Author name: EPSONEXPRESS

Are you about starting a T-shirt printing business? wondering what what kind of heat transfer printer to buy for making T-shirts, caps, canvas bags, coasters, notebooks, throw pillow? Then you are in luck because this article is focused mainly on different suggestions on the best printers for T-shirt Printing business.   Quite frankly, getting into the t-shirt printing business is exciting and it’s also a great way to make money as it helps to showcase your creative skills. However, remember to have a solid business plan in place before you purchase any equipment as well as established market to buy your products.   Generally, for you to design any quality t-shirt of your choosing, you need two kinds of machines: a good heat transfer machine and a good printer. By and large, you need a printer that will give you crystal clear prints and high-resolution that are absolutely flawless and can easily be transferred on to your T-shirts. For this reason, you can choose between three types of printers which are listed below:    Inkjet Printers    Laser Printers    Dye-sublimation Printers   Let’s expatiate on the different printers briefly;   1. Inkjet printers are considered the best type of printers that can be used for T-shirt designs due to its affordability and versatility as you can find lots of models at different prices in the market. Additionally, you can also choose from an assortment of colors, inks and specialty papers to use with inkjet printers.   2.Laser printers on the other hand are mostly used for office work per printing documents. They can also be used to print colorful pictures, logos and designs on sublimation paper.   3.The Dye-sublimation printers are printers used to print not on paper, but directly on the material themselves. With the help of a heat transfer machine, the logo, design or picture that you print on a piece of sublimation paper is transferred unto the material.   Here are the best printers in the T-Shirt printing industry:-   Direct-To-Garment Printers:   Direct-to-Garment printing popularly known as DTG printing uses an inkjet printer to transfer complex designs onto t-shirts. It’s quite easy to set up and is better suited for smaller jobs like under 20 shirts. Here are the top three:   Epson SureColor SC-F2000   The Epson SureColor SC-F2000 offers a complete design and textile printing package.it helps you reduce costs by allowing you to drive your operations forward. It also delivers reliability and cost savings in the production of high volume textiles. Key features includes fast printing speeds (you can print a single t-shirt in 27 seconds), high quality: prints on dark fabric as white ink is tough and does not crack and flexible: Prints directly onto fabric and has a wide colour gamut.   Surecolor Epson F2100   The F2100 is designed exclusively for direct-to-garment printing as it measures about 3’ x 5’ and about 1.5’ high making it perfect for placing on a table or bench. Its features includes fast loading for more productivity, reduced maintenance time and operational cost, high quality direct to garment printing just to mention a few.   Epson SureColor SC-F3000   The Epson SureColor SC-F3000 is a robust DTG printer that’s design for high productivity. Key features includes easily print on different garment thicknesses with minimal operator intervention, reduced print costs combined with industrial-level durability and low maintenance and increased productivity per fast processing.   Dye Sublimation Printers   Dye sublimation printing is an ideal printing method used for printing designs on polyester fabric. It’s a way to produce a transfer that can be heat applied to a garment or an object such as paper or fabric, card and plastics. Here are the top three: Epson SureColor SC-F100 The Epson SureColor SC-F100 is a dye sublimation printer with the footprint of an A4 desktop printer. It is perfect for producing promotional goods and personalized gifts such as mugs, key fobs, phone covers and other small merchandise items. A textile producers who wants to create bespoke products such as, small bags, aprons, lanyards and cushions can also use the printer. Key features are as follows; refillable ink solution: 140ml ink bottles, compact design, connectivity: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet, USB 2.0 connectivity and end-to-end printing solution: Inks, driver and paper, all designed to work in harmony   Epson SureColor SC-F500   Whether you intend to produce printed phone covers, mugs, mouse mats, t-shirts or cushions, the SC-F500 offers fast turnaround times, reliability and a low total cost of ownership (TCO) to small businesses as it requires no specialist knowledge to set up, operate or maintain. Key features of this printer are; anti-dust design, auto switch between media, Wi-Fi connectivity and accounting tool.   Epson SureColur SC-F7200   The Epson Surecolur SC-F7200 provides extreme reliability for true industrial-level production as it is configured with 720 nozzles per colour with variable droplet size from a minimum drop size of 5.3 picoliters. Its key features includes; Complete Epson solution: Hardware, software, printhead, ink and sublimation paper, precisionCore TFP printhead: High quality, throughput and long production life, UltraChrome DS ink-set: Vibrant colours, sharp contours, smooth tones and deep, rich blacks and Low TCO: High-capacity inks and low power consumption   The list is quite endless and inexhaustible as we hope that this article would serve as a guide in helping your buying decision about the best kind of printers which will fit your budget as well as your requirements.   If you’re interested in learning more about the best Epson printers for T-Shirt business , kindly request to speak with our sales engineer using the link below.   CLICK HERE TO SPEAK WITH AN EPSON SALES ENGINEER     You can also contact us by writing to the email: info@epsonexpresscentre.com    

