Anyone here use dye sublimation printers?

I've been thinking about purchasing one to use with my crafts. Right now I'm
using waterslip decals to put pictures on mugs, tiles, etc. I know that dye
sub printers produce waterproof prints, but I'm not really sure I understand
how the process works to put them on ceramics. After a day searching the net
I figured I'd ask here. Another thing I was wondering is if those small
dye-sub printers that print 4x6 sheets would work for what I'm doing. I
don't need images larger than that, but I don't really know if the quality
would be what the larger more expensive models can do. Also, any
recommendations for one that's not astronomical in price. I'm just really
confused about it and want to make the perfect choice. Help!

TIA-
Leslie

Hi Leslie

I've owned two dye-sub printers, neither performed for the purposes
purchased, even though the companies swore that was what they were
designed for.
The output quality was low, often heavily streaked and they were very
expensive to use.

I finally went with a professional color laser printer. The cost of
the printer itself was fairly high, but the cost of supplies and/or
the printing of images is very very low. 8x10 full color images are
less than 13 cents each, waterproof and usually fade-proof.

In other words, I chose to look at my cost per print, rather than the
cost of the initial machine. However, the two costs added together,
vs the lifespan of the machine, is your true cost per print.

In essence, my final total cost per print is about 1/6 of a high
quality ink jet printer. But the nice part is, you get a perfect
print every time, thus no waste as with ink jets.

You can print on ultra thin films that can be transferred to cups,
mugs, plates, almost anything, and coated with a lacquer without
bleeding.

You can also reverse print the images on cheap bakers paper and
transfer the image to materials or hats with an iron. You don't have
to buy that expensive transfer paper!

Every brand machine has it's little quirks and nuances that drive ya
buggy. By the same token, each brand has it's plusses that the others
don't feature. Lexmark for example will accept almost any media from
T-shirts to stiff cardboard and not hang up or jamb. Xerox, the
machine I use, uses color sticks rather than loose toner or
cartridges, it is picky on what paper or media it will eat, but great
on consistant output and color rendition. It was the lowest cost per
page machine I could find at the time, with the least downtime. HP
has a great machine, expensive, and extensive downtime seems to be
it's major plague.

TTUL
Gary

Thanks Gary-

That was exactly the information I was looking for.

Leslie

"Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." wrote in message
...
Hi Leslie

I've owned two dye-sub printers, neither performed for the purposes
purchased, even though the companies swore that was what they were
designed for.
The output quality was low, often heavily streaked and they were very
expensive to use.

I finally went with a professional color laser printer. The cost of
the printer itself was fairly high, but the cost of supplies and/or
the printing of images is very very low. 8x10 full color images are
less than 13 cents each, waterproof and usually fade-proof.

In other words, I chose to look at my cost per print, rather than the
cost of the initial machine. However, the two costs added together,
vs the lifespan of the machine, is your true cost per print.

In essence, my final total cost per print is about 1/6 of a high
quality ink jet printer. But the nice part is, you get a perfect
print every time, thus no waste as with ink jets.

You can print on ultra thin films that can be transferred to cups,
mugs, plates, almost anything, and coated with a lacquer without
bleeding.

You can also reverse print the images on cheap bakers paper and
transfer the image to materials or hats with an iron. You don't have
to buy that expensive transfer paper!

Every brand machine has it's little quirks and nuances that drive ya
buggy. By the same token, each brand has it's plusses that the others
don't feature. Lexmark for example will accept almost any media from
T-shirts to stiff cardboard and not hang up or jamb. Xerox, the
machine I use, uses color sticks rather than loose toner or
cartridges, it is picky on what paper or media it will eat, but great
on consistant output and color rendition. It was the lowest cost per
page machine I could find at the time, with the least downtime. HP
has a great machine, expensive, and extensive downtime seems to be
it's major plague.

TTUL
Gary