The most effective printers for T-shirts allow you to create your personal bespoke clothes with out counting on third-party companies or investing in a DTF or DTG printer.
Should you’re been impressed to create your personal bespoke T-shirts, there are a selection of choices out there to make them. Many use third-party firms with heavy-duty T-shirt printers and screen-printing amenities. It’s an particularly widespread alternative if you want bulk orders or extremely correct, high-resolution pictures on T-shirts and different clothes. Alternatively, you may as well get your personal Direct to Cloth or Direct to Garment printer – though this will show costly, significantly for limited-run prints.
As an alternative, most dwelling or small enterprise setups select a devoted inkjet or laser printer which is appropriate with switch paper particularly designed for warmth switch functions. As soon as the design is printed onto the switch paper, it may be warmth pressed onto the T-shirt, permitting the design to switch and bond with the material.
Typically talking, all of the finest printers assist warmth switch however how do you select the easiest printers for T-shirts? Effectively, we’ve put the units to the check. Throughout our rigorous testing and evaluation course of, we’ve assessed the highest T-shirt printers in terms of pace, accuracy, and worth for cash.
What’s the very best printer for T-shirts in 2023?
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Greatest printer for T-shirts general
The ‘EcoTank’ vary of Epson printers has a quite simple premise : they supply loads of printer ink the field, out there in bottles. In our unique evaluation of this all-in-one printer we discovered that the equipped ink was sufficient to print 14,000 black and white pages, or 5,200 colour, equal to round 70 common print cartridges.
Alternative bottles are additionally cheap to purchase. This goes a great distance in direction of justifying the upper price ticket for this EcoTank mannequin relative to different all-in-one printers, particularly as creating T-shirts can devour giant quantities of ink.
The EcoTank is particularly designed for warmth switch printing. It comprises an ADF (Auto Doc Feeder), that means it may possibly deal with a number of warmth switch sheets (as much as 250 at a time). Its high pace is rated at 15 ppm (pages per minute) which is not very spectacular in comparison with its rivals however the picture high quality is great, which is most essential when creating your personal T-shirt design.
From doing on-line analysis we additionally found that it is comparatively simple to transform your EcoTank right into a “sublimation” printer, by means of including specialist inks. This can lead to higher picture high quality however keep in mind sublimation solely works on polyester, while warmth switch works on all types of cloth.
The one actual draw back to this printer is a few corners have been reduce : the display screen is obvious and straightforward to make use of however you must navigate it utilizing the printer buttons. This could make getting into WiFi passwords very impractical given there isn’t any onscreen keyboard. Fortunately you may as well use the companion app ‘Epson Good Panel’ to attach the EcoTank to your private home wi-fi community.
Learn our full Epson EcoTank ET-3850 evaluation
Greatest picture printer for T-shirts
Canon first launched the Professional mannequin in 2012, designed particularly for printing high-quality pictures. It achieves this by means of an 8-ink dye based mostly system which ends up in skilled high quality prints.
There are two paper trays although – one for picture papers and a guide feed. Most significantly on your T-shirt tasks, it helps printing to each switch paper and printable vinyl on sheets of as much as 13 inches x 19 inches (33cm x 48.26cm).
Moreover supporting print by way of WiFi & USB the PRO-100S can also print straight from cloud-based and on-line picture storage providers such Fb, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive by way of PIXMA Cloud Hyperlink.
As a premium printer, the Professional-100S is designed for high quality not pace. Nonetheless, if it may possibly produce one borderless 6″ x 4″ picture in simply 34 seconds, that bodes nicely for operating off a number of high quality warmth transfers.
This mannequin has really been outmoded by the Canon Pixma Professional-200, which gives increased picture high quality however availability isn’t nearly as good.
The one actual downside to this printer is the very excessive worth you must pay in an effort to have this type of print high quality. Nonetheless, it is perhaps a superb funding when you wish to print pictures in addition to T-shirts.
Learn our full Canon Pixma Professional-100S evaluation
Greatest for printing T-shirts quick
Should you wish to hold your printing easy then the HP Officejet Professional 8034e is perhaps for you. This cheap printer can churn out pages at an astonishing fee (as much as 20 per minute for black and white). In fact this pace could range when you’re printing high-res T-shirt designs onto specialist paper.
