Customers ask for a photo mug, a set of team awards or a run of custom jerseys, and you send them somewhere else. Every one of those orders is work you could keep.
A dye sublimation business lets you make them in-house, on your schedule and to your standard. This guide covers what sublimation is good for, the sublimation equipment your shop needs, and how to pick a printer from the Epson, Sawgrass and Uninet lineup by size and volume.
What Sublimation Is Good For
Sublimation ink turns to gas in the heat press and bonds into the item, so the print becomes part of the surface instead of sitting on top of it. It works on light-colored polyester fabric and sublimation-coated hard surfaces, which covers a lot of what a decorating shop sells:
- Polyester apparel and textiles
- Coated mugs, tumblers, awards and panels
- Mousepads and other coated gifts
- Soft signage and décor printed roll to roll on the wide printers
Cotton is the usual limit. Sawgrass VersiFlex is the exception in this lineup: Sawgrass calls it the only patented decorating system that lets you sublimate on cotton and sublimation blanks, and it also works on natural fabrics, uncoated wood and poly-coated blanks. Sawgrass rates VersiFlex prints at up to 30 washes in ISO wash testing.
The Sublimation Equipment Your Shop Needs
Whatever brand you choose, the list is short. Here is what each piece does for you.
| What you need | What it does for your shop | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Sublimation printer | Prints your designs onto transfer paper, or onto copy paper on the Uninet iColor 350 | The printer guide below, or compare all sublimation printers |
| Heat press | Moves the image into the blank with heat, time and pressure | Hotronix Fusion IQ 16" x 20" |
| Ink or toner | Matched to the printer: Epson ink, Sawgrass VersiFlex ink or iColor toner | Each printer's listing |
| Transfer paper | Carries the print from the printer to the press | Dye sublimation supplies |
| Blanks | The products your customers buy | Dye sublimation supplies |
| Coating (optional) | Preps ceramic or metal items you source yourself so they take a print | Subli Glaze Clear Sublimation Coating |
A few notes from the makers' own pages:
- Plan your power for the press. The Hotronix Fusion IQ has a 16" x 20" platen and runs on 120 V, 15 A, 1800 W, according to Stahls'.
- VersiFlex needs pressure control. Sawgrass says VersiFlex works best with a heat press that lets you adjust the pressure by hand.
- Subli Glaze Clear is for hard surfaces. It is made for ceramics and metals, not fabric.
How to Pick a Sublimation Printer by Size and Volume
The best sublimation printer for a small business is the one sized to what you sell now, with room for the next product you want to add. Two questions sort it out fast: how big is the biggest piece you print in one go, and is sublimation a side line or the main line.
| Tier | Printers | Max size (from the maker) | Fits a shop that... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Desktop starter | Epson F170, Sawgrass SG500, Uninet iColor 350 | 8.5" wide (SG500 and iColor up to 8.5" x 14") | Sells small items and single custom orders |
| 2. Desktop, growing | Sawgrass SG1000 | 11" x 17", or 13" x 19" with the bypass tray | Needs bigger sheets without leaving the desktop |
| 3. Desktop 24" | Epson F570 Pro | 24" rolls and sheets | Wants larger transfers and roll printing at a desk |
| 4. Production 44" | Epson F6470, Epson F6470H | 44" rolls | Runs sublimation as a regular production job |
| 5. Production 64" | Epson F7200, F9470, F9470H | 64" rolls | Prints roll to roll for apparel, signage and décor |
| 6. Industrial 76" | Epson F10070 | Up to 76.7" rolls | Runs sublimation as a factory-scale line |
Sizes from Epson, Sawgrass and iColor product pages, read October 6, 2026.
A simple way to read the table:
- Small flat items and one-off orders (awards, mousepads, small panels): tiers 1 and 2.
- Prints up to 24" wide on sheets or rolls: tier 3.
- Roll-to-roll apparel, soft signage and décor: tiers 4 to 6.
- Customers asking for cotton: the Sawgrass VersiFlex bundles in tiers 1 and 2.
Volume shows up in ink capacity. The desktop Epsons run 140 mL bottles, the F6470 takes 1.6 L packs, and the 64" and 76" printers go up to 3,000 mL tanks and 10 L packs, so the bigger the printer, the less often you stop to refill.
Tier 1: Desktop starter (8.5")
Start here if you're adding sublimation alongside the work you already do. Each of these fits on a desk and covers awards, mousepads, coated gifts and small transfers.
Epson SureColor F170. An 8.5" desktop printer with a 150-sheet tray, so you can load a stack and work on pressing while it prints. It runs Epson's 140 mL T49M ink, the same ink as the F570 Pro, so you keep one ink if you move up to 24". Epson covers it with a 1-year unit exchange.
Sawgrass SG500 VersiFlex Bundle. The one to look at if customers want cotton as well as polyester. It prints up to 8.5" x 14", or 8.5" x 51" through the bypass tray, and connects over Ethernet, USB or Wi-Fi. Sawgrass pitches it for small to mid-sized items.
The bundle pairs the printer with VersiFlex ink, VersiFlex paper and Sawgrass's design tools. Sawgrass includes a free one-on-one live setup session with VersiFlex. You still need a heat press and blanks.
