10 Best Sublimation Printer For Wood 2023

Sublimation is not only limited to fabrics, t-shirts or mugs, but you can do sublimation on wood. In this article you will find the information about best sublimation printer for wood & complete process of how to sublimate on wood. 

A sublimation printer lets you transfer sublimation ink from the printer to substrate such as T-shirts, mugs wood or cloth using heat. The Sublimation printer will allow you to sublimate vibrant designs because of its high degree of precision.The best sublimation printer for wood will accomplish sublimation printing correctly for wooden blanks.

• Top 10 Best Sublimation printer for Wood
  • Sawgrass Virtuoso SG500
  • WorkForce WF-7710 Wireless Wide-format sub printer
  • Epson EcoTank ET-15000
  • Sawgrass UHD Virtuoso SG1000 Sublimation Printer
  • Brother MFC-J995DW
  • Epson SureColor T3170
  • HP ENVY Pro 6475
  • Canon Selphy CP1300
  • Epson WorkForce WF-7210
  • Envy Photo 7155 + II Code

Our Top 3-PICKS

You will learn about 10 best sublimation printers for wood, so the detailed information about each printer with descriptions will help you purchasing your best printer for wood to enhance your sublimation printing business 

1- Sawgrass Virtuoso SG500 Best Sublimation Printer For Wood

Sawgrass is best for dye-sublimation printing to transfer digital images onto substrates such as plastic, textiles & other sublimation friendly surfaces like wood & glass. Sawgrass has been around since 1998 but pioneer in digital ink that is right ink to customize fabric, branded signs, banners & other substrates. The Sawgrass virtuoso SG 500 is one of the bestsellers. 

Sawgrass Virtuoso SG 500 lets you turn your passion into a profession & it is ideal for starter sublimation printing business to enhance their creativity. Sawgrass Virtouso series comes with subscriptions to its creativeStudio online designer & color Management Software to design your prints with vibrant colors products for your clients. 

Accelerate your sublimation with Sawgrass SG500 desktop printer for it offers you lowest start up & running costs. If you want to create vibrant HD images, SG500 offers you Sawgrass Print Manager plus CreativeStudio online designer to ease your projects profitably. SG 500 lets you create high definition images with lowest ink costs per page.Sawgrass SG500 virtuoso is best choice for sublimation starters & it outranks its predecessor for its compact footprint & rugged reliability. 

To attain awesome sublimation print to speed up your work, you should get sawgrass sublimation printer Sawgrass Virtuoso 500 SG to take sublimation process a step further. 

2- WorkForce WF-7710 Wireless Wide-Format Sub Printer

Kickstart your sublimation business with a mid-sized printer WorkForce WF-7710 that fits easily into your workplace or suits your home business. If you are an art making specialist looking for best sublimation printer for wood & want to create gifts to your loved ones on special occasions, then WorkForce WF-7710 is perfect voice for you. 

Features

• Comes with Ink for two years stock
• HP smart App with simple setup
• Hand-free document feeder with 35-page capacity
• Hardware has one-year limited warranty

You can print tabloid size prints up to 11in. X 17in with WorkForce WF-7710 wide format printer. The WorkForce sublimation printer prints 10 pages per minute for colored prints & 18 pages per minutes for black & white prints. WorkForce WF-7710 supports two sided printing of the paper, however you have to flip to print the other side of the page. 

WorkForce WF-7710 offers multi-functional features such as printing, scanning, copying & Fax. The sublimation printer comes with an intuitive user interface with 4.3 color display which is user friendly & easy to operate. 

Also, the WorkForce WF-7710 comes with precision core technology, therefore the prints are of high quailty & vibrant. 

WorkForce WF-7710 supports precisionCore technology that lets you create wide format borderless prints up  13″ x 19″.The wide format sublimation printer WorkForce WF-7710 lets you print from tablets & smartphones, it also includes ethernet & NFC. 

