy, wireless and mobile printing round out a utilitarian package ready to assist admin tasks and shipOrders without complaint. Think Toyota Camry not Aston Martin.

Ideal For
Office managers, secondhand online sellers, and telecommuters valuing no-fuss dependability for mundane tasks.

5. Kodak Step Wireless Mobile Photo Printer

Print Quality: ★★★☆☆
Print Size: 2”x3” Sticky-Backed Photos
Print Speed: 40-50 Seconds Per Print
Ink: ZINK Zero Ink

Leave bulky printers behind! The palm-sized Kodak Step harnesses revolutionary ZINK tech to spit out 2”x3” sticky-backed photos you can print anywhere, anytime.

While the postage stamp dimensions limit product applications, the adhesive back makes these perfect for scrapbooking, journals, laptops, creative cards and invitations.

Simply print from your smartphone over Bluetooth up to twice as fast most mobile printers. With a lid protecting the paper tray, toss it in your purse without spill worries. Photos emerge fully dry to the touch and water resistant.

Definitely more of a niche hobbyist piece. But the ultimate portable printer if you want tangible memories of vacations, parties, recipes and moments without lugging equipment or changing ink.

Ideal For
Memory capturing, scrapbooking, snail mail, and diary documenting for heavy mobile users.

Now let’s compare some key factors between models…

Printer Comparison Tables

Getting Started With Sublimation Printing

Once you choose a printer, a basic sublimation print involves:

1. Print your design onto sublimation transfer paper using compatible ink

2. Heat press the transfer against your substrate using right temps/times

3. Watch as ink permanently bonds with the material!

Common beginner mistakes:

• Forgetting to print mirror images so transfers read correctly
• Using incorrect temps and times leading to faded or incomplete transfers
• Attempting to sublimate untreated surfaces that won’t bond properly

With practice, you’ll be customizing and selling creative goods in no time!

Creative Applications of Sublimation Printing

Beyond t-shirts and mugs, people leverage sublimation to make:

• Phone cases
• Yoga mats
• Blankets, pillows
• Shower curtains
• Ornaments
• Tiles
• Coasters
• And more!

If you can dream it, you can likely sublimate it using a quality budget printer suited for your needs.

Additional Equipment Needed

To unlock the full potential of sublimation printing, make sure you also grab:

• Heat Press – Applies precise temps/pressure to transfer ink during sublimation. Can find basic clamshell versions under $200.

• Transfer Paper – Special paper printed with sublimation ink before pressing. Usually 8.5”x11” sheets.

• Substrates – The base materials like fabric and mugs that accept sublimation ink.

• Design Software – Photoshop, Illustrator, or open source options like GIMP to create prints.

Key Takeaways: Best Cheap Sublimation Printers

The top low-cost sublimation printers balance print quality, size, speed and value:

Epson EcoTank ET-15000 – Best overall value with ultra low ink costs
Epson WorkForce WF-7720 – Best print quality for photography
HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e – Fastest print speeds
Brother MFC-L3770CDW – Most reliable model
Kodak Step – Most portable for mobile use

Figure out your budget, speed needs, and applications to pick the right one. Add a heat press and accessories to unlock amazing customization opportunities.

Sublimation empowers you to profit from your imagination – get printing today!