Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners: Research Picks (2026)

These are research picks, and lab testing is still pending. We haven’t printed with any of these printers. Every pick comes from the makers’ published specs, prices and warranty terms, linked on this page. When our lab measures ink cost and color accuracy, the charts below fill in and the picks may change.

Quick comparison

Sources: Epson F170, Epson F570, Sawgrass printers, Sawgrass shop. Sawgrass states the 3-year / 100K warranty for purchases on or after October 1, 2025.

How we chose (without testing)

1. Purpose-built, with a manufacturer warranty. Every pick is sold as a sublimation printer by its maker. We left out converted office inkjets. They can work, but there’s no maker support and no warranty.
2. Ink format and running cost. Bottles hold more ink than small cartridges. Epson’s F170 and F570 use 140 ml bottles. Sawgrass’s bundles ship with 31 ml cartridges, and Sawgrass offers 70 ml cartridges for the SG1000. We’ll measure actual cost per print. Until then, we only compare the published formats.
3. Color management a beginner can use. Sawgrass’s Print Utility with TruePix manages color for you. Epson ships its own print software for Mac and Windows with the F170.
4. Print size vs your products. Letter size covers most gift products. Larger formats only pay off for shirts and panels.
5. Warranty length. Sawgrass’s 3 years / 100,000 prints is the longest here. Epson’s is 1 year.

We did not use Amazon star ratings or count unverified “prints per bottle” claims.

What we’ll measure in the lab

Lab data pending — we'll measure ink cost per letter-size sublimation print (full-coverage test image) in USD per protocol v1.0 on units we buy ourselves, then publish the numbers and raw data here.

1. Epson SureColor F170
2. Sawgrass SG500
3. Sawgrass SG1000
4. Epson SureColor F570

Lab measurement pending. We'll weigh ink before and after a fixed batch of prints and price it at the maker's current list price. Test protocol v1.0 →

The picks in detail

Epson SureColor F170: best researched value

Epson lists the F170 at $399. It prints up to 8.5 × 47.2 in from a 150-sheet tray and uses 140 ml refillable ink bottles (Epson). Epson notes that “part of the ink from the first bottle is used for priming the printer,” so the first set won’t last as long as later ones.

• Consider it if: you’ll sell mugs, tumblers, coasters, slates and small shirt designs, and you want the lowest-cost purpose-built printer with bottle ink.
• Skip it if: you want to run third-party ink. Epson says it’s “designed for use with Epson ink bottles only.” Also skip it if you use a current Mac and Epson’s software page doesn’t yet list your macOS version. Its spec sheet lists macOS 10.6–10.15.

Sawgrass SG500: best researched for guided setup

Sawgrass sells the SG500 alone for $275 (Sawgrass shop). A printer with no ink can’t print, though, so the realistic entry price is the $659.95 bundle. That includes a full ink set, 100 sheets of transfer paper, Sawgrass’s design software, Print Utility with TruePix, and free one-on-one setup training (Sawgrass bundle). It prints 8.5 × 14 in, and 8.5 × 51 in with the optional bypass tray. It connects by USB, Ethernet or 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.

The SG500 also runs Sawgrass’s VersiFlex system, which Sawgrass markets as the only way to sublimate on cotton and natural fabrics (Sawgrass printers). It’s a separate ink set with its own process. Read our DTF vs sublimation guide before you choose it over DTF.

• Consider it if: you’re new to color management and want a system that sets itself up, plus a 3-year warranty.
• Skip it if: you print a lot and want bottle-fed ink. Compare the per-ml price of Sawgrass cartridges with bottle ink before you buy; we’ll measure cost per print in testing.

Sawgrass SG1000: best researched for larger prints

The SG1000 prints up to 11 × 17 in, or 13 × 19 in with the bypass tray, which Sawgrass sells separately. Sawgrass sells it as a $1,699.95 bundle. It has the same software, VersiFlex option and 3-year / 100,000-print warranty as the SG500. The larger size fits adult full-front polyester shirts, bigger photo panels, and several mug wraps on one sheet.

• Consider it if: your best sellers are larger than letter size.
• Skip it if: you mostly make mugs and small gifts. Check your blank supplier’s wrap template size first: if it fits 8.5 × 14 in, the SG500 or F170 covers it.

Epson SureColor F570: best researched step-up

A 24.4 in roll printer at $2,495 (Epson). It takes up to 24.4 in roll-to-roll, sheets up to 11.7 in through the auto feeder, and 140 ml ink bottles. Epson includes a 1-year on-site warranty. It’s 38.2 in wide without the optional stand.

• Consider it if: you already sell steadily and want all-over prints, blankets, or batch runs.
• Skip it if: you’re just starting. It needs a big press to match its prints, and a lot of floor space.

What else you need

• Heat press: a flat press for shirts, slates and panels. US Cutter’s chart lists polyester fabric at 380–400°F for 45 s (US Cutter). See best heat press for small business.
• Drinkware press: see best tumbler heat press.
• Settings: the heat press time & temperature chart.
• Not sure sublimation fits what you sell? Try the Machine Matchmaker, or line printers up in the compare tool.