3-Epson EcoTank ET-15000-Best Sublimation Printer for Wood

Epson Eco Tank 15000 is the pioneering printer to use ink bottles for refilling. Epson is a great choice & a shift from the usual cartridges & a digital indicator lels you check ink levels instantly. Epson Eco Tank 15000 is an ideal choice to run an office. 

Eco Tank ET-15000 offers you versatile paper handling & prints borderless print up to 13″ x 19″ via its rear feed.  The printer offers less waste for ink with high yield ink bottles. 

Epson does not support non-genuine ink as it could cause damage & is not covered under the printer’s limited warranty. With Epson you can save up to 90% on ink with low -cost replacement bottles as compared to ink cartridges. 

If you are in a t-shirt or fabric printing niche,the Eco Tank-15000 is one of the best choices for your creative projects or startups.You can get the benefits of this sublimation printer for a relatively affordable cost. 

4-Sawgrass UHD Virtuoso SG1000 Sublimation Printer-Starter Bundle with Inks- Sublimation Paper

Features

• Sawgrass includes starter inks Sawgrass UHD 20ml ink set/color
• Comes with 100 Sheets of Premium Sublimation Paper of 11″ x 17″ 
• CreativeStudio Online Designer Software
• 1-on-1 Onboarding by Sawgrass with 2 years warranty 

Sawgrass Virtuoso SG1000 is a dye-sublimation printer that prints high-quality, full-color images on a variety of materials. It’s perfect for printing on t-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, and more. The Sawgrass UHD Starter Ink Set includes 20ml of ink per color and 100 sheets of 11″ x 17″ premium sublimation paper.

Sawgrass Virtuoso SG1000 Review

The Sawgrass Virtuoso SG1000 is the perfect printer for any business that needs to print high-quality, vibrant images on a variety of substrates. The SG1000 is a dye-sublimation printer that prints at up to 1200 dpi resolution and can print on a variety of materials including paper, wood, and plastic.

Business owners and entrepreneurs can benefit from the Sawgrass Virtuoso SG1000 because it is so easy to use and offers fast printing speeds. The printer also uses ink and toner efficiently, which can save a lot of time, money and hassle.

Sawgrass SG1000 is a user-friendly, eco-friendly, and eco-conscious heat press for DIY at-home custom T-Shirts. The industrial-strength unit features a dual-sided heated platform, a durable aluminum build, and a clear lid for real-time monitoring.

 It reliably operates with a digital temperature readout and automatic temperature control, and includes scalable design options for creating custom apparel or fabric accessories on a range of materials, including cotton T-shirts, 100% polyester, leather, spandex, jersey, and more.

It includes scalable design options for creating custom apparel or fabric accessories on a range of materials, including cotton T-shirts, 100% polyester, leather, spandex, jersey, and more. The machine features a durable aluminum build and a clear lid for real-time monitoring. A simple, user-friendly design goes a long way to make DIY at-home custom T-Shirts a reality.

5-Brother MFC-J995DW Best Sublimation Printer For Wood

Features

• Get up to 1 year of ink in the box with the MFCJ995DW cartridges.
• The inkvestment tank system ensures that you never run out of ink, and that your printing is uninterrupted.
• This printer uses Brother Genuine inks and can also handle IPv6. It has a TFTP server, HTTP Server, FTP Client, NDP (Neighbor Discovery Protocol), RA (Router Advertisement), DNS Resolver and mDNS.
• You can take advantage of the LLMNR responder, as well as LPR/LP (Printer Daemon)
• 2.7 inches display screen
• Prints A4, A5, B5 paper sizes,and envelopes.

INKvestmentTank Printer

The Brother MFC-J995DW INKvestmentTank Printer is one of the high-end model brand of Brother MFC series. It has the biggest ink tank in its category which holds up to 440 ml of ink. This high capacity can satisfy your printing needs for a long period, allowing you to print many more prints than you expected.

