A good printer for heat transfer is a must if printing on t-shirts is your business or your hobby. Only a quality product can produce a high quality design on the fabric. We researched and analyzed top 30 products and consulted three experts to get to the list of best printers for heat transfer. Epson Expression XP-15000is our editor’s choice, Epson Artisan 1430 is our runner up, and is our budget pick. To get a detailed review scroll down.
Our Top Choice
Contents
Product
Editor's Pick
Runner Up
Budget Pick
Name
Epson Expression XP-15000
Epson Artisan 1430
Epson Stylus C88
Best For
Best Heat Transfer Printer Machine
Best Epson Printer For Heat Transfers
Best Budget-Friendly Heat Transfer Printer
Pros
Produce ultra high quality color prints, Border less printing, Good printing speed, Can print on both sides, Wired and wireless connectivity both, Wide format
Highest resolution for images, Wide-format, Easy installation, Auto-correct feature, Prints are smudge-proof, water resistant, and fade-proof
Budget-friendly, Standard quality, Border less printing, Comes with quality pigment based inks, Easy to replace cartridges
Cons
We didn't find any
You might take time to get the hang of the different settings
Produce ultra high quality color prints, Border less printing, Good printing speed, Can print on both sides, Wired and wireless connectivity both, Wide format
This printer is designed for use with Epson cartridges only, not third party cartridges or ink; Cartridges described as...
Professional ultra HD photo quality get brilliant border less prints upto 13 inches X 19 inches
Individual 6 color Claria photo HD ink includes red and gray inks for an ultra wide color gamut and enhanced black and...
If printing using the heat transfer method is all what you require for your business then look no further, this one is the best one for you. This one is a dedicated heat transfer printer for large border less images. It is best recommended machine for businesses as it has high precision, great performance, and is sure to last for years
With this, you can get ultra high definition prints that you can transfer on variety of artifacts like pillows, t-shirts, plates, steel bottles, CDs, DVDs, mugs, tiles, or any other personalized gifting item. You can produce border less prints up to 13 by 19 inches using this printer. What impressed us the most was its advanced color correction capability that ensure all your prints have a ultra high clarity level. We advice you to couple this device with Claria Hi-Defination ink to get stunning water-resistant, fade-resistant, and scratch resistant images. This way the image produced will remain as it is for the entire life no matter how rough it has been used or washed. Furthermore, it also allows 2-sided document printing so you can always use this one is you want a print on both side of your artifact.
Last but not the least, it has wireless connectivity and wired connectivity through ethernet. You can connect it to your iPhone, iPad, tablet, and other smartphones.
Things We Like
Produce ultra high quality color prints
Border less printing
Good printing speed
Can print on both sides
Wired and wireless connectivity both
Wide format
Things We Don't Like
We didn’t find any
Bottom Line
If you own a business that involves lot of heat transfer work then go for this one. We recommend it for it versatile functioning and ultra high quality prints.
2. Epson Artisan 1430 – Best Epson Printer For Heat Transfers
Epson printers are known for their color quality and Artisan 1430 is the best one when it comes to professional performance. It is our runner up pick as it offer high definition vibrant color printing on wide-formats. Further, you can connect it wirelessly to almost all kind of smart devices and connecting to your network is a breeze setup. For heat transferring, it has everything from a short learning curve, fast printing, and long life.
The unit follows the latest inkjet technology and has 6 color high definition Claria ink to give vibrant high quality clear and sharp prints. Be rest assured, you use the mechanism to transfer the prints on t-shirts, mugs, bottles, CD’s, DVD’s, and other crafting projects. To check the durability of prints, we tested it for resistance against smudging, fading, scratches, and water. But to our surprise the prints remain as it is no matter how harshly they were treated. Furthermore, you can print up to 4 by 6 photo prints and up to 13 by 19 large size prints. This suggests it has a standard size format. What more you get in this is optional auto-correct feature that makes sure that the prints come out perfect, smooth without smudging through the lines or image.
As per our testing, the device can take your business to next level without breaking the band. Customer an other printing companies review it as one of the most heat transfer printers in the market. Last but not the least, like other top printers for heat transfer in the market this one also has wireless and wired connectivity. You can use your smart devices to get wire-free prints from anywhere.
