Top 10 Best Printers for Heat Transfer

For this article, I selected 10 printers that can handle bigger sized designs, inkjet or laser heat transfer paper, and are known to have a low percentage of customer returns.

Epson WorkForce 1100 Color Inkjet Printer – Print Large Transfer Designs

This Epson WorkForce has a wide format design to accommodate for larger prints. Since heat transfers are the reason why you need the printer, you will be able to print extra big designs to transfer onto fabric. With the larger designs, it will be less noticeable that the transfer was printed on paper first because the design is not limited to such a small space.

Color picture quality is extremely important for heat transfers since what you print will be identical or even a bit lesser quality once it is on a t-shirt or piece of fabric. Be sure to find the best quality printer. This Epson WorkForce printer is a viable option for the task.

This printer does use up ink fast, but it comes with high-capacity ink cartridges so that they last a bit longer than usual, which means you do not have to buy expensive ink cartridges as often as normal.

Epson Stylus C88+ Inkjet Printer – Printing Heat Transfers at Home

This printer is perfect for occasional heat transfer prints at home; it is not the best for consistently printing one sheet after the next. Sometimes, the sheets can overwork or jam the printer, creating more problems down the road. However, if you use this printer to print transfers for fun, and it works great.

The Epson Stylus C88+ supports many types of media, including envelopes, bright white paper, presentation paper, photo paper, labels, glossy paper, and the heat transfer paper that you will be using. This versatility is what allows you to print heat transfers instead of just normal paper successfully.

You can use this printer on almost any computer operating system, on Mac or Windows. Also, both print high-quality images on the transfer paper.

Brother HL-L2320D Mono Laser Printer – Best Printer Brand

Brother printers are the best printers you can buy. Although Epson is the primary brand in this article, Brother and HP are the most popular printer brands right now, in general. This Brother Mono Laser Printer is pretty standard, but it can print your heat transfer sheets. The size of the sheet is limited to a letter or legal size of paper. It has automatic two-sided printing; however, you will not want to use this feature since you are only supposed to print on one side of the transfer paper.

The tray holds 250 sheets so that you can print many sheets of transfer paper in a short period of time, and this printer can handle the work, especially since it laser prints.

Epson WorkForce WF-7710 Wireless Color Inkjet Printer – Most Energy Efficient Printer for Heat Transfers

If you are going with an Epson, this WorkForce version is a great option for printing heat transfers. It has fantastic reviews for sublimation printing, and color prints turn out great looking.

This printer can make wide formatted prints up to 13” x 19” big. The wide-format means you can print designs big or small, for any projects you decide to take on. Inkjet printers are not always as good as laser printers, but this one is exceptional.

Energy efficiency is one of the top features of this printer. It uses up to 80 percent less power versus color laser printers. Energy-efficient printers save you money on your electricity expenses.

HP LaserJet Pro M452dw Color Laser Printer – HP Does It Again

HP printers are some of the easiest printers in terms of navigation and user-friendliness. This LaserJet Pro printer has a color touchscreen that you can use to change print settings. You can also make changes on your computer directly before the design sends it to the printer.

This printer can print up to 28 pages per minute. Fast printing like this is ideal if you plan to print many heat transfer designs in a short amount of time. The printer will hand over your perfectly completed design seconds after you add the final touches.

Some of its other features include automatic 2-sided printing, wireless printing, and document security. These are essential features that you would want in any printer, no matter its intended purpose.

Epson Expression ET-2750 EcoTank Printer – Near Professional Printing

The EcoTank printer is an all-in-one printer that has all the functionality of a top of the line printer, but with the added benefit of printing on heat transfer paper. Not all printers can do this, and some of the ones that can just do not produce the right level of quality for the task at hand. Images look great on the computer screen, but without the right printer, it will look awful on fabric.

Keep this printer in mind during your search for the best printer. It has high-resolution printed images, automatic two-sided printing, and wireless printing capabilities. There is not much wrong with this printer, except that cardstock supposedly does not always run well through the printer.

This printer is surprisingly affordable compared to other professional printers. It is also lighter in weight.

Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Printer – Great Quality Images for Heat Transfers

Epson has many wide format printers that allow you to print sheets that are larger than the standard 8 1/2” x 11” size. These types of printers are best for people who intend to print large designs. The Epson Expression Photo printer is one of the better wide format Epson printers. It has wireless printing, high-quality prints, and even a rear tray for loading special paper (like heat transfer or cardstock paper).

Individual color ink cartridges is a feature of this printer. Some printers use only a couple of colored ink cartridges, which the printer combines to make specific colors. Still, printers that have several color cartridges print better images because they have a wider range of colors. This printer, for instance, has 6.

