We're thinking of adding a Epson 4800 Hybrid to our shop. I was told that cartridges were better than the bulk ink system. Is this correct?
Is Chromablast cost affective for small jobs? We like the idea of being able to print on cotton. Where do you recommend buying from?
The general rule is running a closed ink system is less trouble than running a bulk / refill system. Any time you can introduce air, dust or other containments into the ink delivery system...you are bound to have more maintenance. In regards to running refillable sublimation inks in the 4800, Sawgrass does not allow this. So, this is not really an option for you any ways.
ChromaBlast is a light transfer process and will cost around $2.00 - $2.50 for an 8.5" x 11" print (that is ink and paper cost - not shirt cost). There are other hybrid configurations that allow you to use other inks other than ChromaBlast for heat transfers and SubliJet IQ for sublimation ink. For example, there is a setup that has ink that is designed for both light and dark inkjet transfer papers for cotton shirts. The cost of the ink and paper is also less expensive. For more information on other hybrid setups, you can check out MultiRIP Screen Printing, Sublimation, Transfers, Photograph and General Printing RIP Software.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions if you have them. Best wishes.
I appreciate the help. With Chromablast can you only print on light color cotton shirts or does it work as long as the graphic is darker than the shirt? What is the difference between the 4800 and 4880 models?
For any light transfer solution (including ChromaBlast), the colors in the designs need to be darker than the color of the garment in order for the colors to look correct. The best example is if you wanted to put a picture of a blonde, caucsian girl on to a pink shirt. If you use a light transfer paper, the girl will have strawberry colored hair and will have a sunburn.
The primary difference between the 4880 and the 4800 is the 4880 is a little faster and the print head has a teflon coating. The positive thing for the 4800 (older version) is that the ink chips have the ability to tell you how much ink is in the cartridge and will allow you to move the cartridge from one printer to another. The current 4880 chips give you no clue as to the ink level and once they go into one printer, you can't move the cartridge to another printer. There are several companies that are working on a solution to these problems with the 4880 chips. Both the 4800 and 4880 are the best printers to hybrid in my opinion. So either one should be fine.
I just bought the 4800 with multirip software and a dual setup. I can do sub dye and heat transfer. I have 4 sub dye inks in one side of the printer and 4 multink(general printing and heat transfer on the other). You need to get the multirip software to split the printer. You don't have to go with Chromoblast to have a dual setup. I've heard some negatives about chromoblast so I didn't choose that route. It's also more costly than regular heat transfer and I don't think the results are much better. I highly recommend the JPSS transfer paper for heat transfer. It's a little hard to find the 4800 vs. 4880 now. I had to really look around. I don't recommend getting the package from Paper Ranch. I've had alot of issues with them. See if you can find it from another vendor. The Multirip is awesome and easy to use and I highly recommend that and Mark has been super to work with. When I didn't get my software from Paper Ranch like I was suppose to Mark was able to send me a link to go ahead and set it up while the paper ranch people told me I had to wait until Monday. He was out of town at a show and was able to help me out so I could get going over the weekend. Meanwhile, I still have not heard back from PR a week later.
In retrospect, I sometimes wonder if I should have gone with a cheaper printer- buyer's remorse...lol. The 4800 is super large. Much bigger than it looks. I actually thought I had received the wrong thing at first. The few items that I have experimented on so far have turned out great. The only problem I have with it is that it often doesn't feed the paper right for some reason. Also this printer is way too large to take on the road. Not and issue for me but something to consider if you do that sort of thing. We saw a neat setup at a gymnastics competition last weekend. A lady was taking photos of the competitors and had the full set-up on site to take those photos and print on a T-shirt, mouse-pad, etc. She sold alot!
Glad to here you are up and running. Printing at events is definitely where the money is. You would be surprised how much people would be willing to pay for a shirt from an event where their child just competed in. We did the same thing for karate and gymnastic tourneys. You just need to have someone going around and taking pictures. We also do some staged pictures (i.e. picture of the kid breaking a board that was already broken) and they always looked better. If the customer bought enough, I would even email them the picture.
When we first started off, we had an Epson 1280 for dye sub and Epson R1800 for transfers - both running bulk feed systems. The problem was it seemed like it took 10 - 20 minutes to get the bulk feed systems ready to print everytime. Even had to break out the syringe a couple of times. This was the primary reason why I got MultiRIP created. It is much easier for me to have one other person help me carry a 4800 printer into the gym and basically just turn it on compared to carrying two different printers with two bulk feed systems that are going to need some TLC to get them working properly. I can also lock down the print head on the Epson 4800 to make it better to travel with as well. Just a little background on where MultiRIP has come from.
What is the difference between Heat Transfer Ink and Chromablast?
I know Chromablast is made by Sawgrass and Heat Transfer Ink tends to be cheaper. Is there a different feel to the shirt? When we've seen digital transfer they sometimes feel rubbery. Is that due to the type of fabric that its bonded to?