Things We Like
Highest resolution for images
Wide-format
Easy installation
Auto-correct feature
Prints are smudge-proof, water resistant, and fade-proof
Things We Don't Like
You might take time to get the hang of the different settings
Bottom Line
The Epson Artisan 1430 is an easy to use, high-definition performance printer with all sorts of features while still being moderately priced. It matches to the professional printers in terms of quality, versatility, and printing capabilities.
3. Brother HL-L2320D – Best Monochrome Laser Printer For Heat Transfer
If you are looking for the best laser printer for heat transfer then this can be the one. It is different form other options as it caters only the need of black ans white printing. The print quality is high in spite of the fact that they are monochromatic. You can easily make out what is on the image due to its super high precision and clarity. We recommend it for business that have to suffice high volume and still maintain decent quality needs.
Brother L230D can be used to heat transfer prints on many things like mug, t-shirts, bottles, DVD’s etc. It is one of the best printer to print slogan t-shirts which are the most trendiest among youth nowadays. It also offers double-side printing. Moving on to ts connectivity, you can connect it to your computer using the cable or opt for a USB connection to directly produce the prints without opening your computer. Nevertheless, if there were a few more connectivity options it would have been much better.
Last but not the least, what we found more pleasing is the fact that the toner ink lasts you pretty long and it won’t dry up even if you use this occasionally. So, a good buy if you are fed up of refilling or replacing colored ink which drys up pretty quickly.
Things We Like
Economical in range
Can carry high volume prints
Decent print quality
Easy to install
Compact
Things We Don't Like
Lacks advanced connectivity features
Bottom Line
A good investment for startup and small business who have to handle a volume of work without compromising the quality. The only glitch is its connectivity but for the price getting a laser print like this is absolutely worth it.
4. Epson WF7710 – Best Digital Heat Transfer Printer
Epson all-in-one printer can print, scan, copy and fax
PrecisionCore technology lets you create borderless prints up to 13" x 19" in size
If you are planning to start heat transfer printing as a business, this can be one of the best heat transfer printer for you. It is because the set up and operation is extremely easy to handle and understand for a beginner. Not only this, it can be an integral part of printing and scanning work at your business place. This is yet another quality best printer for heat transfer from Epson. This model is a good buy for the price without compromising on their performance and functionality.
WorkForce WF-7710 will give you large format printing up to a size of 13 by 19 inch. This side is a good as most of the heat transfer process involves producing large print sizes on t-shirts, cushions, and other fabrics. While testing the device, what we liked more is the DuraBrite ultra ink cartridges. These cartridges give vibrant color prints and are much more durable when compared to a dye. Further, it is also compatible with dye-based ink cartridges as well. Another amazing feature is it connectivity. You can instantly print from your iPhone, iPad, and Android tables without connecting it to a network.
In addition to this, you can also do double side printing, scanning, and faxing with this device. There is a small touch screen that works smoothly to handle all the different needs.
Things We Like
Lightweight and compact
Gives great quality prints
Scans documents, photos, and artworks
Flexible connectivity
Give durable prints
Things We Don't Like
Sometimes have trouble shoot problems
Bottom Line
This one is a lightweight, easy to use, and low maintenance cost printer in the market. It is also recommended by many customers as a large format heat transfer printer
5. Epson Stylus C88 – Best Budget-Friendly Heat Transfer Printer
Product Type: Inkjet Printer, Recommended Use: Plain Paper Print, Print Color Capability: Color, Maximum Mono Print...
Number of Colors: 4, Parallel Port: Yes, USB: Yes, USB Standard: USB 2.0, Media Types & Handling, Border less Printing:...
Media Handling: 1 x Input Tray 120 Sheet, Number of Input/Multipurpose Trays Installed: 1, Number of Input Trays...
This is the best printer for home user and hobbyists in our opinion. It works decently and has all the standard features that a printer should have in spite of the budget-friendly pricing. This printer can easily handle up regular printing jobs and heat transfer paper printing. Be rest assured, it gives quality prints of good resolution up to 5760×1440 dpi.
Epson stylus C88 comes with 4 different pigment inks as compared to other prodcuts in which you get as high as seven color pigments. While testing, we found the pigments are decent enough to get a average print quality but they lack the ultra vibrant touch. The printer can handle media size up to 8.5 by 10.98 inch. You can use any sort of sheet rolls, cardstocks, thick paper, mail paper, envelopes etc. for printing. All the prints produced by this are durable as they are smudge-resistant, water-resistant, and fade-resistant.
Moving on to its connectivity, you can connect it via the built-in USB and parallel ports. In addition you can also switch between ports automatically. Lastly, its compatible with both the widely used platforms Macintosh and Windows-based systems.
