Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: fynechyna on November 03, 2011, 08:52:37 pm

Title: epson wide format printers
Post by: fynechyna on November 03, 2011, 08:52:37 pm: I am interested in starting a t shirt business and i am looking for a good printer to work with chromablast ink as well as a continuous ink system. I have been going back and forth between the epson 3880 and the 4880 but neither of them have a continuous ink system, can anyone suggest a good quality printer to use in my business that will give me excellent results? I would like a wide format printer and I am partial to Epson
Title: Re: epson wide format printers
Post by: Farmer on November 03, 2011, 09:28:14 pm: Dye sublimation, direct to fabric.
Title: Re: epson wide format printers
Post by: Wayne Fox on November 04, 2011, 12:42:36 am: How do you use dye sublimation direct to fabric? I agree dye sub is the way to do it but you have to print out a sheet on some type of printer that you then transfer the dyes to the fabric.

Epson printers are the best at doing this (you cannot use a printer that uses thermal technology such as Canon or HP because they heat the inks).

Best solution for this is Sawgrass Inks, and I'm pretty sure they have either CIS systems or ways to refill Epson cartridges. We ran 10 4800 printers making numerous products (mugs, mouse pads, t-shirts, wood blocks) several years ago, and had good results with Sawgrass.

We also ran 2 Mimaki 10 foot printers and transferred onto 9 foot wide fabric to produce backgrounds for studios (something which Denny and others is doing a lot of right now). These printers use Epson heads and we used Sawgrass inks in them as well, very good results.
Title: Re: epson wide format printers
Post by: Farmer on November 04, 2011, 12:45:59 am: Sorry, that was badly formatted by me. You can either print direct to fabric:

http://www.wideformatonline.com/index.php/news/13-outdoor-graphics-solvent-a-uv/3995-epson-launches-the-monna-lisa-textile-printer-and-establishes-a-textile-printing-centre-in-kyoto

or you can use dye sub in a process as you mentioned.
Title: Re: epson wide format printers
Post by: Wayne Fox on November 04, 2011, 04:54:24 pm: Quote from: Farmer on November 04, 2011, 12:45:59 am
Sorry, that was badly formatted by me. You can either print direct to fabric:

...
or you can use dye sub in a process as you mentioned.
ah .. I re-read your original post ... I get it now. Sorry :P
Title: Re: epson wide format printers
Post by: Farmer on November 04, 2011, 05:00:47 pm: It makes even less sense now as someone has deleted their own post so it apears I'm responding directly to the OP :-)