Sublimation Printer vs Regular Printer: What's the Difference?

Sublimation is the process of printing any design to any object. This process of sublimation mostly applies or t t-shirts mugs and more. But you can also compare the sublimation printer with a regular printer.

In this article, I will explain the sublimation printer vs regular printer. And also explain the large format sublimation printer and their drawbacks. So just read till the end.

What is a Sublimation Printer vs Regular Printer?

In contrast to most regular printers sublimation printing uses ribbon cartridges that contain solid inks. To transcribe a text or an image onto paper an ordinary printer sprays very small droplets of ink onto the paper.

Let’s Discuss the Difference in the process:

To know the difference between a sublimation printer and a regular printer. Even though they are both printers, they function in very different ways. Discover how by reading on.

1. Regular Printers

To print text or an image onto paper a regular printer sprays tiny droplets of ink onto the paper. The printer can produce reasonably accurate images by controlling where the tiny drops of 4 primary ink colors land on the paper.

A typical ink color scheme consists of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Regular printers or inkjet printers are limited to printing on standard media like copy paper when using inkjet printers.

Using special inks and papers you can print photos or graphics. Dispensing on the finish you can even choose matte or glossy.

It would be possible to see the individual dots of color on the paper if you zoomed in very closely similar to what you would see on a computer screen or TV screen.

2. Sublimation Printers

Instead of liquid ink cartridges like those found in most regular printers, sublimation printing uses ribbon cartridges that contain solid inks. Heat transforms the solid ink into a vapor which transfers onto the surface without ever becoming a liquid.

Sharp images are produced when the gas solidifies quickly again. Full-color graphics are produced by layering three primary colors in various amounts and coating them with a clear protective layer.

Due to sublimation printing colors blend which results in a sharper image and smoother transitions between colors.

Benefits of Using a Regular Printer:

For correspondence and other typical text documents, an inkjet printer may be a better choice. Sublimation printing is better if you want to print graphics or onto a specific material. Furthermore, sublimation printers typically produce a better image quality than regular printers.

Sublimation printers can print on a variety of materials. A variety of plastic substrates can be used with it, including rubber, shower curtains, t-shirts, athletic wear, and shower curtains, we have a variety of wearables like gear mousepads mugs, etc. The right paper and coating are essential to making great paper prints.

Benefits of Using a Sublimation Printer:

In addition to printing graphics sublimation, printers also print text. Standard printers cannot handle a wide variety of media and can’t print visuals that rival some sublimation printers, even if they can print visuals that rival some sublimation printers.

Fabrics plastics and other materials are usually printed using sublimation printing. Many reasons make it the preferred printing choice.

Printers convert digital images and texts into physical copies by converting digital images and text into sublimation copies. They do this by converting the file into a language the printer understands using a driver or specialized software.

A series of minuscule dots are then used to recreate the image or text on the page. Inkjet printers use microscopic ink droplets to form the image or text making them ideal for documents.

Ink vapors can penetrate the inside of textiles such as mugs and shirts when sublimation printing. Sublimation and regular printers are both capable of producing near-perfect images.

Key Differences between Sublimation Printers vs Regular Printers?

In terms of what they are capable of producing and how they produce, sublimation printers and regular printers are quite different. Sublimation printers and regular printers differ greatly in the following ways:

1. Printing Process

An inkjet printer or a regular printer might be more familiar to you. Ink is applied to the paper using ink dot technology. Sublimation printers permeate their medium with ink vapors.

You will need to use a heat press for most sublimation prints depending on your printer. It is already done for inkjet printers to deliver the documents. With sublimation printers, however, you must heat press the sublimation paper with your chosen medium.

2. Ink

Ink cartridges are commonly used in regular printers. A regular printer delivers a document still wet because it contains liquid. sublimation printers utilize dye sublimation ink a special type of ink. The ink turns into gas or vapor when transferred are dyes.

3. Output

Most printers use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black cartridges. The base inks still have a lot of limitations even though they can reproduce different colors.

Some sublimation printers support fluorescent dye sublimation ink, so they print brilliant and bright.

4. Printing Capability

It is important to note that both sublimation printers and regular printers have limitations when it comes to the types of materials they can print on.

In addition to printing on normal paper, regular printers can also print on photo paper and sticker paper.

With sublimation printers fabrics and ceramics can be printed on special sublimation paper. Printing directly on a tarpaulin is also possible with large format printers.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use a regular printer for sublimation?

It is not possible to know the difference sublimation printer and a regular printer using sublimation printing on an inkjet printer with an athermal printing head. As a result, canon, HP Lexmark, and Dell inkjet printers cannot be used. For sublimation printing micro piezo printers are suitable.

Is a sublimation printer better than an inkjet printer?

As a result of dye sublimation dye is transferred into the substrate rather than being deposited on the surface making the image more permanent for beginners, inkjet heat transfer paper, dye, sawgrass, and epson. A dye sublimation print also has a higher resolution than an inkjet print because the ink is vapourised y heat.

What are the disadvantages of sublimation printers?

Sublimation cannot be performed on black or dark-colored surfaces. When exposed permanently to direct sunlight the item may lose color over time due to UV rays. The printheads of inkjet printers can clog if they are not used frequently.

Is sublimation printing better?

A sublimation print has outstanding quality. In multiple colors, you can print fine lines and details that are sharp and vibrant. Because the color is embedded into the fiber of the fabric. It does not wash out easily and does not crack or peel. A sublimation printer lasts for a long time.

Final Verdict:

To know the difference between a sublimation printer vs regular printer? Sublimation printers are easy to distinguish from regular printers once you know what they are. Sublimation printers are capable of more than inkjet printers, but they also have their specialized applications.

As with sublimation inks, sublimation paper is used with sublimation printers. For long-lasting and liquid-free results ink embeds itself in a medium such as t t-shirt instead of being applied to the paper.