I can understand well that sublimation printers are extremely expensive and difficult to find these days. Also, I appreciate your desire for a different option; after all, who doesn’t want his own sublimation printer? The good news is that with a little bit of understanding, anyone can convert a regular printer into a sublimation printer in just five minutes without exerting too much effort or investing any additional money.
However, if a standard printer is compatible with piezoelectric or pressure technology, it can be converted to sublimation. In this situation, you ought to use a brand-new printer, if possible (never refilled with another ink). Moreover, sublimation ink should be injected to get to work on your designs.
Additionally, a printer’s capacity to produce sublimations frequently depends on the printing method it uses. Sublimation printers use thermal or piezoelectric (pressure) technology. In this article, I will discuss the steps by which a conventional printer can be transformed into a sublimation printer by a vital technique.
Contents
- Converting My Printer To Sublimation
- 1. Tools That Need to Convert a Conventional Printer to a Sublimation Printer
- 2. Steps to Convert a Conventional Printer to a Sublimation Printer
- 3. Steps to Convert a Used Printer to a Sublimation Printer
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Posts:
Converting My Printer To Sublimation
1. Tools That Need to Convert a Conventional Printer to a Sublimation Printer
- A brand spanking new inkjet printer
- Refillable ink cartridge
- Injection syringe with needle
- Sublimation ink
- A set of vinyl gloves
2. Steps to Convert a Conventional Printer to a Sublimation Printer
1. Configure The Printer Setup
First of all, you must ensure that your printer is operating properly. Start by configuring the inkjet printer as you typically do. So, use the manufacturer’s provided set of instructions. Use the operator’s cartridges that came with the printer to install them.
To see if the nozzle is functioning properly, test print on a piece of blank paper. Make sure the printer consistently produces images that are clear, vibrant, and free of broken lines. Use the user manuals that are given to alter the settings if the image is fuzzy and off-color.
2. Fill The Sublimation Ink
In order to protect your delicate hands from ink spills, start by putting on your gloves. Place just the tip of the needle inside the sublimation ink bottle. To suck in the sublimation ink, gently pull the syringe’s top. To prevent issues during filling, make sure there are no bubbles in the syringe.
The fill hole and the vent hole are the two holes that most cartridges have. Gently place the syringe into the fill hole. Take cautious not to pierce the cartridge’s thin plastic lining. Push the syringe’s cap slowly to fill the cartridge. The cartridge should only be 7/8 full to give you a margin of error.
In order to prevent the mixing of different colored inks when replenishing mixed color inks, handle each one separately. Verify the printer is operating properly after adding the sublimation ink. Keep in mind that inserting sublimation ink affects the printer’s warranty. As a result, you must detect any issues with your new printer before conversion so that you can get assistance if necessary.
3. Refill Ink Cartridges (Optional)
To add sublimation ink to the set of refillable cartridges, use the injection syringe and needle. Observe the instructions that came with your ink cartridges. You can skip this step if your cartridges were pre-filled with sublimation ink. Choose ink from suppliers with the correct profile, if you plan to buy your sublimation ink separately to prevent color issues and ensure that the colors come out accurately.
4. Install Ink Cartridges
Lift the printer’s lid, then lift the lever that holds the ink cartridges. Remove the original inkjet printer cartridges and replace them with the refillable ones. Verify the installation and safety of the cartridges.
When you install them, you should hear a clicking sound. After that, you can close the lid and the ink cartridge lever. Keep the original cartridges that came with the printer in a safe place because you might have problems with refillable cartridges in the future.
5. Eliminate The Old Ink
Prior to printing with the new ink, you must completely clear the print head and lines of all the old ink because you just installed a new cartridge with specialty ink. Before you start printing, perform at least 5 additional print head thorough cleaning to completely remove the old ink.
6. Test The Functioning
Check the accuracy and straightness of the lines by running a nozzle check after that. Run as many lines as necessary to correct any uneven lines until everything is exactly straight.
7. Proceed To Print
Download and set up the free Sublimation software before you can start sublimating your t-shirts. To ensure that everything prints perfectly at home or at the office, open this application and then change the image’s size before putting it on one of the many shirt patterns available. In this app’s settings, you can also adjust the colors if necessary.
By changing its proportions, you can get the ideal photograph. Therefore, they match the ultimate product we want to produce, which might include both portrait and landscape layouts depending on how big or tiny someone wants their customized clothing to be.
3. Steps to Convert a Used Printer to a Sublimation Printer
Clean ink tanks or cartridges. To ensure thorough cleaning, it is better to purge the air. If you’ve purchased one, you must change out the used cartridge for a sublimation cartridge. However, you must avoid combining sublimation ink with ink that has previously been used with a conventional printer if you decide to utilize a cartridge.
Add more sublimation ink to the cartridge. Make sure to clean the cartridge. Your printer may become damaged if you mix conventional ink with specialist sublimation ink. Print your design with the sublimation printer after loading it.
Transfer the printed artwork to its ultimate location; the blank must be suitable for sublimation. Before purchasing the substrate, compatibility can be verified. The image or graphic is transferred from sublimation paper to fabric using a heat press or mug press.
Final Thoughts
I hope the above information will able you to transform your regular printer into a sublimation device. Although it may appear difficult, all that requires a few supplies and a working understanding of printers. The procedure of converting a sublimation printer is far less expensive than buying one from the beginning and is also a fantastic way to try out sublimation to determine whether you want to put more money into it or not.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I turn a used printer into a sublimation printer?
Not really any, we can only use a compatible Inkjet printer for sublimation. For example, the two primary printers i.e. “cold” Piezo technology, which relies on PRESSURE to print, and thermal technology printers, which use HEAT to spread or “boil” the ink onto paper.
2. Can I convert my Canon printer into a sublimation printer?
Canon printers cannot be made into sublimation printers as they use heat to print, which sublimation ink cannot.
3. Does sublimation need special ink?
You must use a particular kind of ink characterized as disperse dyes (often referred to as “dye-sub inks”) since the chemical reaction for dye sublimation is highly particular. High temperatures enable these dyes to change from a solid to a gaseous form, and they readily adhere to polyester materials.
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