Best Sublimation Printer of 2019: Top Printer for Heat Transfers

You are here because you want to get the best sublimation printer for your home or office work, that’s obvious. So, I will not waste your time by giving you the info which you already know. You can directly jump to the “products section” to make your choice. But for those who are new in the filed or getting their first heat transfer printer, I have to mention some points here.

You may know that the sublimation printer transfers the dye through heating on various materials like fabric or plastic. Such printers in most cases are the computer Inkjet printers. It’s already known that Inkjet printers are capable of handling various types of printing technologies like dye sublimation printing, thermal printing, digital printing, 3D printing, etc. Here, we will focus on the Dye Sublimation.

The modern computer printers are capable of working on different varieties of material to print the perfect photos like professionals. This kind of functionality lets you get most out of your dye sublimation printer. The unique process of heat transfer on the material to create high-quality prints by this kind of printer is simply outperforming to the various kinds of inkjet and laser printers available today.

Check my top picked dye sublimation printers out there. Later, I will show you a quick buying guide to get worth your money on such heat transfer machine.

Best Sublimation Printer

1. Kodak Dock & WiFi Patent Dye Sublimation Printer

Based on one touch printing technology, this Kodak wireless dye sublimation printer is compatible with Android and iOS systems also. You need not copy the files to your computer or memory card to print them as this printer has docking technology which lets you print directly from your device with a single press button.

Specifications of Kodak Wireless Dye Sublimation Printer:

1. It provides 4-inch with 6-inch printing size of photos.
2. This machine weighs 760 grams.
3. You can connect it to the 5-pin micro USB port or through the WiFi connection.
4. It supports 16.7 million colors with 256 Gradations.
5. You can use PHC-40, PHC-80, or PHC-120 ink cartridges.

Pros

Pros

• Simple to use printer, with just a press of a button
• It is a two in one machine; a dye sublimation printer + a charger
• Easy printing technology makes you worry free from storing your files on the computer or a USB drive
• Cool and compact design makes it perfect for home as well as for offices
• The inbuilt app will help to edit the photos, create filters, create templates, and much more

Cons

Cons

• Sometimes the user can get difficulties while connecting to WiFi
• May not work with some DSLR cameras

Buy From Amazon

What will you get?

1. One Kodak Dye Sublimation Printer
2. Ten Photo Cartridge and Paper Pack
3. One Power Adapter
4. A User Guide
5. One iOS Device Adapter
6. One charging dock attachment

2. Canon Office Products 2234C001 SELPHY CP1300 Wireless Sublimation Printer

The SELPHY CP1300 is a wireless photo printer from Canon is a compact sized wireless machine which uses the heat transfer technology to give you an instant copy of your photos. You can create water-resistant fun collages prints with the Party Shuffle (takes inputs from multiple smartphones and combines them) feature.

Specifications of Canon SELPHY CP1300 Printer:

1. You can print in various sizes like 2.1” by 2.1”, 2.1” by 3.4”, 3.5” by 4.7”, 2” by 6”, and 4” by 6”.
2. This machine comes with an LCD of 3.2-inch size.
3. You can connect with it through the Canon print app, USB memory card, PictBridge, AirPrint, Morpia Device Printing, or through the WiFi.
4. It has a printing speed of approximately 47 seconds for a borderless postcard with the size of 4-inch by 6-inch.
5. It is weighing around 862 grams.

Pros

Pros

• Through the dye sublimation printing technology, you will get instant photo prints from your device
• The copies will instantly dry and will stay as it is for many years due to the quality of printing
• The built-in LCD helps to choose the printing type and size easily. Also, you can edit the images before making the print
• With the included additional battery pack, you can use this printer almost anywhere to print from the memory card or your smartphone
• The sleek, portable, and lightweight design will allow you to take it anywhere you go (travel-friendly printer)

Cons

Cons

• It has a printing limitation and can’t print the images larger than 4-inch by 6-inch
• Compared to other standard sublimation printers, it has slower speed of printing

Buy From Amazon

What will you get?

1. One compact sized Canon wireless SELPHY CP1300 heat transfer printer
2. 108 sheets of postcard size paper with ink level for making 108 prints
3. One postcard size paper cassette
4. One compact adapter for power
5. An additional battery pack

3. Brand New Epson C88+ Sublimation Printer

Upgraded from the Epson Stylus C88+ Workforce 30 machine, the C88+ is the best Epson printer for sublimation printing requirements. It is bundled with HotZone360 Empty Sis for Pigment or sublimation ink for delivering top-quality printing.

Specification of Epson C88+ Printer for Sublimation:

1. The input printing tray can hold up to 120 sheets.
2. It weighs 15 pounds.
3. The automated printing functionality can print up to 19 pages per minute.
4. It can print banners of 44” long size.
5. It has faster printing speed compared to the other sublimation printers with about 23 pages per minute.

Pros

Pros

• It provides perfect picture-print-quality compared to other costly dye sublimation printers
• This printer is compatible with any type of ink to print through the heat transfer technology
• Due to its compact design, it is beneficial for the home users. Especially for those who have lack of desktop space
• The photo quality is strong with rich color output and instant drying functionality
• It can deliver border-free printing with scratch resistant, fade resistant and water resistant quality of paper

Cons

Cons

• It may become slow when you try to print too many photos at once
• A slightly high price than the other sublimation printers

Buy From Amazon

What will you get?

