Can You Use Sublimation Ink For Regular Printing?

Somehow during your sublimation printing journey, this question might pop up in your mind: can you use sublimation ink for regular printing? Most of the time when people newly enter this industry, they ask this question because they want to get double the benefit from a single ink.

But the reality is, that “Sublimation ink can not be used for regular printing”. It has various logical reasons. Keep on reading and get familiar with those to avoid any confusion regarding “can you use sublimation ink for regular printing?”

Can You Use Sublimation Ink For Regular Printing

Now let’s have a look at the basics to have a better idea about why sublimation ink can not be used for regular printing? Let’s discuss some basic terms first.

  1. What is sublimation ink and how is it different from regular ink?
  2. Can sublimation ink be used with a regular printer or any printer?
  3. Why not all the printers support sublimation ink?
  4. What type of printer supports sublimation ink?

What is sublimation ink and how is it different from regular ink?

Sublimation ink is technically and chemically different from regular ink. The biggest difference and use case of the sublimation ink because of which it is used specifically without any alternative is that it can change its state from solid to gas and can become solid again. This process gets done like this,

First sublimation ink is printed on the sublimation paper and then placed on the substrate such as a t-shirt. Now once both are placed together, then using a heat press machine you transfer the heat and once the ink gets hot it becomes gaseous. Right after that once it cools down it gets absorbed and gets infused into the substrate such as a shirt. Thus it becomes the permanent part of the substrate. That’s what makes the sublimation ink unique and different from the regular ink.

Can sublimation ink be used with a regular printer or any printer?

There is no simple answer for this. It’s between “Yes” and “No”. You can use the sublimation ink with the printers that have replaceable and changeable ink cartridges. Those printers that do not have this option available, can not be used with sublimation ink.

But even before using the sublimation ink with the printer having replaceable ink cartridges, you need to make sure a few important things. As that printer prints great vibrant and bright colors, uses low energy and consumes less ink, the most important thing is the way to change the simple printer into a sublimation printer with sublimation ink.

First, take out the old cartridges and then run a few test prints to make sure that all the previous regular ink is out from the printer. Then add the new cartridges having the sublimation ink in them and again run some test prints to let the ink gets stable in the pipes and lines of the printer. After 3-4 test prints, you will start seeing the perfect print results and once you start getting that perfection, that’s the point where you have successfully converted the regular printer into a sublimation printer with the help of sublimation ink only.

Why not all the printers support sublimation ink?

The reason why not all the printers support sublimation ink is that not every printer can handle the sublimation ink. Because sublimation ink is a bit denser, heavier, and it can clog the printer lines sometimes. Also, in order to use the regular printer with sublimation ink, you need to make sure a few things like the printer has decent options and features that can provide you quality results, replaceable cartridges, and some others.

What type of printer supports sublimation ink?

The best option and answer for this question is that “sublimation printers” that are intently created for the sublimation printing have all the features and functions in it that are needed for sublimation printing. Also, sublimation ink itself is a challenge for some printers. Sublimation ink has many differences from regular ink and regular printers are made for regular ink. That’s why if you wanna pursue your future in sublimation printing, make sure to have the sublimation printer rather than having the regular printer for sublimation.

Other than that, if anyone has a budget issue or because of any other reason, he/she wants to know what type of printer supports sublimation ink then the answer for that question is that the printer that has replaceable ink cartridges, decent features, and functions, and some other important specifications that are kind of a must for sublimation ink and printing. If the printer fulfills these requirements you can convert it and use that with the sublimation ink.

Also Read:
1. How To Preserve Sublimation Ink Correctly
2. How To Make Sublimation Brighter
3. Do You Need Special Ink For Sublimation

How to shift the printer from regular ink to sublimation ink in the correct way?

Hmm…Looking for the correct way to convert your regular printer from regular ink to sublimation printer and ink? Well, the process is quite simple and has few simple steps. Follow along and you will be able to shift your printer from regular ink to sublimation ink successfully.

  1. Take out previous ink cartridges and run some test prints to make sure that all the ink is out from the printer.
  2. Add new cartridges having sublimation ink in them and then again run some test prints to let the ink gets settled in the printer’s pipes etc. Do around 3-4 test prints or until you start getting the clear, bright, and vibrant printing result.
  3. Once the printing result with sublimation ink is perfect in all manners, it’s the indication that you have shifted the printer from regular ink to sublimation ink correctly.

Conclusion

Using sublimation ink for regular printing is the worst idea you can have because sublimation ink is comparatively expensive as well as it has multiple chemical and technical differences from the regular ink that is used for regular printing. So in a nutshell, always use the regular ink for regular printing and sublimation ink for sublimation printing only.