I'm not suprised at all. I'm one of those crazy competitive gymnastics parents and I have paid tons over the last year for all sorts of things sold at the competitions. It's definitely a great market. It's very costly to put your child into a competitive team and so paying 30 bucks for a t-shirt, etc. is nothing. It seems like it would be easier to have a smaller printer but i guess considering all the things that could go wrong with the bulk systems etc., I see your point.
Rambler,
I really don't know that much about the chromoblast. I did see a huge difference between like regular avery type paper and JPSS(jetpro soft stretch) with heat transfer. I like the sublimation alot better but I've done some decent tees just playing around with the heat transfer and jPSS paper. You just have to put some sort of outline around your design or lettering and cut 1/8th of an inch around and then it comes out nice. Otherwise, you will notice where the transfer paper ends. It can even be a faint line/ shape/ box, etc. I just try to incorporate that into the design so it looks like it was meant to be there. The hand is soft and it stretches without cracking. I'm new at this but I'm sure others could offer more advice.
What is the difference between Heat Transfer Ink and Chromablast?
I know Chromablast is made by Sawgrass and Heat Transfer Ink tends to be cheaper. Is there a different feel to the shirt? When we've seen digital transfer they sometimes feel rubbery. Is that due to the type of fabric that its bonded to?
Rambler,
When you look at a final product made by a heat transfer, the total look / feel of the design on the shirt is a combination of the chemistry of both the ink and paper. There are several different types of paper that provide you a different hand / feel. The traditional rule is the heavier the hand, the more polymer that is on the paper and the more polymer will help you keep your ink on the shirt longer. With the advancement in chemistry of the paper, the manufacturers have been able to minimize the hand / feel compared to the older heat transfer paper. What makes ChromaBlast unique is the binders in the ink allow you to use a transfer paper that has a very low amount of polymer on it. With the combination of the binders in the ink and the low polymer paper, you get a ready good hand / feel. But ChromaBlast is a light transfer paper solution.
It is also important to understand that there are two main categories of heat transfer paper: light and dark / opaque transfer paper. The light transfer paper when cured to the shirt will have the polymer separate from the paper backing of the transfer paper and will become clear. This is why when you do a transfer on to a color shirt, your colors can change. See my previous example in this post about the picture of the blonde girl on a pink shirt. The dark / opaque transfer paper is used when you have colors in your design that are lighter than the color of your shirt. The dark transfer paper has a white backing on it that will prevent the color of the shirt from altering the colors of your graphic. However, the white backing does make the hand / feel much more thicker than a light transfer. The same concept is required when you do screen printing and direct-to-garment (dtg) printing. If you go to the mall and look at any dark color shirts, you will see how it feels much thicker than a white t-shirt print. The only exception is discharge printing - which is an entire other subject.
The best recommendation I can provide you is to call some of the heat transfer distributors and see if you can get some sample packs of paper to play with. Some distributors might charge you a small fee, but it will be well worth it. You really need to test several different types of paper and see what your customers are going to want.
Great post, Mark. Hey, Mark, can the Epson 4800 run ink other than the Chromoblast on the side opposite dyesub? I"m still confused on this printer and what it's main function/perk is. Thanks.
__________________ Please ask Q's in the threads as I may not see your PM. A many wonderful folk will be willing to help you. Apologies to those not answered, as I sign on sporadically these days. Thx 4 undrstnding. Have a great day.
Yes, you have the options of running the following ink sets in each channels:
- CMYK Channels - ArTainium or SubliJet IQ sublimation inks
- LcLmLkLlk Channels - ChromaBlast (light transfer ink) and MultINK (light & dark transfer ink, film positive ink)
The MultINK is an ink that is sold under several different names by distributors of transfer inks and film positive inks. Just like several types of transfer papers, the distributors tend to give products a different name so you will come back asking for the same name and stick with them. MultINK is just a good overall ink made for transfers that the manufacturer decided to put UV inhibitors into the ink to make it even better at printing film positives.
As for what the main perk of running a hybrid printer is that instead of investing in two smaller printers that have a smaller printable space, need bulk feed systems to run them cost effectively and tend to not last as long... you invest in a larger printer that is designed for production work. For example, I started out with an Epson 1280 for dye sub and an Epson R1800 for inkjet transfers. Trying to keep both bulk feed systems running properly was a chore in itself. So going with a larger printer (I own an Epson 4800), I can let the printer easily sit for a week and not have a problem with it. It would take me several head cleans or even using a syringe to get the bulk feed systems working properly. So less maintenance, your time savings and not wasting as much ink is why people consider the hybrid printers.
Wow, thank you, Mark. It does help alot and I am going to save this post for future reference. I appreciate your posts so much, thanks, Mark.
__________________ Please ask Q's in the threads as I may not see your PM. A many wonderful folk will be willing to help you. Apologies to those not answered, as I sign on sporadically these days. Thx 4 undrstnding. Have a great day.
I have the 4880 and I'm disappointed with the color production from chromablast. I don't run it too often lately (just nozzle checks every other day) the ink that goes on the shirt isn't bright at all. It looks faded.
I previously ran a 60 shirt job and all ink looked blah. What can I do to enhance the color?
Epson 4800 Hybrid 