One brand new C88+ Bundled Epson Dye Sublimation Printer   

 4. DNP Photo DS-RX1HS Dye Sublimation Printer

If you want to perform the photo booth portrait printing, then go nowhere else than the DS-RX1HS dye sublimation printer from DNP Photo. Though this machine is built specifically for the business purpose, it is quite affordable than many other sublimation printers available in the market.

Specifications of DNP Photo DS-RX1HS Dye Sublimation Printer:

1. It weighs 30 pounds.
2. You can print by selecting from various sizes like 6” by 8”, 5” by 7”, 4” by 6”, or 2” by 6”.
3. Due to its environment-friendly build, it consumes almost 25% of less power in running, ideal, and peak modes.
4. It can print almost 290 pages per hour with the size of 4-inch by 6-inch.
5. It has a range of printing resolutions from 300 x 300 dpi to 600 x 600 dpi.

Pros

Pros

• You can have both the glossy as well as matte finish on the paper without changing the media
• It has much higher printing capacity per hour compared to many standard sublimation printers
• This machine is perfect for the professional photography studios, self-service photo kiosks, and various counter top terminals
• The lower price makes it favorable for the small business owners
• It comes with two catch trays feature which is not common in the dye sublimation printing machines.

Cons

Cons

• It has limited media size
• Machine is heavier and is not so travel-friendly

Buy From Amazon

What will you get?

1. One DNP Photo DS-RX1HS Dye Sublimation Printer
2. One power cord
3. One installation CD
4. Manufacturer warranty card of 1-year

5. Sony DPP-FP90 Picture Station Digital Photo Printer

The Sony DPPFP55 Picture Station Digital Printer is one of the most sought dye sublimation printers out there. This dedicated printing machine can print from the memory cards, compatible cameras, smartphones, and desktop as well as laptop PCs.

Specifications of Sony DPPFP55 Dye Sublimation Printer:

1. You can print photos by selecting either from 3.6” by 5” or 4” by 6” dimensions.
2. It is weighing only 907 grams.

Pros

Pros

• Compared to other dye sublimation printer, the Sony DPPFP55 offers lower cost per print
• Due to its lightweight design, this printer is extremely portable
• The lamination process from Sony prevents the fading and color shifting
• Your photo will be water resistant, heat resistant and fingerprint resistant because of the Sony Super Coat 2 Technology
• No need to setup when you connect the Digital camera through the USB port of the machine

Cons

Cons

• No battery option
• Limited size for photo printing

Buy From Amazon

What will you get?

1. A Sony DPP-FP55 Digital Dye-Subli Printer
2. One cleaning cartridge
3. A single paper tray
4. One AC adapter with cable
5. An installation CD
6. Ten sheets of sample print

How to Choose the Best Sublimation Printer?

Let’s get a quick look at essential things that should be considered while you are purchasing a sublimation printer for personal or professional work.

Your use

First, decide which kind of needs you have from the heat transfer printing machine. If you mostly want a device for printing photos, then you should not go for expensive units. If there are some other needs than just copying images (what you can make with sublimation printer? Give your answers in the comment section), then you can go for some higher specified machine.

Type of the printer

There are different kinds of sublimation printers available in the market. It includes desktop printers, wide format printers, and narrow format printers. The desktop printers are ideal for offices due to their simple use, flexible accommodation, and fair price. They can print A3/A4 size. The wide format printers are mostly used by the industries which have high-end printing jobs like banners, hoardings, textiles, etc. They can print from 44 inches to 104-inch size. The narrow format printers can print from 16.5 inches to 44-inch size. They are widely used commercially where multiple printing of large files are needed.

Ink Colors

Different types of printers support a different number of ink colors. There is four-color base, and eight-color base printers are available in the market. While the inkjet printers support thousands of colors.

Speed of Printing

Speed is what matters for most of the users, especially for commercial use. Check how much time the machine takes to print the standard size of the material. If it is too slow, then it can take a longer time to print multiple objects. If it is too fast, then it may miss of printing some complex/micro kind of printing. So, an average printing speed will be okay.

Durability & Warranty

The product you are selecting should be durable enough to fulfill your expectations and needs. It also should come with a reasonable warranty period and quality. If you choose the sublimation printer from a branded company, then you can get these both things.

Price

Price is also a significant factor while choosing the heat transfer machine. As a high-end sublimation printer can print mugs, high-quality photos, fabric, etc. it costs more than a typical printer. Also, the ink support, speed, and other factor do take part in deciding the price of the printing machine. Check the cost of the sublimation printer and determine if it will fit your budget or not.

Get your favorite printer for heat transfer

Here, I have provided the top sought dye sublimation printers available on the market today. You can compare their specs, advantages, drawbacks, the package inclusions, and of course, your budget to pick up the perfect heat transfer printing machine.

The most beneficial use of a dye-subli printer is that you can make custom heat transfer prints with the only boundary of your imaginations. There are a number of blogs which can guide you for having ideas on dye sublimation printing.

If you want to make any suggestions, have any query, or want to recommend a heat transfer printer that is not mentioned here, then you can get in touch with me by using the comment section below.