Welcome to another intriguing tech support week where we’ll be dishing out guides as well as step by step processes of converting your Epson printer for sublimation purposes.   There are quite a number of Epson models/ printers that can be used for sublimation printing but before we divulge into that, let’s talk a bit about sublimation printing for the benefit of those that don’t know about it.   In layman’s terms, sublimation is a method of printing that transfers a design into a material or fabric using ink and heat. So the question of how it works is what we will be discussing in details in the next paragraph.   It is quite simple, having chosen or selected the design of your choice, you use the sublimation printer to print it out onto a sublimation paper. The design is then printed onto the fabric by using a heat transfer machine press. Remember, sublimation involves the use of both ink and fabric thus, the heat in the press helps to open the fabric’s pores up, while the pressure that is put onto the fabric cools the ink down therefore turning it into a solid form.   The illustration below is a representation of the process:   Computer => Sublimation Printer => Sublimation Paper => Heat Transfer => Finished work   It is however important to note that some materials cannot be used for sublimation printing while some can. Suitable materials that can be used are as follows:    Polycotton textile    Ceramic    Polymer-coated metal    PVC    Polymer    Polyester    Polyester-made fabric    Polymer- coated plastic    Polyester-coated aluminum    Polymer- coated plastic   Here is a list of printers that can be used for sublimation just to mention a few: Epson WF- 7710, SC F7720, SC F9400, SCF100 (A3), SCF500 (A1), SC F6300 (PO) while the following can be improvised and converted to sublimation printers – L3060, L3150, L3110, L382, L3050, 3070, L1300, L850, L805, L1800, T7200,T5200 etc.   We have discussed what the sublimation process entails as well as enumerated suitable materials and printers that could enable the process of sublimation printing to move smoothly, now let’s tutor you on how to setup your Epson printer for sublimation purposes.   First and foremost, before you begin the conversion process, endeavor to print a “Nozzle check” in order to confirm the workability of the printhead of the printer to be used as this action will aid you know if the printer is still useable.   Additionally, if the printer in question isn’t a new printer and is currently using a pigment ink, it is required that the pigment ink be sucked out and thoroughly cleaned before the sublimation ink is poured into the ink tank. Thorough cleaning involves the process of “printhead cleaning” as this act helps to eliminate the old ink completely.   After the printhead cleaning process has been carried out, it is advisable to perform another “Nozzle Check” as this pattern enables you determine whether the ink ejects properly from the print head nozzles.   After concluding the conversion process, you can begin your sublimation printing as shown on the illustration above. However, for best results, print your images onto a transfer paper (sublimation paper) specifically intended for sublimation printing. Then proceed to transfer the prints using an appropriately-sized heat press onto the material of your choice (finished work).   The process is quite simple once it has been mastered and diligently followed as it can be recreated at home or in the office but if you require further help with your setup, click on the link below to speak an Epson Engineer.   CLICK HERE TO SPEAK WITH AN EPSON ENGINEER     You can also contact us by writing to the email: info@epsonexpresscentre.com    

The question of how to avoid and prevent your Epson printers from clogging are often asked virtually by all Epson users as this act tends to disrupt their everyday tasks of printing quality images, copying as well as scanning. However there are several tell-tale signs that would help you spot or detect when your Epson printer is clogged and they include the following:    Low quality printout that are either faded, lined or streaked.    Printhead alerting you about the low ink but you don’t replace it at the right time.    Smear Marks.    Blank Page printout.    White lines across the page.    Colours missing.    Track Marks.    Grid patterns appearing on the prints.   On the other hand, there are several causes behind clogging and it consist primarily of the following:    Clogging affected by dried inks.    Clogging affected by debris or foreign objects.    Clogging triggered by air bubbles (it’s the most common clog).   We have been able to identify the tell-tale signs that would help you detect when your printer is clogged as well as the number of causes behind clogging, let’s go further to enumerate the prevention modalities as it often requires diligence and regular maintenance.   One of the prevention methods of keeping your Epson printer from getting clogged is using it regularly/often. Regular use of your printer would enable and keep the ink flowing properly and prevent it from drying on the printhead.   The most appropriate recommendation as a user is to use your printer at least once a week or every few days as this helps to keep the printhead moist with fresh ink because the longer they sit unused, the more likely the ink left on the head will dry thereby causing a clog.   Another preventive method is regular cleaning. Even if you use your printer every day, it is compulsory to regularly clean it as there may be a few droplets of ink that may have dried on the printhead itself. In addition to droplet of ink, tiny bits of paper can also get caught inside the printhead. It is therefore imperative to use your printer’s cleaning cycle at least once a month to flush out any remnant ink leftover in the head. The use of canned air can also be deployed as this would aid to blow out any dust or paper during cleaning.   Storage is another way of preventing your printer from getting clogged. If you are planning on not using your printer for a prolonged period of time, it is wise to remove the ink cartridges by wrapping them tightly in a plastic bag to keep them fresh.   This action would help to prevent any ink from dripping into the tubes and printheads thereby causing a clog. Depending on your printer, you may be able to remove the printhead for cleaning or storage but if unable, kindly visit any service center closet to you for assistance or alternatively check your printer’s manual or Epson website for guidance and information.   Turning off the printer is another good method of preventing your printer from getting clogged. An information worthy to note is to “Never turn off the printer through a power strip or surge protector” as this action could cause a lot of damages to the printer. Preferably, use the power button on the printer so it can shut down properly to protect the printhead and ink from drying.   The process is quite simple, if your printer is on, it moves the printhead and warms the ink to ready it for use. So turning off the printer enables the machine to return the carriage to its “home” position, thereby preventing the inks to dry out which would result to clogging.   Conclusively, in order to benefit and enjoy from Epson printer’s good quality and sharp resolution, you must learn to use these preventive steps enumerated above meticulously as it is often said that caution is the parent of safety.   If you’re interested in repairing your Epson Printer with a clogged printhead , kindly request to speak with our Tech specialist using the link below.   CLICK HERE TO SPEAK WITH AN EPSON ENGINEER     You can also contact us by writing to the email: info@epsonexpresscentre.com