Things We Like
Budget-friendly
Standard quality
Border less printing
Comes with quality pigment based inks
Easy to replace cartridges
Things We Don't Like
Limited connectivity options
Bottom Line
The Epson stylus is a budget friendly printer that comes with four quality inks to give a superior quality print every time. Although, it lacks modern day smart connectivity options but it really does not miss out on anything important in respect to quality and performance.
Buying Guide – Things To Consider When Buying A Printer For Heat Transfer
You cannot go and simply pick any printer from the market. There are lot of variants available and all of them won’t offer quality and performance. You should know the prime considerations that the product must have to get the worthy one. If all these seems tough to you, we have a solution. We have jotted down a detailed buying guide to help you purchase a printer that matches your need, requirement, and budget. So, let’s start with it.
1. Types Of Printers
Below are the three types of printers in the market meant for heat transfer work. They are described below in detail.
a) Laser Printers
With them, you can get the heat transfer job done pretty easily. They are the first choice for large scale business but are higher on price so are not considered by most of the small to medium scale businesses. You will find them in commercial printing presses only. Most of the small businesses opt for monochromatic laser printer for heat transfer and other printing work. It is because they can handle high volume, works fast, and are quiet durable. The best one in this category is Brother HL-L2320D.
b) Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are the best for heat transfer work. They are a good choice for hobbyists or small to medium scale businesses. They generally have dye based inks and pigment based inks.We prefer pigments based inks as the prints produced by them are fade-resistant, scratch-resistant, and water-resistant. Furthermore, they also work the best to get prints on fabrics, mugs, bottles, and other artifacts via heat transfer process. The best one in this category are Epson Expression XP-15000, Epson Artisan 1430, and Epson WF7710.
c) Dye Sublimation Printers
These are the rarest printers in the market. People generally don’t prefer as they have the ability to print directly on a fabric only without using an intermediary heat transfer paper. And furthermore, they support only one single kind of fabric which again is a downside.
2. Print Quality
This is very crucial. Whether you are planning to produce images on mugs, t-shirts, pillows, CD’s or anything else for your crafting projects or business certainly the quality should be best. And you get the ultra high HD quality only inkjet printers.We recommend only the best inkjet printers for heat transfer. The best printer for heat transfer in this category are: Epson Expression XP-15000, Epson Artisan 1430, and Epson WF7710.
3. Ink Quality/Type
Considering the heat transfer ink is also crucial and people often get confused. Prefer considering the dedicated inks that caters printing on special type of papers like cardstock, plastic, fabric, sheet rolls, etc. Also consider only the genuine ink from the designated brand(from the printer brand ) only as the quality of third party alternatives is not very great. In the market you get three types of inks Dye-based inks, Pigment-based inks, and Sublimation inks.
Now, you must be thinking which is the best ink for heat transfer printers. The sublimation ink for only sublimation printer and are know for their bright colors. You cannot use these inks for the inkjet printers without buying the new cartridges. Inkjet printers comes with cartridges you need to flush the already present ink before pumping up the new ink which is again a lot of work. So, we suggest you to maintain two cartridges one with sublimation in and the other with pigment ink. You can use the sublimation for regular heat transfers as they are cost effective and you can use the dye or pigment based inks when you wish to get a ultra high quality image printer via heat transfer.
4. Printing Mediums
Most of the heat transfer printers transfer the prints on the papers before transferring the design to the final substrate. The same process work for both sublimation and heat transfer printers. Nevertheless, it is worth to be noted whether the printer is compatible with other meidums or not like cardstock, sheet roll, special paper, printable vinyl, etc.
5. Size Of The Paper/Medium
This is a personal preference. If you require large images, you will be defiantly needing a printer that can handle wide-formats and vice-versa. We recommend you to go only for the wide-format printers as you never know when you have to do large format printing even if your requires only standard size printing. But, if you are very sure that you only standard size prints then go for the standard size printers as there is no point in wasting money on the wide-format printers.
Final Talk
Getting the best printers for heat transfer can be cumbersome if you don’t know what you want. But luckily whether you want a basic model for printing gifts or for your hobby work or an advanced model for your business, you will find one in our product review list. We payed close attentions to the different needs of different customers and then came to a list of the top products from the market that fit in with all the common and special needs. Be rest assured, which ever product you pick from our list would be great in all the three major aspects- quality, performance, and durability.
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