You even have the choice to enroll to HP’s “Prompt Ink” service, which suggests the system will inform HP if you’re operating low on ink and routinely order extra cartridges for you. The fee contains transport and recycling of outdated cartridges.
You are routinely given a 6 month subscription to Prompt Ink when you purchase direct from HP – surprisingly the itemizing on Amazon reveals this to be one yr, so it could be finest to verify with the retailer straight earlier than shopping for.
After checking the HP web site, we had been in a position to verify that the 8030 collection of OfficeJet Professional do assist warmth switch printing. The official HP web site even has a useful information on how to do that.
You may as well use the HP+ Good App to scan/print your T-shirt designs from wherever. The printer additionally contains “self-healing” WiFi, which seemingly routinely diagnoses and fixes connection points. Should you choose peace of thoughts, you may as well plug into the 8034e straight by way of USB or Ethernet cable.
As handy because the Prompt Ink program is, you may nonetheless set up cartridges your self however HP warns the printers are solely designed to be appropriate with their very own, not these manufactured by third-parties and can search to dam cartridges utilizing non-HP chips or circuitry.
The web site additionally warns that HP iron-on transfers for inkjet printers can’t be used with LaserJet printers, or with copy machines and inkjet printers which have a heating component. These merchandise can soften the switch and trigger harm to the {hardware}.
Greatest mono laser T-shirt printer
This small, dependable laserjet printer is ideal on your dwelling or small enterprise. If you will get over the actual fact there isn’t any wi-fi printing (USB 2.0 solely), you may begin to see a few of the advantages of utilizing this system to run off your warmth transfers.
This printer is quick. It might probably run off as much as 30 sheets a minute and even has a devoted “straight by means of paper path.” In plain English this implies a guide feed slot and rear paper exit so you may simply verify on designs as they print. The paper tray can take as much as 250 sheets, so that is undoubtedly one for mass T-shirt manufacturing. This capability is mirrored within the “starter toner” packages which in principle comprises sufficient for 250 pages, although you could discover your T-shirt designs are extra thirsty.
Even making an allowance for the sharper pictures produced relative to inkjet printers, high quality continues to be glorious with a decision of as much as 2400 x 600 dpi.
For a laser printer, that is additionally glorious worth for cash. It is solely actually let down by the actual fact you may print solely in black and white. Nonetheless, when you do not thoughts specializing in monochromatic T-shirt designs you are able to do a lot worse.
Learn our full Brother HL-L2300D Mono Laser Printer evaluation
Greatest for big codecs
Just like the P700 and P800 collection earlier than it, the P900 is designed with graphic artists in thoughts. That is most evident from its dimension, given the printer can output on pages as much as 17 inches (43.18cm) extensive.
Epson’s web site particularly states its in a position to print on varied kinds of media, and it may possibly deal with media as much as 1.5mm thick which ought to embody almost all kinds of warmth switch paper.
Departing from the same old 4 colour cartridge CMYK setup the P900 comes with no fewer than 10 colour cartridges. Epson describes this as: a “10-color archival pigment ink with an expanded colour gamut”.
In plain English this implies it makes use of a particular printhead with a variety of nozzles, every able to capturing out ink droplets of three various sizes. The printer additionally has separate channels for each picture and matte black ink, which may make for a a lot sharper image. The “Carbon Black know-how” could make for a lot deeper shades of black, significantly when utilizing warmth switch paper for T-shirt designs.
In fact having 10 cartridges, every of which can be utilized for various quantities by differing print jobs means there is a value when it comes to pace. Bigger pictures can take as much as two minutes to print absolutely however naturally speeds for operating off T-shirt designs could also be slower.
The one actual query stays whether or not you may justify the hefty worth for having such excessive print-quality on your T-shirts.
Greatest printer for T-shirts: FAQs
Can I print T-shirts with any printer?
In principle you possibly can attempt to insert warmth switch paper into any inkjet or laserjet printer, then hope for the very best. In follow it is best to make use of a printer which the producer has confirmed is particularly appropriate with “warmth switch” paper. Bonus factors if the producer can advocate a particular print medium for his or her printer.
Is it costly to print T-shirts?