Large format printer

A reliable workhorse that won’t leave you stranded in the middle of a job. MFC-J995DW is a full-featured printer with easy wireless connectivity, advanced security features and more robust paper handling to get your jobs done right.

Versatile Paper Handling

Brother MFC-J995DW prints up to 9600 x 2400 dpi • The First InkvestmentTank™ – a revolutionary tank that lets you print up to twice as many pages or photos when compared to standard MFC-J985DW tank. • Plus, the large 250-sheet paper capacity means you can print more with fewer refills.

The Brother MFC-J995DW can be used in a small or home office setting. The unit has a borderless photo printing feature as well as excellent speed and quality when printing black and white documents.

6-Epson SureColor T3170-Large Format Sublimation Printer

Features

• Extremely high resolution print technology that prints at 720 x 360 dpi (dots per inch)

• Entire unit is factory sealed and tested to work as intended

• Large format printer works with numerous types of media, including canvas, wood, and leatherCopySave

• Print on any material, from canvas to paper. The SureColor T3170 prints at up to 360 x 360 dpi resolution with a spot color and up to 1440×720 dpi with an area of ​​4 colors;
• White ink option: white ink option (for dye sublimation), FlexiPrint XT Pro and FlexiFeature XT Pro
• Speed ​​and reliability: print up to 22 ipm in color and B/W, faster than its predecessor, with fewer faults and repairs

Epson SureColor T3170 Review

Use the Epson SureColor T3170 for professional-quality prints on demand. It features breakthrough print speeds and easy operation thanks to a large 4.3-inch, color touchscreen. The compact, clean design of this large-format sublimation printer fits on a desktop or on its own with the included stand, and features replaceable ink for less hassle. Navigate the display with touchscreen ease and control the printer from anywhere in the office with optional wireless printing technology.

The SureColor T3170 uses Epson’s Jet Black ink not the cheap pigment based inks that most competitors use. This black ink is what gives you the professional look, it’s why artists love Epson’s products and it’s why I use Epson printers everyday in my poster business.

This revolutionary printer is a super-fast large format printer. It will print a 48″ x 96″ or even larger size poster in just minutes. You don’t need to worry about it being your first time, because Epson has designed the SureColor T3170 for ease of use.

Just set up the media in your Epson SureColor T3170 and print out your poster to see how simple this printing process is. The Epson SureColor T3170 is also compatible with RIPS print software as an alternative to the standard Epson software.

For serious designers, there’s no substitute for the Epson SureColor T3170 large format inkjet printer. Whether you’re creating tote bags, t-shirts, or large wall prints, it’s the perfect choice for small businesses, schools and households because it supports multiple media types. What’s more, you get exceptional print quality on paper, cardboard and plastic—making it a versatile addition to any shop, classroom or home.

Epson has done a great job with this model SureColor T3170 by providing a large printing area for those who need it, such as designers, architects, engineers and small business owners.

T3170 ensures that your outputs will have consistent coloring due to the wider cartrides that offer consistent ink flow & the precisionCore MicorTFP printhead.

7- HP ENVY Pro 6475-Wireless All-in-One Printer

Features

• One touch display to print photos
• Print from anywhere home or office
• Brand Hp
• Weight 6.3kg
• Resolution 1200 dpi
• 2 years ink included
• The HP App supported 

The HP Envy Pro 6475 is a Wireless All-in-One Printer with a touch screen display that enables you to use the printer without a PC. The printer has a built-in scanner for scanning documents, photos, and receipts.

The HP Envy Pro 6475 has an Ink level that tells you when you need to install new cartridges. The Envy Pro 6475 Printer comes with a warranty of two years from HP. The printer uses an HP 60 Black cartridge and HP 60 Tri-color cartridge.

HP Smart device dashboard is a free app that shows the status of HP connected products. Start here to access product manuals, software updates, and other product information.