Uninet iColor 350. A toner-based laser sublimation printer, which makes it the odd one out. It prints on regular copy paper (60 to 160 g/m2) instead of sublimation transfer paper, up to about 8.5" x 14". iColor rates it for a duty cycle of up to 30,000 pages a month and builds it for in-house apparel, textile and hard surface transfers on light polyester and coated items.
Tier 2: Desktop for a growing business (up to 13" x 19")
Sawgrass SG1000 VersiFlex Bundle. Sawgrass calls the SG1000 the printer "for the growing business or ambitious entrepreneur." It prints 11" x 17", or 13" x 19" with the bypass tray, so larger designs fit on one sheet. It runs VersiFlex ink for cotton and blanks, or Sublijet UHD ink.
Like the SG500, Sawgrass includes a free one-on-one live setup session with VersiFlex, and you supply the heat press and blanks.
Tier 3: Desktop 24" (Epson F570 Pro)
When an 8.5" sheet keeps getting in the way, a 24" printer lets you print bigger pieces in one go. The F570 Pro takes rolls and sheets up to 24" wide, has a 50-sheet tray and a built-in cutter, and runs the same 140 mL ink as the F170.
Epson SureColor F570 Professional Edition. It comes with Epson Edge Print PRO, which handles job layout and nesting, pattern repeats and advanced color controls. Nesting fits more pieces onto each length of paper, which matters once you are running a lot of small items. Epson also packs in two full ink sets and transfer paper: one 24" x 100' roll and two 17" x 100' rolls. Epson covers it with a 1-year unit exchange.
Not Sure Which Printer Fits Your Shop?
Tell us what you sell now and what you want to add, and we'll help you match the printer and press to it.
Talk to a Print ExpertTier 4: Production 44" (Epson F6470 and F6470H)
Move up to 44" when sublimation is a regular production job in your shop. Both printers run 44" rolls.
Epson SureColor F6470. Four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and high density black) in 1.6 L ink packs, with a built-in cutter and a take-up reel that winds finished prints for you. It comes with Epson Edge Print software, and Epson covers it with a 1-year limited on-site warranty. Epson names it the newer model to the discontinued F6370.
Epson SureColor F6470H. The 6-color version. You choose the extra pair: light cyan and light magenta, fluorescent pink and yellow, or orange and violet. Pick it when customers ask for neon team colors, or when you want the extra light, orange or violet inks on hand.
Tier 5: Production 64" (Epson F7200, F9470 and F9470H)
At 64", you are printing roll to roll for apparel, soft signage and décor.
Epson SureColor F7200. Epson built it "from the ground up for dye-sublimation industrial textile, true roll-to-roll manufacturing." It prints up to 63.6" wide with 4-color ink in 1,500 mL tanks, and Epson covers it with a 1-year limited on-site warranty when you register it.
Epson SureColor F9470. Epson's 64" printer for "high-volume, factory environments." It runs 4-color ink with high density black from 3,000 mL tanks, so long runs spend less time waiting on ink.
Epson SureColor F9470H. The 64" printer with fluorescent yellow and pink added to the four standard colors, printing up to 63.6" wide. It suits shops selling high-visibility work like sportswear and safety colors.
Tier 6: Industrial 76" (Epson F10070)
Epson SureColor F10070. Epson's "industrial dye-sublimation for textiles, apparel and more." It takes rolls up to 76.7" (76.3" printable), runs four printheads, and uses 3 L or 10 L ink packs that hot swap, so an ink change doesn't stop the run. This is the printer for a shop where sublimation is the main business.
Inkjet or Laser: Which Kind of Sublimation Printer?
Every Epson and Sawgrass printer here is an inkjet: it runs sublimation ink and prints on sublimation transfer paper. The Uninet iColor 350 is a laser: it uses CMYK toner and prints on regular copy paper.
| Inkjet (Epson, Sawgrass) | Laser (Uninet iColor 350) | |
|---|---|---|
| Prints with | Sublimation ink | CMYK sublimation toner |
| Paper | Sublimation transfer paper | Regular copy paper, 60 to 160 g/m2 |
| Sizes in this lineup | 8.5" desktop up to 76.7" rolls | Up to about 8.5" x 14" |
| Cotton option | Sawgrass VersiFlex | No, light polyester and coated items |
Before You Buy
Availability changes. Several of these printers come with a lead time, so check the listing or ask us before you set a launch date for a new product.
Warranty depends on the maker and the model. Here is what each maker's page says for the printers above where it is stated:
| Printer | Maker's warranty |
|---|---|
| Epson F170 | 1-year unit exchange |
| Epson F570 Pro | 1-year unit exchange |
| Epson F6470 | 1-year limited on-site |
| Epson F7200 | 1-year limited on-site, with registration |
For the other models, ask us for the current terms.
Financing is available. Multiple financing options, including Affirm and Synchrony, are available for equipment purchases.
Want to see sublimation in person first? Check our events and trade shows page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find the Right Setup for Your Shop
A sublimation business needs a printer sized to your products, a heat press you can control, the matching ink and paper, and blanks your customers want. Start on a desktop if you are adding sublimation to an existing shop, choose Sawgrass VersiFlex if cotton is part of the ask, and move to an Epson roll printer when sublimation becomes your main line.
All American Print Supply has been in business since 1986, with US-based tech support. Talk to a print expert about the sublimation equipment that fits your shop, or compare all sublimation printers.
