In the modern era of designing and printing, high-quality production on different materials, Sublimation has been top-ranked among all other technologies such as screen printing. It is the only choice for privileged designers and professionals due to its quality of perfect decorating technique and ever-lasting heat transfer.
Decoration and printing done through Sublimation do not fade away and are held for years. Due to these reasons, this is the most preferred technique used for printing. Although it is very classy but also hiked in price, it is not for people with small start-ups and hobbyists.
It is no secret that the prices of sublimation printers have skyrocketed and not coming down in any way these days. You may consider getting your sublimation printer for your small business, but it looks unthinkable to bring your own due to the high prices.
At the same time, getting all your work done by just outsourcing may be challenging due to high-price printing and low capital funding available for your start-up.
A brand-new sublimation printer can have more price than a small car if you buy a new printer that may cost up to more than $10,000, which is a vast amount for new businesses and people who are taking it as a hobby.
To run your business, you will require a specialized printer to print massive quantities of T-shirts, Mugs, Caps, decorations, canvases, and other designs like this. Also, some people use the sublimation printer for occasional use, like printing on family mugs. So buying a high-priced printer may only be suitable for some of these.
But don’t worry. If you have waited for the cuts in the price for these printers, but have yet to work, then we have a solution for you that is very cheap but has excellent results.
With a small amount of money, you can change an HP printer into a sublimation printer by which you can enjoy the same quality in printing.
First Things First
There are two ways to transfer the ink to the printer head for printing. The first is internal through the cartridge, and the other is external through the bulk ink delivery system.
Small-scale printers use internal cartridges where ink is provided directly to the printer head, which is more efficient than an external tube system. Also, this is a high-cost low, a capacity system that could be more desirable. So, it can only be used on a small scale or with small printers, which hobbyists only use.
We need to use an external bulk ink delivery system for large-scale and professional work. In this system, ink is stored in bags and then transferred to the printer through a tubing system. Inside these large-scale printers, we have an internal damper cartridge system that acts the same as a direct cartridge for printing.
After the massive usage of both systems, internal and external cartridges will lose their primary efficiency and fail to deliver the same quality printing work. To reset it to originality, you must use the cleaning cycle all through the printer damper, or you most probably have to change the damper cartridge.
Read more: Can You Use Sublimation Ink for Regular Printing?
How to Convert an Inkjet HP Printer to Sublimation Printer?
Please convert a printer that has never been used before; otherwise, you will regret it. It is so because the older one will mix the regular ink with the colors to be used for Sublimation; otherwise, it has zero value and will ruin your project.
It is also advised to have a continuous supply of ink to the printer, which is possible only through the external bulk ink system.
Also, remember that sublimation printers need a huge amount of ink to keep supplying the ink. The use of an internal cartridge which is primarily refillable, is not recommended because it can cause frequent printing delays due to ink problems.
Tools Required
Step 1: Check Working of Printer
First, you have to check whether the inkjet printer is working correctly and if there is no malfunction. Use the set of instructions provided by the manufacturer company, to begin with. You can install the inkjet cartridge supplied with the printer, but you may change it further due to its low capacity.
Step 2: Fill Inkjet Cartridge with Sublimation Ink
As we change the inkjet into Sublimation, you must correctly choose the ink used in the cartridge. An inkjet cartridge will be provided with the ink, but this cannot be used for this sublimation printing type. So it would help to buy the special ink used for the sublimation printers.
This unique ink consists of different colors, including Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (BCMY), but you should adequately check that each slot is filled with the specific ink color.
Step 3: Arrange Quality Sublimation Paper
Get the sublimation paper to be used. Choose high-quality paper; otherwise, you will get low-quality printing, or you may damage your HP printer. So, choose it wisely after proper research because these are costly, and you may regret low-quality papers.
Step 4: Download and Install Compatible Drivers
Now download the drivers for the sublimation printer from the manufacturer company’s website or a trusted one and install them properly. Also, you have to make sure that these drivers are compatible with your printer version.
Step 5: Embed Continuous Ink Supply System (CISS)
Now embed the Continuous Ink Supply System (CISS) in your printer. This system is used for most printers because it provides high-quality printing with low ink consumption, making it low-cost.
Step 6: Test The Printer
No, you can test your printer. It is recommended to get at least three prints before doing any professional work to see your printer’s performance. By this, you can also check whether the previous ink is mixing with sublimation ink.
Step 8 (Optional)
To get the Sublimation printed on the T-Shirt, you should press it first so that no lines remain. Then put the printed paper on the shirt and iron on the other side, and it would be published most efficiently. But before checking that all the steps are correctly followed.
Final Thoughts
Now your sublimation printer is ready to use. With these simple steps, you may not only get sublimation printing, but the main thing is that it is very low cost.
The process may seem more complicated, but you need some items to be used and some knowledge of how printers work. This blog has been beneficial in converting the HP printer into a sublimation printer.
Read more: How to Remove Sublimation Inks from Mugs