Best Heat Transfer Printers
The right printer for sublimation and heat transfer depends on your budget, printing needs, and the type of projects you plan to make. We reviewed 10 printers and recommend the best options for different budgets and requirements, including large-format T-shirt designs, refillable-ink conversion, portable printing, professional photo and graphic work, and home or office printing.
Here are 10 of the most important printers that can be used for sublimation and heat transfer:
01 — Epson WorkForce WF-7720
Best for: Beginners & large-format T-shirt designs
02 — Canon PIXMA TR150
Best for: Portable, on-the-go printing
03 — HP ENVY 4520
Best for: Affordable home all-in-one use
04 — Canon PIXMA Pro-100
Best for: Professional photo-quality prints
06 — Epson EcoTank ET-2760
Best for: Low-cost refillable-ink conversion
07 — Epson SureColor P800
Best for: Professional photo & graphic-design work
08 — Brother MFC-J497DW
Best for: Affordable home & office use
09 — Epson SureColor P600
Best for: Professional photographic-quality prints
10 — HP OfficeJet Pro 9015
Best for: Office documents & photos
Top Picks | Best Heat Transfer Printers Recommendation
Sublimation Printer for Heat Transfer, Reviewed
Epson WorkForce WF-7720
Best for: Beginners & large-format T-shirt designs
The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 sublimation printer is a good choice for printing T-shirts and other products after conversion for sublimation. However, the WF-7720 is similar to the Epson WF-7710 in some conditions, but it is better in terms of paper capacity because it can hold up to 500 sheets, compared with the WF-7710.
It is recommended for printing shirts in large numbers and for other materials used in heat transfer. A small T-shirt printing business can be started with this type of printer, which is why it has been considered a good sublimation printer for beginners.
The WF-7720 also provides a larger printing size, making it useful for designs that need more space on a T-shirt or other heat-transfer products.
Canon PIXMA TR150
Best for: Portable, on-the-go printing
The Canon PIXMA TR150 is a portable, lightweight, compact, and wireless printer that is easy to carry and use. It provides excellent-quality prints for documents and borderless photos.
Due to its printing speed, the PIXMA TR150 can print at approximately 9/5.5 ipm, depending on the type of document being printed. It can also save up to five custom templates, which can be useful when the same designs or documents are printed repeatedly.
The compact size of the Canon PIXMA TR150 makes it convenient for users who need a printer that can be moved from one place to another. However, it is not a purpose-built sublimation printer, so its suitability for sublimation depends on the conversion and ink system being used.
HP ENVY 4520
Best for: Affordable home all-in-one use
The HP ENVY 4520 is a wireless, affordable, and all-in-one printer that can be used for printing with a tablet or smartphone.
It is easy to use because of its features and can produce lab-quality photos and laser-quality documents and files. HP also marketed the ENVY 4520 with ink-saving features, making it suitable for home printing.
The printer can print, scan, and copy, which makes it convenient for home users who need several functions in one machine. Many people use the ENVY 4520 at home for printing documents and photos.
For sublimation, the HP ENVY 4520 should not be treated as a purpose-built sublimation printer. Its use for sublimation depends on whether the printer can be properly converted and operated with compatible sublimation ink.
Canon PIXMA Pro-100
Best for: Professional photo-quality prints
The Canon PIXMA Pro-100 is a wireless photo printer that is used by graphic designers, photographers, and other users who need high-quality prints.
It provides excellent print quality and can print up to 13 x 19 inches (A3+). The PIXMA Pro-100 can also produce borderless photos, leaving no white edges around the prints.
The printer is designed for high-quality photo printing and uses multiple ink colors to produce detailed images. Its printing capability makes it suitable for large photographic prints compared with many standard home printers.
The Canon PIXMA Pro-100 was not manufactured as a sublimation printer. Using it for sublimation requires a suitable conversion and sublimation ink system.
HP ENVY 4510
Best for: Low-cost everyday home printing
The HP ENVY 4510 is a user-friendly printer that can be used at home because of its printing speed and features. It provides up to 4800 x 1200 dpi optimized resolution and can produce good-quality prints for documents and photos.
For users looking for a low-cost printer with good print quality, the HP ENVY 4510 was a popular home-printing option.
The ENVY 4510 also supports multiple functions and can be operated through mobile devices. It can print, scan, and copy, making it useful for everyday home printing.