Should you’re planning to run off lots of of T-shirts, you could be ready to pay for ink. We recommend doing a small check run first to ensure you’re proud of the T-shirt design and high quality earlier than going into mass manufacturing. Some firms like Epson and Brother additionally provide decreased priced ink/ink subscriptions. For extra heavyweight equipment and bigger print runs, search for the very best sublimation printers – they are often costlier, however appropriate for devoted T-shirt printing.
The place can I discover warmth paper for printing?
Well-liked on-line retailers like Avery or Amazon inventory all types of warmth switch paper for printing. These range when it comes to the type of material for which they’re designed, thickness and printer compatibility. At all times verify along with your printer producer earlier than shopping for to ensure your media is appropriate.
Which printer is finest for T-shirts?
Some printers listed right here such because the Epson SureColor P900 are finest suited to producing small numbers of high-quality designs. Should you’re on a mission to print monochromatic T-shirt designs for everybody in your class, you could choose to save lots of money and time with a printer mannequin designed for mass manufacturing such because the Brother HL-L2320D.
Whichever sort of printer you select, do not forget that outcomes will range based mostly on the capabilities of your printer, your chosen picture and the kind of media on which you need to print.
If you aren’t getting the outcomes you want straight away, make sure that to verify the applying settings on your printer to see if there is a particular mode for warmth switch paper. It will optimize it for the duty. Do not be afraid to experiment with various kinds of media for printing your designs both.
How to decide on the very best T-shirt printers
Should you’re deciding which printer for T-shirts is finest, there are some broad classes to think about:
Inkjet vs. laser
This is without doubt one of the most essential selections you may make. Inkjet printers normally contain much less upfront value however ink can turn out to be costly when you’re producing giant numbers of designs. Laser printers might be costlier however usually produce sharper wanting pictures.
Cartridge array
You will get some glorious outcomes with the common 4-color CMYK setup of cartridges however the easiest printers could use further cartridges to ship the easiest high quality pictures. You also needs to take note of the way you load extra ink : as an illustration the Epson EcoTank entails loading bottles of ink right into a collection of reservoirs.
Picture high quality
With regards to printing onto warmth switch paper, the DPI (dots per inch) of a printer is as essential because the number of colours out there. Within the nature of issues because you’re utilizing warmth to switch the picture onto material, the upper the standard is earlier than being transferred to the T-shirt the extra probably you’re to be happy with the outcomes. Examine the printer producer’s web site for the complete technical specs of your chosen system.
Simple loading
Should you’re producing a number of T-shirt designs, an auto-document feeder will help pace issues up significantly. Your printer also needs to have the ability to accommodate completely different thicknesses of paper relying on the fabric you need to use, reminiscent of extra-thick warmth switch paper or vinyl paper.
Price range
If worth is not any object, there are some premium printers on the market which may run off designs for you with precision element utilizing all hues of the rainbow. Most individuals should be slightly extra sensible however keep in mind: usually talking the upper the upfront value of the printer, the much less you may should pay for ink down the road. If you are going to make a number of T-Shirts, make sure that to verify how a lot ink will value you, in any other case a finances printer might be a false financial system.
How we check the very best printers for T-shirts
We have examined lots of of printers for dwelling, workplace, and studio. This contains the very best all-in-one printers, finest label printers, and the very best small enterprise printers.
Whether or not we’re testing for the very best T-shirt printers or another activity, we assess a spread of things, from print speeds to print high quality, in addition to taking a look at value-for-money throughout each the system itself and the ink cartridges.
Whereas we sometimes carry out detailed comparisons and evaluation, timing the printing speeds in single sheet and duplex mode – it is slightly completely different when printing T-shirts versus printing paperwork. Right here, we additionally take a look at the constancy of printing onto warmth paper. We’re mainly in search of high-accuracy, high-resolution prints, whether or not you are printing textual content or pictures.
When testing print high quality, we at all times print the identical check paperwork for an correct overview throughout all printers. This doc contains textual content in numerous font sizes and colours, in addition to pictures. We additionally check patterns, evaluating sharpness and colour constancy.
Lastly, we calculate operating prices, and examine the interface, design, and construct high quality to others in the identical class and use-case.
Discover our extra about how we check, evaluation, and fee printers on TechRadar Professional