If you’re looking for a printer that can handle sublimation on cups, then the HP ENVY Pro 6475 is a great option. It’s made from solid plastic, so it’s sturdy and well-built. Plus, it can print great designs or pictures onto cups.

HP ENVY Pro 6475 is well-built and made of solid plastic, so it’s built to last. Plus, it produces amazing results, so you can print your favorite designs or pictures on cups with ease.

The HP Smart mobile app is compatible with this printer and gives you the ability to print high-quality photographs with excellent color fidelity.

8-Canon® SELPHY™ CP 1300-Wireless Compact Photo Printer

Features

• Dye sublimation Printing Technology
• USB Connectivity
• Brand Canon
• PC, Smartphone & Laptop Compatible
• sheet size: 3 x 5 inch
• Black
• Portable

Canon® SELPHY™ CP 1300 Review

This wireless compact photo printer is a true photo lab in your hands. This printer includes a built-in lithium-ion battery, so you can tap-print with your smartphone or tablet. The battery lasts for up to 100 prints. Canon Selphy CP 1300 lets you print from anywhere & powered by smartphone or tablet.

The Canon SELPHY CP1300 is a compact printer with high-quality features designed to produce pleasing, high-resolution 4-inch x 6-inch photos. Compact and easy to use, the SELPHY CP1300 features built-in wireless connectivity for rapid photo printing from almost anywhere.

The SELPHY CP1300 also prints from your camera’s memory card, and best of all, the printer creates the printable photos you love without using ink!

Connectivity is the name of the game. It’s all about making life easier, and it’s one of the defining features of the SELPHY CP1300 Wireless Compact Photo Printer. You’ll be able to print photos directly from your compatible camera, smartphone, tablet or computer via an easy-to-use interface.

The CP1300 can print a 35mm photo in approximately 42 seconds, while outputting images with a resolution of 5760 x 1440dpi. It also supports borderless printing, so you can create pictures to your specifications.

9-Epson WorkForce WF-7210-Wireless Wide-format Color Inkjet Printer

Features

• Precision Core Technology
• High Quality Results
• Consumes less energy
• Flexible Paper Handling
• 500 pages tray Capacity

The Epson WorkForce WF-7210 All-in-One A3 Inkjet Printer with Wi-Fi is the ideal machine for use with huge ink tanks and an efficient print head, which results in low running costs. The glossy black finish is stylish, and it will look great on any desk.

The WorkForce WF-7210 Wireless Wide-format Color Inkjet Printer can speedily tackle everything from large posters to detailed photos and documents.

Simply connect the WF-7210 Wireless Wide-format Color Inkjet Printer to your PC or Mac with a convenient wireless connection and then print, scan, copy and fax easily with Epson Connect. This Epson color inkjet printer includes built-in Wi-Fi and NFC

The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 is a great printer for offices, & home, capable of printing at up to 57 ppm (pages per minute) and uses just 7.5 watts of power in sleep mode and a maximum of 68 watts while printing.

WorkForce WF-7720 utilizes a borderless printing mode, allowing you to print professional looking documents, presentations and marketing materials.

WorkForce WF-7720 printer has an expandable memory of up to 128 MB, allowing you to print large PDF files and scans. It is capable of scanning at up to 19 pages per minute and can produce up to 9600 x 2400 dpi resolution..

10-HP ENVY Photo 7155 All-in-One Photo Printer

Features

• HP- Brand
• Weighs -16.72 pounds
• Supports Auto-Duplex
• Lets you Scan to Email 
• Supports Optional High-Yield Cartridges
•  Wifi-Network-Ready
• Comes with Color Touchscreen
• Has Separate Photo Tray
• Also HP Instant Ink Eligible
• Instant Cloud Print Enabled 
• Direct printing from an SD card

HP ENVY Photo 7155 Review

The low-cost, high-quality instant photo printer for your home! The HP ENVY Photo 7155 All-in-One printer features a modern design and a small footprint, perfect for small spaces.

