Discuss the different brands, makes and models of printers used to print inkjet and laser heat transfers. Also includes information on the inks that can be used to make your own transfers.
I'm a newbie too. I have the same printer question plus one more. I can only afford one printer, and my wife wants to print photos on the same printer. Would the epson 1400 work for both until I can purchase another printer? Thanks for your help!
I'm a newbie too. I have the same printer question plus one more. I can only afford one printer, and my wife wants to print photos on the same printer. Would the epson 1400 work for both until I can purchase another printer? Thanks for your help!
Yes. I purchased mine primarily for photos and it prints them beautifully. My main goal was to be able to print my own large sized photo's.
Im going to start a t shirt business using the heat press method.
Just wondered which printer i should go for?
Is the Stylus Photo 1400 the best one to go for?
Its at the high end of my budget...is there any similar alternatives?
Thanks
The 1400 is used by many members here. Some change out the ink to pigment, some use the Claria that comes with the printer.
Always test your chosen ink, paper, and shirt combo with wash tests to be sure you like the results. Each factor will make a difference in the end result.
The 1400 is a large format printer. If you do not need the large format, you can go with the cheaper c120 (on epson.com, the refurbs go for under $40 most of the time.)
If you want the larger format, the 1400 is a good choice. Epson also lists the refurbs for sale on their site.
I bought a new 1400 for $299 and no shipping on a special deal Epson had a while back. Got $100 back in rebates, so it actually was only $199. Not bad at all. I'm using the heat transfer ink in refillable carts from Inkjetcarts.com which works well. You really can't use it for photos or any kind of quality prints. It fades out on the jpss paper I use and looks like hell until I hit it with the heat press and it comes back to life. If you want the printer for dual purpose, you might try straight pigment ink, or even a Claria substitute. I tried the stock Claria when I first bought the printer and it worked great. Sometimes I wonder if the Claria substitute would work just as well. Good Luck!
Ivancuriel used the Claria compatible and he liked it. Later, he went over to inkjetfly.com's pigment ink, because they asked him to test it. Inkjetfly created a color profile just for JPSS paper. Ivan liked this combination as well.
I am probably going to leave my 1400 as Claria or claria compatible... as I mainly bought it to do the photos (and DVD/CD printing, whoo hoo, this printer prints directly onto them, like that as well.)
I read where your JPSS looks faded right after printing, but brightens up again once pressed. My JPSS does the same thing, when I use Durabrite ink. Others have noticed it as well. I was really worried the print would look faded on the shirt as well, but it didn't. It pressed nicely, very vibrant. I did mess with the contrast/bright settings tho, to get some more punch and depth into the print, but I also did that when I used Ironall. Ironall didn't look faded when printed like JPSS. The more JPSS dries, the paler the print gets, right? It was spooky when I first saw it... but like you, my print pressed totally fine when under the press.
Hi I am also in the uk and looking to start printing t-shirts I have purchased a press but not a printer or anything else yet, have found it all a bit confusing if you could recommend any printers or suppliers this would be really helpfull
Thanks Tracy
Epson Stylus Photo 1400 ?? Best Printer? 
