Major considerations for Buying a Dye-Sublimation Printer (Media Size)

Media size is one of the most important factors to consider when selecting your dye-sublimation printer. Why is paper size so crucial? Because the largest transfer your printer is able to produce essentially determines the largest substrate you'll be able to transfer to.

With paper sizes ranging from 3"x 9" cut sheet to 126" wide rolls, it's important to understand which printer is best for your business and the products you want to produce now and in the future. Keeping the media size aspect in mind, let's dive into how it works! For starters, sublimation printers can essentially be broken down into 3 media size categories: desktop, mid-format, and wide-format.

Desktop Media Size

Although output sizes can vary, the print size you’ll get from the majority of desktop sublimation printers typically ranges between 8.5" x 11" and 13"x 19". Desktop printers such as the Sawgrass SG500 (up to 8.5" x 14" media standard and up to 8.5" x 21" with optional multi-bypass tray) and Sawgrass SG1000 (up to 11.75" x 17" media standard and 13" x 51" with optional multi-bypass paper tray) allows you to transfer onto a variety of products including coasters, name badges, bag tags, bottle openers, and much more.

A great way to jump into the world of sublimation without a large investment, desktop sublimation printers are without a doubt the bread and butter of most professional sublimators. At trade shows and client visits, however, we sometimes hear that business owners later realize that their smaller media output size limits how many products (and money) they can make.

In these cases, most end up purchasing a larger printer within a couple months. The good news for them is that they will have 2 printers! The (sorta') bad news is they didn't see how media size would impact them in the long term.

Mid-Format Media Size

Mid-format printers such as the Epson SureColor F570 (up to 24" x 100' roll media) and Sawgrass Virtuoso VJ628 (up to 24.8" x 250' roll media) can print transfers for a much larger group of products including 24" x 24" metal prints, rugs, and car mats.

In addition, the F570 and VJ628 printers are unique in that each can sit on a table, a desktop, or be placed on an optional printer stand with casters. In addition to being suited for large substrates, mid-format printers are also great for businesses wanting to increase productivity and efficiency by printing many smaller images on one page (e.g., dog tags, key chains, fridge magnets).

Wide format Media Size

3. Wide format: For the sake of simplicity I won't be commenting and teaching much on wide format media size, instead I'll direct you to someone who knows them best, Mickey Unsworth. He is your wide-format specialist and has been with Conde Systems for over 25 years helping clients purchase, maintain and utilize their wide format printers. His expertise is unmatched and he will gladly explain the nuances of these printers. (Much better than I ever could, but I'll go over the basics) If you have questions please click here to get in contact with him.

The basics of wide-format media size: Generally, they print out media size ranging from 44" RJ-900X wide to 74" Mutoh ValueJet VJ wide and on roll media. Wide format sublimation printers are incredibly powerful money making machines that have their own uniqueness, complexity and variables associated with them that are outside the scope of this blog. Mutoh produces a couple dedicated wide format dye-sublimation printers, the RJ-900x and Value-Jet, which are great examples of dedicated wide format sublimation printers.

Heat Press Consideration

Most clients that get into sublimation usually have a heat press already, so it's important to take into account the parameters of your press when purchasing a dye-sublimation printer. If your printer has a capacity to print 13“x 19” (SG1000) but your heat press only does 12“ x 12” then you’re not taking full advantage of your printer. This brings me back to my main point: Deciding and planning on what products you would or want to make is your best plan of action when considering what size press and printer to buy.

It should be mentioned that just because the max print size is 8.5" x 14", doesn’t mean you have to print that size every time. The Sawgrass line of printers, SG500 & SG1000, have paper trays that are adjustable to take virtually any size paper within their max range. For example, if you are printing an image for a 11oz mug, instead of using a 8.5“ x 11” sheet of DyeTrans Transfer Paper, we offer a mug sized paper that will fit this size accordingly.

Investing in yourself!

Purchasing a dedicated dye-sublimation printer should be seen as an investment into your business or hobby and in YOU!

With any investment you need to do your due diligence in making sure you are making a smart and wise choice.

Considering the size and capabilities of a sublimation printer and heat press should be a major consideration.

Thanks for reading, if you have any further questions then feel free to reach out to me via email or social media. If you enjoyed this blog and feel someone else might then please share.

As always,
"Don't hate, sublimate!