The HP Envy printer can print borderless photos with a glossy finish, and comes with a 30-sheet input tray. With HP PageWide Technology, this instant photo printer makes it easy to print on a wide array of paper types, including photo paper, sticker paper, labels and more. And with 4 color options available, you’re sure to find a printer that fits your home décor.

Now you can print directly onto photos and other surfaces with HP’s new Envy Photo 7155. You can print without a computer by connecting to Wi-Fi and using the mobile app.

You need a printer for your home or workplace, you are covered by the HP ENVY Photo 7155 All-in-One Photo Printer. It delivers on speed, high quality and versatility. Connect your smartphone, tablet and computer to print directly from the cloud. Negotiate easily with people in different facets of your life with a quick print of your great vacation pictures.

HP ENVY Photo 7155 lets you print with Original HP ink cartridges, you get sharp, crisp prints with brilliant color fromyour smartphone, tablet or computer. HP ENVY Photo 7155 lets   you print what you love from wherever you are.

the HP ENVY Photo 7155 printer features a built-in scanner, Two-sided printing, automatic document feeder and it also has a memory card slot for quick and easy photo printing,scanning, copying and faxing. The printer also allows you to print directly from your device with HP Mobile Printing, AirPrint and Google Cloud Print. The printer is 2.2″H x 10.2″W x 8.3″D and it weighs around 22.9 pounds.

Guide: What is Sublimation & How to sublimate a Wood

The process of sublimation works on the principle of changing the state of a substance from solid directly to gas, without previous melting (without transition to a liquid state).

How does it work when printing? When heated, sublimation inks turn into gases, which bind tightly to the polyester. It is printed either directly on a special polyester material, or indirectly using transfer paper and subsequent pressing.

Then, transfer the design onto the transfer paper.Take the print out of the press, once the pigment is transferred on to the transfer paper

During sublimation, it is necessary to think that

• Special heat-activated inks are printed on digital transfer transfer paper, usually mirror-image.
• A heat press or a calendar  (suitable for continuous media on rolls) is required to transfer heat.
• Heat and pressure is then applied with the help of heat press or calender from 180-200 °C for 35-60 seconds
• No drying time or additional surface treatment is required as compared to an eco-solvent printer.

The heat transfer process embeds the print into the polyester fabric without fading or washing out the print. The print lasts longer without cracking, peeling & it can be washed, ironed with no color loss 

Wood is an ideal item for sublimation painting which is easy to maintain and gives an awesome appearance. The sublimation process is easy & you will learn about how to sublimate on uncoated wood & coated wood in steps.

How To Sublimate a Wood?

Here are three processes on how to sublimate a wood:

Process 1-How to Sublimate On Uncoated Wood?

Sublimation on uncoated wood is similar process for any other object but it may result into faded image. You can use large, blocky graphics to sublimate wood. However, make sure to remove mositure from the wooden blank as much as possible before sublimation. As wood absorbs too much moisture, you may notice huge amount of steam coming out when you sublimate an uncoated wood. 

Process 2-How to sublimate wood with Thermal Laminate

Thermal lamination paper on top of wood surprisingly works well for sublimation on wood. Using thermal lamination paper from any brand Amazon or Walmart performs good adhering on top of wood & produces vibrant colors once the wood is sublimated. 

In thermal lamination process, first cut the lamination pouch to get a single sheet of plastic film. You will find one side has a rough texture- don’t go for self adhesive lamination pouch as it will not work. The rough side will touch the wood, press the lamination paper on wood with the help of heat press for 30 seconds on 400F with moderate pressure. 

Through thermal lamination process you wood be ready after 30-40 seconds. This is an easy process that offers you glossy product with vibrant colors. 

Process 3 – How to sublimate on wood with polycrylic?

The sublimation process with polycrylic uses a water based polymer coating on wood that gives it a good finish. Polycrylic coating is easy to apply as you coat you wood a light layer of polycrylic & allow it to dry up to few days to avoid humidity or moisture. 

