# Changing dye and sublimation ink on same printer



## TCSDISTRO (Oct 30, 2012)

I use an Epson WF7520 A3 printer for my screen printing films.. On this I also run CISS

Is there anyway I can use the same printer for Sublimation ink as well? say if I change inks, clean heads etc.. or will this idea just be a nightmare for me? I don't mind changing inks if it saves buying another printer but will the printer or ink heads freak out?


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## pisquee (Jan 8, 2012)

You would be much better off with separate printers for each type of ink you want to use.


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## Max Dos (Aug 28, 2010)

It can be done, but it's not recommendable. It´s been discussed before, and most of the experts of the forum advise against it.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

TCSDISTRO said:


> I use an Epson WF7520 A3 printer for my screen printing films.. On this I also run CISS
> 
> Is there anyway I can use the same printer for Sublimation ink as well? say if I change inks, clean heads etc.. or will this idea just be a nightmare for me? I don't mind changing inks if it saves buying another printer but will the printer or ink heads freak out?


If you are only occassionally needing to sub and you have refillable carts and not a CIS it's possible. If you do enough of both types of printing then best to get a second printer.

The previous inks are purged easily when you swap carts due to an auto head clean when the printer recognizes the changed carts, this displaces the previous inks completely.

Swapping involves ink waste $$$ though from the head cleaning when you swap. So if you just swapped to sub carts, then print only a page or 2 and swap back it could be expensive, especially with Sawgrass inks in prefilled carts. 

I actually do this routinely with my WF1100, however, the nature of my business allows me to "batch" print about every 3 days or so and I print maybe 30 pages of sub transfers then switch back to pigments. So my case is different, I don't have room for any more printers currently in my work area (and my inks are cheap but don't tell anybody).


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## russsh (Oct 18, 2012)

Have a 7010, do it all the time with carts and cobra ink, works just fine. However, a pain to change out ink for one mug or one of something....soooooo we now have a 7510 so we have both kinds of ink ready to go. Just remember where your sending your print job lol.

russ


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## TCSDISTRO (Oct 30, 2012)

Thanks for the replies, All sounds interesting.. I have CISS currently on my 7520 so I guess im best to just get another 2520 for sublimation.. it does seem like an overkill to have the two printers sitting there tho.. 

Maybe I will buy a cart for sublimation first and see how it handles the changeover... Sublimation is not big yet for me.. 

If my sub ink cart sits around for longer than a week will it dry up or something?


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

TCSDISTRO said:


> Thanks for the replies, All sounds interesting.. I have CISS currently on my 7520 so I guess im best to just get another 2520 for sublimation.. it does seem like an overkill to have the two printers sitting there tho..
> 
> Maybe I will buy a cart for sublimation first and see how it handles the changeover... Sublimation is not big yet for me..
> 
> *If my sub ink cart sits around for longer than a week will it dry up or something*?


Keep the bottom part of the cart where the ink goes out taped when not in use.


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## uncletee (Feb 25, 2007)

we use printers for each ink. epson 7010 pretty cheap, get quality refillable carts. good lucl uncletee


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