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Of course we’re only going to consider printers that are “Brand New” when we look at the cheapest sublimation printer. Sales excluded, you will likely pay the least amount of money for the Epson EcoTank 2720.
What is the Cheapest Sublimation Printer? The cheapest printer that can be used to print sublimation is likely to be the entry level Epson EcoTank 2720. While Epson doesn’t market it as a sublimation printer, thousands of sublimators use the Epson 2720 in their sublimation business.
The EcoTank 2720 costs about the same as the Epson Workforce 7710 (link to pricing) but the 7710 and the 7720 are being discontinued by Epson. Not to mention, the EcoTank line (Regardless of Model #) costs less money to adapt it to a sublimation printer. Here’s why:
What You Need to Convert the ET 2720 for Sublimation: or 3700, 4700, 15000, 16500
The EcoTank printers, regardless of model number, will require you to buy sublimation ink…..and that’s it. Even though the printers come with ink, the ink inside the box is NOT sublimation ink; it’s pigment ink. Save that pigment ink, sell it….do whatever you want with it.
The only thing you cannot do with the Epson pigment Ink is put it in your new printer if you want to use it for sublimation.
Besides sublimation ink, you’ll need nothing else for the printing portion. But you will need to hook the printer up to a computer in order to print quality prints.
Before beginning, be sure you know the basics of sublimation by visiting our home page.
Info about supplies such as sublimation paper, heat tape etc. are just normal business costs for beginning a sublimation business.
Overall, it’s very easy to turn the Epson 2720 into a printer than can be used for sublimation.
What You Need to Convert Epson Workforce Printers for Sublimation
Epson Workforce printers require you to by sublimation ink AND empty cartridges for the new ink. These printers will come with cartridges that are full of pigment ink. So instead of installing the included cartridges, you’ll need to buy empty cartridges, and you’ll need to buy bottles of Sublimation ink.
You’ll pour sublimation ink into the empty cartridges and then install the cartridges into the printer. Save or sell the genuine cartridges. Some people take the gold computer chips off and save them. It may come in handy to have these chips down the road.
Where to Buy the Epson 2720 or Other Eco Tank Model
With many people still working from home, it’s hard to find printers. And the popularity of the EcoTank makes these printers even harder to come by. That’s because they are great for both office use AND Sublimation!
Check amazon.com daily (link to Eco Tank Printers) as they will often pop up. You can also score an Eco Tank at Officedepot.com and if you have an Office Depot near you, it’s worth going into the store and checking their stock. We’ve noticed not all websites are accurate when they say “sold out”.
Finally, you can shop right on Epson.com by clicking the banner below. Epson.com doesn’t inflate prices and they ship free to most US locations.
Don’t forget they have a refurbished printer section and sometimes you can get an EcoTank for an additional percent off the normal retail. We bought a refurbished ET-3750 from their refurbished center and it was a nice savings!
EPSON Printers: Is Automatic Document Feed Worth It?
An ADF capable printer allows you to stack multiple sheets of paper onto a fold-out type tray, and then press the copy button, or the scan button. It is a huge convenience for those who need to copy and print multi-page documents and booklets or for those who need to constantly convert paper copies into multi-page PDF.s for computer sharing.
If you’re going to use an EPSON printer as a dedicated sublimation printer and you’re looking for the least expensive route, ADF technology is mostly wasted and therefore, not worth spending the extra money if budget is a concern.
ADF capable printers are also a little larger than non-ADF and should be considered when space is a concern.
For sublimation, the best prints will be produced when you print directly from your computer, tablet or other device. Using the printer’s copy function to print a sublimation transfer usually results in poor quality. Avoid it at all costs.
In Conclusion
Because you will not need to buy all new cartridges, you will spend less money adapting an Epson EcoTank than you will adapting an Epson Workforce line.
When you’re looking for the least expensive printer to start sublimating, at this time, the entry level EcoTank model is called the 2720.