Epson Artisan 1430 Wireless Inkjet Printer – Expensive Printer for Heat Transfers

The Epson Artisan is a step-up from the Epson Expression Photo printer. This printer is fairly more expensive, but the results are a bit better.

This printer has individual color ink cartridges as you would want for heat transfer images. Overall, the quality of this printer is great, and it has hundreds of positive reviews from previous customers.

Use your phone to make the images you want quickly, and then send them directly to the printer over wi-fi for printing. Mobile printing is the easiest way to print projects, but you can also print from your computer.

Canon PIXMA TR4520 Wireless Printer – Great but Not Ideal

After Brother, HP, and Epson, Canon is the next brand in terms of quality and functionality. Don’t get me wrong; this is still a great printer. It has an easy setup and can print from your phone or tablet using AirPrint and other mobile printing apps.

The setup of this printer is different than the last few printers you saw because it has a different type of tray. This is one of the printer’s best features because it allows you to print two-sided sheets automatically. However, you will not want to print double-sided on heat transfer paper because you need access to the peel-off adhesive backing.

Use mobile printing to print design quick and easy, and although the buttons on top of the printer can be confusing, they are helpful if you read through the instructions and understand them well.

Silhouette White Cameo Sublimation Printer – The Best Alternative to a Standard Printer for Heat Transfers

This is not a regular printer that takes heat transfer paper. Instead, this is an actual sublimation printer. When options run out for standard printers, this is what you can use instead. Sublimation printers are the most ideal for heat transfers, but they can be confusing if you do not know how to use them.

This Silhouette sublimation printer has a built-in roller feed that smoothly moves the heat transfer vinyl while your design is printing on the material. It also has a blade that cuts across after printing.

When you use this printer, it comes with Silhouette design software and a guide for using the printer.

Summary

Printing on fabric can be so much fun if you learn the best way to go about it. Most people who take on these types of projects do not realize that there is an easy way to get iron-on designs. By using one of these great printers to print heat transfers, you are saving yourself an incredible amount of time.

When you decide to buy a printer for heat transfers, make sure that it has great picture quality. There are some cheaper regular printers that you can use, but if it does not print great pictures, then the heat transfers will turn out bad.

Heat Transfer Printing faqS

Read these frequently asked questions and their answers. Even if you already have a printer in mind that you are considering buying, you may not have the full picture of what it is like to print heat transfers.

Can you use any printer for heat transfer?

No, you cannot use just any printer for a heat transfer design. Some home printers do not support special types of paper other than regular copy paper, and the heat transfer paper is far from normal.

If you tried to use a special paper such as this, it could jam the printer and cause serious future issues with printing. Most printers will specify in their information that they take special paper, and also customer reviews can tell you as well.

What is the best printer to print on fabric?

It depends if you want to print directly on fabric or heat transfer paper. Many of these printers we have shown you today are perfect for printing heat transfers. Take a look at each of them and see which one will be the most ideal for the type of project you do. Wide-format printers are the best for larger designs.

Which is better sublimation or transfer paper?

Sublimation printing is typically better.

However, transfer paper is much easier to print and use, and will usually cause fewer mistakes to happen. Some people have a personal preference of which is better, but it can depend on what type of projects you do. For instance, if you want to print a design to put on a hard object, like a coffee mug, you will need transfer paper instead of a sublimation printer.

Could I use sublimation transfer paper in a normal inkjet printer?

Most of the time, yes. Many normal inkjet printers are compatible with sublimation transfer paper. Make sure to thoroughly read through the manufacturing information and reviews for a printer before trying it, because some require you to change certain settings or do not except sublimation transfer paper at all. Many people online have already searched for using sublimation transfer paper in specific printer models, so try doing a quick search on your favorite search engine to see if there is an easy answer for you.

What kind of ink is used for t-shirt printing?

Sublimation ink is typical for t-shirt printing. This is easy to find online, just make sure to get the correct ink brand and type for your exact printer because it can cause serious troubles if you use the wrong type. For example, Epson printers usually have problems printing if you use a different brand.

What is printable fabric?

Printable fabric is material that comes in pre-cut sheets that fit into your printer. The sheets have a backing on the reverse side that keeps the fabric together and allows it to stick to whatever you need.

Some types of heat transfer paper have an adhesive backing, and other types of printable fabric are just plain fabric that you would sew into a project. You can cut either type of material to the correct size.

Be careful with the type of transfer paper or printable fabric sheets you buy – some are not compatible with all printers and will get stuck.