Not sure if anyone has posted this before, but I was doing some thinking on the rough pricing up for new set-ups.
For this, let's assume that Sawgrass' patent is all they claim it to be, and that there is absolutely no way you can use large format bulk inks in a smaller printer.
So, firstly let's look at a typical modern mugs/iphones sublimation printer system - similar to those used by many members here:
(All following prices are inc VAT but ex-delivery)
Ricoh SG3110DN (with pricing from BMS)
Printer= £311.94
This comes with 129ml of sublimation inks
For each subsequent purchase of 129ml of ink, you have to pay £204
So per ml, your ink cost is £1.58
For comparisons sake, let's scale these figures to litres, so to buy 4 litres of ink at this unit cost, you'll be forking out £6325.58 Obviously, you're not going to be buying that much ink as part of your initial purchase/set-up, but over time you will.
So as a total package you're looking at £6637.52
Now let's have a look at what you could get for that same money in large format land...
Printer: Epson SureColor SC-T7000 (4 colour/44" wide) list price (from Epson website)
£3594
4 litres of bulk sublimation ink £330
Refillable carts £100 (estimated cost)
Total package £3994
Change left over from small format package cost £2643.52
With that left over budget you could buy a good quality press, or a load of blanks, papers, more inks...