So many people see dye-sublimation as being cheap to start-up these days that the question of "Which Printer?" comes up alarmingly frequently. It seems that we're forever having the discussion/debate/argument about whose philosophy is the right one, and there never is, nor never will be, a definitive answer.
In an attempt to answer the most common questions when starting out, I've put together a list of basic FAQs:
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1. What desktop dye-sublimation printers are available?
None. There is no desktop printer that has been designed for dye-sublimation ink. Printers are made by ink manufacturers, with each manufacturer designing their printer to best suit their own OEM ink. Manufacturers of dye-sublimation inks do not make printers. Whenever you use dye-sublimation ink in a desktop inkjet printer, you are using it in a way that wasn't intended. You should expect problems to occur at some stage, either early on or later. If you are confident enough with printers to resolve problems, then you have a wider choice from which to choose. If not, you should buy an authorised system from an licensed reseller.
2. What is an "authorised system"?
For the desktop dye-sublimation market, ink manufacturer Sawgrass holds the patent. Approved ink suppliers obtain a license to resell Sawgrass ink and, in return, Sawgrass provides ICC colour correction profiles and/or PowerDriver software for a limited number of printers. An "authorised system" or "approved system" is a recommended printer that is bought from a licensed reseller and that uses Sawgrass ink with the supplied ICC profile/PowerDriver software.
3. What support do I get when using an "authorised system"?
When you buy your printer/ink package from a licensed reseller of Sawgrass ink, you should be provided with the ICC colour correction profile and/or PowerDriver software for your chosen printer. All good resellers will assist you in setting up your system and helping you through the early stages of printing your first products. It has been said from time to time that, if your authorised system fails within the first 12 months and your printer manufacturer won't fix any problems, Sawgrass will step in to help out. However, this "support" is not stated on the Sawgrass documentation and so you should be aware that it may not be available.
4. Can I use any printer for dye-sublimation?
No. Dye-sublimation inks react under heat to migrate from the transfer paper to the substrate in order to create the final image. If heat is applied to the inks before we're ready with the substrate, they would just evaporate away (or worse - cause a mess). This immediately rules out any printer that uses a thermal printhead. Commonly known as "bubblejet", printers from manufacturers such as HP, Canon, Lexmark, Dell, etc, all operate using the principle of heat applied to expand a bubble which pushes the ink through the nozzle. This heat would cause the inks to react and begin to sublimate prematurely. What's required is a printer that does not use heat. These printers use a process known as "micro-piezo" in which electricity is applied to certain crystals to create the same expansion effect and thus push the ink through the nozzles without heat. Printers using "micro-piezo" printheads include those made by Epson, Ricoh, and Brother. Any printer that uses the micro-piezo process can theoretically be used with dye-sublimation inks.
5. I've bought an Epson/Ricoh/Brother printer and some dye-sub inks. Will it work out of the box?
No. Inkjet printers typically use 4, 6 or 8 different coloured inks. The photograph you want to print may have around 16.7 million colours. In order to accurately print your photograph, the printer needs to be told how much of each ink colour to use to closely reproduce all of those 16.7 million colours. To do this, you would use an ICC colour correction profile. An ICC profile is, in basic terms, a table of colours matched against how the printer can best produce those colours with so few inks.
6. Why do I need an ICC profile? I don't use one with manufacturer's inks!
This is a common misconception. When you install your printer for the first time, the process also installs ICC profiles designed to match the manufacturer's inkset and their paper choices. When you select a paper choice from the printer driver, the correct profile is selected in the background. You are always using an ICC colour correction profile, whether you're aware of it or not.
7. How do I use the ICC profile?
You'll be provided with instructions with your profile which will include details of how to install it, how to select it using ICC-aware software, and how to turn off the standard profile. This last step is important. Using a new profile through ICC-aware software without first disabling the printer driver's default profile will result in a process known as "double-profiling". Your image will go through two correction phases, one trying to correct the other, with very odd results.
8. I don't have an ICC profile, I have a "PowerDriver". What do I do?
The "powerdriver" software is designed to make things easy. It replaces the standard printer driver that you would install from the manufacturer. This means that the manufacturer's profiles will not be used and, instead, the dye-sublimation ICC profiles will be selected in the background. You're still using colour correction profiles but, as with OEM inks and the default installation, you're not aware of it. This makes the whole process much easier as it allows you to print from any software even if it's not ICC-aware.
9. I use an "authorised system" with the supplied ICC profile, so why aren't the colours accurate?
If you have determined that you have set up your system correctly but your colours are not accurate, then the issue may lie with the ICC colour correction profile. Printers are manufactured within certain tolerances and the cheaper the printer, the wider the tolerance is allowed to be. The ICC profile is designed to match one printer against one inkset against one substrate. If any of the three changes, then the profile will not correct the colours as accurately as they need to be. A profile supplied to you from the ink supplier may be matched to your inkset, and it may be matched to your model of printer, but it won't be matched to your exact printer - this is what is known as a "generic" or "off-the-shelf" profile. If the printer used to create the profile was manufactured to the opposite end of the tolerance to your printer, then the profile will be at its most inaccurate when you use it. For best results, you would require an ICC colour correction profile that is accurately attuned to your printer, your inkset, and your substrate. This profile should be updated frequently, particularly each time you obtain a fresh batch of ink. You can either create your own ICC colour correction profile using a profiling device, or use one of the many economical services that are available.
10. It all seems like too much hassle. I just want it to work!
As OEM printer manufacturers have improved their printer offerings, so there is an easy option into the world of desktop dye-sublimation. You would need to buy your complete set-up from a licensed reseller of Sawgrass ink and take their advice on the set-up of least hassle. At the time of writing, the systems recommended are two models of Ricoh printer (one A4, and one A3) using special Sawgrass-supplied ink cartridges and the Sawgrass-supplied PowerDriver software.
11. That's too expensive, what other options do I have?
You can build your own custom system using any of the printers detailed in step 4, above, using either refillable cartridges or a Continuous Ink System and your own custom-made ICC colour correction profile. You may receive support from reputable suppliers of each component, but this will depend on the individual supplier.
Final Word
The choice comes down to two basic options - you pay for an authorised system and get help from the licensed reseller, or you buy whichever set-up you like within the limitations listed above and you work it out as you go along. The former is quick and easy, with limited choice of printer, the latter is cheap and educational, with a wide choice of printers. Which path you take is up to you - there is no path that combines "cheap" and "easy".
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I invite anyone to offer amendments/additions to the above to ensure that it's as accurate and as helpful as possible. I haven't used the PowerDriver software so it would help if anyone could provide additional insight into how that works.
I hope the above information helps someone. My intention with the above is only to help and perhaps provide useful information that can be pointed at for newbies. However, I know from past experience that it's sometimes not enough just to have good intentions.