For sublimation work, the HP ENVY 4510 is not a purpose-built sublimation printer. A suitable conversion would be required, and compatibility with sublimation ink should be checked before using it for heat-transfer printing.
Epson EcoTank ET-2760
Best for: Low-cost refillable-ink conversion
The Epson EcoTank ET-2760 has supersized ink tanks that provide high-quality printing while keeping the cost per page relatively low.
It uses refillable ink tanks rather than traditional small ink cartridges and supports wireless printing. It also provides automatic two-sided printing and voice-activated printing features.
The ink tanks can be filled easily, and Epson marketed the EcoTank system as a way to reduce ink costs compared with traditional cartridges. The printer also comes with replacement ink bottles, depending on the package and market.
One replacement ink set can produce thousands of pages, although the actual number of pages depends on the type of documents being printed and the amount of ink used on each page.
The ET-2760 uses four ink bottles and can print, copy, and scan. Because of its refillable tank system, EcoTank printers have also been considered for conversion to sublimation printing.
However, the standard ET-2760 is not a purpose-built sublimation printer. Sublimation printing requires compatible sublimation ink and the correct conversion process.
Epson SureColor P800
Best for: Professional photo & graphic-design work
The Epson SureColor P800 is a professional-level photo printer that can produce high-quality photographs and images in sizes up to A2.
It uses Epson UltraChrome HD pigment ink and a MicroPiezo printhead to produce detailed black-and-white images and high-quality color prints. Its wide color range makes it suitable for photographers and graphic designers who require detailed photographic output.
The SureColor P800 also provides strong black-and-white printing with smooth tonal transitions. Its larger printing capacity and professional print quality make it useful for photographic and graphic-design work.
The Epson SureColor P800 is not a purpose-built sublimation printer. Its standard pigment ink system is different from sublimation ink, so it should not be treated as a ready-to-use sublimation printer without an appropriate conversion.
Brother MFC-J497DW
Best for: Affordable home & office use
The Brother MFC-J497DW is an affordable, versatile, wireless, compact, and easy-to-use printer with features for home and office use.
It can produce good-quality images and documents and can be used for printing, copying, and scanning. It can also scan, save, and share documents, making it useful for everyday office tasks.
As a wireless printer, it can connect to computers and mobile devices without requiring a direct cable connection. Its compact design also makes it suitable for smaller workspaces.
The Brother MFC-J497DW is not a purpose-built sublimation printer. Its use for sublimation depends on printer compatibility, ink compatibility, and the conversion process.
Epson SureColor P600
Best for: Professional photographic-quality prints
The Epson SureColor P600 is a professional printer designed to produce high-quality photographic prints. It can print up to 13 x 19 inches and supports long borderless prints.
It uses Epson UltraChrome HD inks and a nine-color ink system to produce detailed color and black-and-white prints.
The sharpness of black-and-white prints is supported by Epson’s three-level black ink technology, which provides smooth tonal transitions and detailed shades.
The SureColor P600 has a high printing capacity that can help improve productivity for photographic and graphic-design work. It is particularly suitable for photographers who need photographic-quality images.
The P600 is not a purpose-built sublimation printer, so sublimation use requires a compatible conversion and ink system.
HP OfficeJet Pro 9015
Best for: Office documents & photos
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 uses HP 962 black, magenta, cyan, and yellow ink cartridges for printing. It provides good print quality and speed and can be used for printing, copying, and scanning.
Its features make it suitable for office use, and it can handle documents as well as photos. The automatic document feeder can hold up to 35 sheets, while the paper cassette can hold up to 250 sheets.
The printer also provides wireless features that make it convenient to print and scan from compatible devices.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 is a standard inkjet printer rather than a purpose-built sublimation printer. It should not be used with sublimation ink unless the printer has been properly converted and the ink system is compatible.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 is a strong option among the best heat transfer printers for larger T-shirt designs because of its larger paper capacity and printing size. For regular T-shirt production, however, a purpose-built sublimation printer is a more suitable choice than converting a standard inkjet printer.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2760 can be a practical option for users looking for a refillable ink-tank printer that can be converted for sublimation. The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 is also useful for larger designs and higher-volume printing.
The choice depends on the printing size, workload, budget, and products being printed.
