Using sublimation ink for regular prints is not a great idea. It will cost you much more and won’t give you the BEST results. Similarly, using the sublimation ink in any printer for sublimation printing is also not a great idea. Sublimation printing has an entirely different mechanism and process that can not be followed by every printer out there.
But if you are looking to convert your regular printer for the sublimation and asking, “Can you use sublimation ink in any printer” in that way, then, “Yes, you can use sublimation ink in most(not all) printers and start your sublimation journey with it after converting it into a sublimation printer from a normal printer.”
The Process – Can You Use Sublimation Ink In Any Printer?
Using sublimation ink in a regular printer is possible, and here is a show you can convert a regular printer into a sublimation printer with just a few simple steps. But before that, ensure that your printer fulfills these “must-have” requirements.
- The printer should have replaceable ink cartridges.
- The printer must be able to do high-quality printing.
- It should not be the black and white printer, but the color printer so that you can print colored photos later using it.
Let’s talk about the steps/process of converting a regular printer into a sublimation printer.
- The whole process is very simple and almost self-explanatory. You first need to remove the printer’s already installed ink cartridges.
- Run a couple of prints for testing and ensure all the ink has come out of the printer.
- Now add the high-quality sublimation ink in new ink cartridges and install those cartridges into the printer.
- Rerun a couple of prints for testing to ensure all the previous ink is now removed and sublimation ink has been flown into the pipes and lines of the printer.
- Once the test printing gives perfect results, you can do your original sublimation printing using this printer. And your printer has been converted into a sublimation printer.
Is It Recommended To Use Sublimation Ink In Regular Printer?
The answer varies to the case of person to person. But in general, if you are just starting your sublimation printing journey and are short of budget, then using your existing regular printer with sublimation ink is perfectly fine. You can do this by following the steps explained above.
But if you are going to do the sublimation printing professionally or if you have a budget, then you should buy the sublimation printer and use it with sublimation ink. Definitely, a sublimation printer will give better results than a regular printer with sublimation ink because sublimation ink works differently from regular ink, and the regular printer is designed for regular ink, not sublimation ink.
You can also read > What Is The Difference Between Sublimation Ink and Regular Ink?
NOTE: Never mix the sublimation ink and regular ink in a single printer because it can potentially damage your printer and its warranty as well. That’s why before pouring the sublimation ink and placing sublimation ink cartridges into the printer, ensure that all the regular ink has been taken out of the printer.
Quick Summary
Summarizing this article would be something like this. “Yes, you can use sublimation ink in any printer that meets certain criteria, and you have to follow the 5-step process to convert a regular printer into a sublimation printer to use sublimation ink in that printer.”