When you think the wood is cured & coated press the wood to get rid of mositure. You can then use firm pressure to press your sublimation transfer on the wood for up to 60 second on 400F temperature. 

You should anticipate your paper could stick to the wood as using polycrylic usually causes this. Remove the paper that is glued to your wooden blank. To do this you can saturate your sublimated blank with water. 

Once you have removed the guled paper you can top coat the wood with lacquer for best results. 

Process 4 – Sanding Sealer: The Better Alternative to Polycrylic

We love this method because it’s cheaper than Polycrylic and it doesn’t make the sublimation paper stick to your wood as much. Polycrylic can be expensive and almost always results in the sublimation paper sticking to your wood, but sanding sealer is a great alternative that’s more affordable and easier to apply.
To use sanding sealer, follow the same steps as you would for polycrylic. The key difference is that sanding sealer is thinner, so you can apply it as a very light coat.

1-We recommend using premium Baltic Birch Plywood for wood sublimation because it tolerates heat well and has a light, consistent color.

2-Before applying your sublimation design, make sure to prep the wood by sanding it down to create a smooth surface – we recommend sanding to 220 grit.

3- Once the wood is sanded, then apply a coating if you need it. However, keep in mind that less is more when it comes to applying a coating – too much coating can cause the sublimation paper to not stick properly.

4-Please keep in mind that although we think sublimation on wood looks amazing, you likely won’t get the same level of detail that you would on 100% polyester fabric or Unisub white hardboard. It’s important to remember that you still want to see some of the natural beauty of the wood grain.

5-Water is the enemy of wood sublimation. Wood is a natural product and contains a high percentage of water. Just like with other sublimation materials, water can ruin your transfer. That’s why we always recommend pre-pressing your wood before sublimating!

A huge benefit of sanding sealer is that it dries very quickly. You can apply the sealer and be ready to sublimate in less than 30 minutes. Your sublimation paper will still stick to the wood, but you’ll find that it doesn’t adhere as much as with polycrylic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to sublimate on wood?

You can use different ways to sublimate on wood. The one I use is by using a sublimation printer. But you can also use regular inkjet. However, the problem with inkjet is that the ink tends to crack.

Sublimation printer is much more expensive. They can cost anywhere from $800 to $8,000. Get a sublimation printer if you are serious about starting a business.

The last way to sublimate on wood is to use a heat press. The process to sublimate with the Heat press is a much cheaper option.

How Long to Sublimate on Wood?

As a general rule the time needed to sublimate varies on the height of the object, temperature around the object and pressure applied on top of the object. As the goal of sublimation is to get the ink to become part of the wood, it requires a few minutes on each color of ink to penetrate into the wood.

The longer the time, the deeper the ink will penetrate. If you place the print face-down on the wood, the ink will be able to penetrate deeper into the wood. For example, to get a white t-shirt to turn fully black, it will take about 45 minutes to 1 and a half hours, whereas a black t-shirt would only need about 20-30 minutes.

The higher the temperature, the faster the pressure to sublimate. The relationship between temperature, pressure and shape are illustrated in the below chart.

How to sublimate on wood rounds?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions on infomercials, because a lot of people don’t know how to sublimate on wooden rounds. The easiest way to do this is to cut a circle out from the center of the round and insert an image into it.

After that, you just have to freeze and apply the circle to the surface you want. If you want to sublimate on wood rounds the professional way, you should check out an article with all the details about it on the site for A4sublimation.com .

Final Verdict

The article has offered you a detailed review of 10 best sublimaiton printer for wood & four processes of how to sublimate a wood along with frequently asked questions. You can choose our top pick or you can select any printer that best suits your budget. You will also need other supplies to sublimate wood depding on your choice which process you choose, therefore, buy the relevant supplies such as heatpress, sublimation heat paper or lamination paper according your need.

Watch the video on how to sublimate wood