I am just learning myself but from what I can see, a normal printer can be converted to the sublimation ink but you will not want to switch back and forth. Also, you have to remember that the sublimation process will only work with products containing a polymer like polyester. I have heard that for shirts, the minimum is 65/35 blend.
Ok, so I will need to buy another printer... its not that bad... but then I figure I have to buy all these things to do sublimation...
new printer.... $100 (aprox)
Ink....................$295 (set of 4 colors)
Paper................$20 (110 sheets)
Color correction.$30 (dont know what this is?????)
Sub blanks.........Varies depending on what you get an how many
Termal tape ....... $6 (if needed)
total ............... $451
plus blanks...........$50
Grand total ..........$500 to get started.
And I can use my regular heat press for these?
or you can get a mug press if you want to do mugs
or you can do the mugs in the oven if you dont want to buy a mug press.
i've heard it works just as well.
You can also find dyesub ink cheaper at www.sublimationinfo.com. This is the website for Texas Original Graphics. They are the only one that I am aware of that is fighting Sawgrass and so far they are ahead. They cross filed against Sawgrass and were successful in getting the lawsuit moved from South Carolina to Texas Federal Court. I think a cart set for the C88 is about $210 or so
Hi if you are going to do mugs you will need a mug press or mug wraps, the wraps you can use in a convection oven,,,, tiles etc you should be able to do in your heat press,,,, sublimation is really cool and addictive,, the colors are very vivid,, it will blow you away,,,, I have 2 c 88+ and a 1280 but use mostly the 88 for all sub work....
You can buy a sublimation kit from several vendors that will provide a flat press, a mug press and a cap press, plus paper, tape, pads and some blanks for practice. Personalized mugs are the biggest part of my business now, but single tiles and tile murals are starting to come on strong. You could skip the hat press for now and get that when and if you need it.
I have heard that the wraps are not very consistent (only what I heard)
I'd disagree with that one. I have both a press and wraps and both have advantages. A press is faster for a short production run. Just warm up and press, but wraps are quicker for processing many at a time.
Only problem I've ever had with the wraps that a press would have avoided was handling a hot mug handle with a red oven glove and having red smear spots on the handle.
Wraps are a great way to get started, and will have value later on as well.
I have been using wraps in oven for two years and nevr had a problem.
I bought the ov-glove at walgreens and use it when I sublimate mugs and tiles.
I got my wraps from HIX. The clasp is easy to use.
Cindy
I have never had a problem with the wraps either. I would suggest getting a set or 2 of spongeless refillable cartridges for whatever printer you are using and buying your ink in bulk. That is cheaper than buying pre-loaded cartridges. You may want to look at a printer that can do 11x17 or 13x19 which would be a little more on your printer and ink cost. I have found many times I go beyond the 8.5x14 limitation of the cheaper epson printers.
You can do that... places like Johnson Plastics sell sample sets for pretty decent prices. Soon you'll be buying $500 and a time a working to buy large enough to qualify for free shipping
Sublimation ???? 
Re: Sublimation ???? 
