[superque]

I currently print only about once a month using JPSS on a heat press and want to get into sublimation as cheaply as possible.

Posts here have said older Epsoms are the way to go but I'm not sure which models to look out for online or at yard sales.

I have found an Encad-630 wide format for sale but don't know if it's reccommended. The seller was honest enough to tell me it wasn't used for 6 years and probably needs print heads, ink lines and a carriage cable but his asking price makes it a good deal if it's worth the effort.

 

[charles95405]

For your sanity...... pad on this. Cost to refurbish could easily exceed the price a need printer. What ever you choose make sure there is sublimation ink AND ICC profile for that printed

 

[headfirst]

I currently print only about once a month

Buy your transfers. You need to print at least a few days a week or you're asking for trouble.

 

[skdave]

First hand ones can be a nightmare as well. Pass on the one you are considering.

 

[freebird1963]

If my fading memory serves right the Encads were Kodak. And no longer in the printer business. So parts might be hard to come by. IF I recall right.

You can find some second hand ones here in the classifieds or sometimes on Craiglists. There are those that went into sublimation and found out they didn't want to do it, learning curve was too much etc. So they are looking to dump the equipment they bought. Sometimes they try to get what they paid and sometimes they just want whatever they can get. If you want to get in low cost look for a epson desktop printer with sub inks. Like the C88+ or one of the others that is letter/legal size paper printer.

Make sure you try it out first. I just bought a second hand one of a guy on here. Normally I'd stay local but price was right and he's been a contributor on here so figured he be pretty up front as not to get a bad name. For the most part the transaction went well.

You can order prints from some one. The issue I found with that is when you want to do just a one or two press you gotta wait and the cost is more than what its worth. Plus when your first start out you want to print and press anything you can to learn and get some stuff out there. Waiting for prints sucks and especially when you need just a few and want mug ones, and tshirt sized prints and license plate etc and all that. Yea got a 10-15 shirt order and not got the sub game down, order the prints till you get the ball rolling.

 

[pisquee]

For your sanity...... pad on this. Cost to refurbish could easily exceed the price a need printer. What ever you choose make sure there is sublimation ink AND ICC profile for that printed

Agree with the cost being prohibitive in having to try and resurrect a printer that has been out of use for 6 years, when (certainly in UK) there are wide format Epson printers on Ebay for around £250-£500.

So, an ICC profile/printed colours are affected by the inks, printer, and transfer paper and the product you are finally printing to (along with printer settings, heat press time/temp)
Are you seriously expecting an ink manufacturer to have made ICCs for all these combination of variables for every wide format printer produced in say the last 15 years. Or would it make more sense for the customer to choose their printer, paper, and inks, and then go and get some ICCs made? (or buy the profiling kit and do it themselves?) This is wide format, and professional printing - shouldn't need so much hand holding.

 

[freebird1963]

... This is wide format, and professional printing - shouldn't need so much hand holding.

Yea guess everyone was born with this knowledge like you were huh ?
Get real man. Why you even on the board with that attitude. ?

 

[pisquee]

OK, well you seem to have misunderstood what I was trying to convey, which is that the ink manufacturers, don't/can't make ICCs for every printer, and that in professional/wide-format printing it isn't/shouldn't be expected for them to... i.e. this isn't like Sawgrass consumer division where they tell you which few printers you can use and they provide an ICC (i.e. they hold your hand)
I am not, and was not saying that there is no hand-holding here on the forum.