My Sublimation Setup

My current hardware setup for sublimation printing and pressing:

So far, I've been pretty happy with all this. I wish my oven was a bit more flexible in terms of its controls, but the heat is consistent and even, and I'm happy with the results I get with both ceramic and metal drinkware.

You'll also need a heat gun if you plan on using a sublimation oven. You can get a basic one, but if you have other heat gun needs around your home, spend a bit more for a quality tool designed for automotive as well as craft use. We settled on a Makita model with a digital temperature control and a hard case.

Heat Presses

I really recommend investing in a quality heat press. A crap heat press will cause you more headaches than it's worth, especially in wasted materials from bad pressings. Not only that, but a generic heat press can be a horrendous fire hazard if it's not made properly. Heat presses are high load electric appliances, and cutting corners on circuitry (design and components) and manufacturing can lead to devastating fires. Play it safe and save up for a quality heat press, or if you're going to get a cheap one, crack it open and make sure everything is solid before turning it on. If you don't know how to do this, save up for a quality heat press.

If you have the cash, check out Stahl brand presses - they also own the Hotronix brand, and they make most of their presses in America. They are quite pricey as a result. They are also officially available in the UK and EU, although their product offerings seem to vary a bit from what's available in the states. Heat Press Nation is another good option if you're in the United States. They manufacture in China, but maintain high standards and offer a good warranty and post-sales support.

Printers

If you're just starting out with sublimation, get yourself a lightly used EPSON inkjet photo printer, if you can. From my own experiences doing desktop support over many years, it seems modern inkjet printers just aren't as quality as older models, probably because consumer demand for photo printers has shrunk so much over the years. If you can find an old photo printer that sat mostly unused on someone's desk for a decade, it's worth investing in either a CISS (continuous ink supply system) kit or refillable cartridges for whatever you find. Just stick with EPSON printers. Don't mess with other consumer inkjet printer brands; none reliably use a piezoelectric printhead, which is required for sublimation ink. I recommend avoiding printers that use red ink as part of an expanded ink system, because it seems this color is a bit harder to find in the sublimation ink market.

Vacuum Sublimation

I just recently obtained the new HTVRONT vacuum sublimation machine (ships September 2025), and I do think it's a worthwhile investment if you're selling what you make with it. The film is expensive and seems to have a limited shelf life, so unless you're making a lot of product with this machine, the consumable costs add up pretty fast, with the film priced at a little over $5 per sheet by HTVRONT's standard pricing here. If you're turning over enough inventory, however, the film can be purchased much more cheaply in bulk (about 80 cents per sheet if you buy a 100 pack) - but the limited shelf life means you can't get away with buying bulk as a hobbyist.

The Internet claims this sublimation film probably has a shelf life of 6-12 months, assuming it's kept in an airtight, lightproof container. You can also store the sheets in heavyweight (6 mil or thicker) Mylar bags - vacuum sealing is best, if you can do it.

Hopefully we'll see some more affordable options on Amazon, once the machine is generally available through HTVRONT's retail channels. In the meantime, keep in mind the price per sheet when you plan projects with this thing.

My Sublimation Setup

Heat Presses

Printers

Vacuum Sublimation

Warning