# is it worth getting the Virtuoso SG400 Worth it?



## deceased10 (Dec 23, 2010)

Hey guy's looking to get into sublimated mugs and phone cases etc.. Mostly small things. My research pointed to the SG 400, however it is about 900$ canadian and the ink seems to be fairly expensive! Is it really worth the price or are people using a different printer? What would be my best option? Looking for good quality, nothing that will produce cheap quality.


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## Amw (Jul 2, 2012)

deceased10 said:


> Hey guy's looking to get into sublimated mugs and phone cases etc.. Mostly small things. My research pointed to the SG 400, however it is about 900$ canadian and the ink seems to be fairly expensive! Is it really worth the price or are people using a different printer? What would be my best option? Looking for good quality, nothing that will produce cheap quality.


We (and a lot of others) use Epson printers.
Check out someplace like Cobra ink for the ink and cartridges...they seam to be popular.
We produce products for your average customer as well as small and large business's, and government/military without any issue.

Some popular Epson models are:
7110
7610
7620
1430


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## merchantsaveshop (Dec 19, 2017)

I use the SG400, been using it for 6months and I love it! This machine is a great add-on if you already have a vinyl cutter, the ink is expensive but go on eBay and they have suppliers that sell the ink way cheaper, refillable ink cartridges so you can buy a bulk and refill yourself. It's a really powerful desktop printer the only difference between the SG400 and the SG800 is the size. I kinda wish I had gotten the SG800 just because of the wide format so you can cover more of the shirt, but just starting off its great. Make sure if you know the difference between all the paper available out there. Its soo many choices but it all comes down to what you're transferring the graphics too. If t-shirts look towards the Conde Reveal-S Film, there's another company out there that has a similar technology as far as the there film but I can't remember the name. But Conde does have one of the best papers out there for sublimation printers, only thing is they are very expensive! About $22 for 10 sheets. kind of ridiculous but when your one of the only ones in the industry with the best paper I guess you can charge whatever you feel like. There are plenty of other papers out there for cotton t-shirts but quality and durability doesn't compare to Conde's Reveal-S film. Search youtube for all the papers and review of each paper there plenty of people out there trying the product for everyone to see before purchasing. Also, ask the companies that supply the film for samples, you'll see who wants your business and you just want your money. Hope this helps!


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## Dekzion (May 18, 2015)

deceased10 said:


> Hey guy's looking to get into sublimated mugs and phone cases etc.. Mostly small things. My research pointed to the SG 400, however it is about 900$ canadian and the ink seems to be fairly expensive! Is it really worth the price or are people using a different printer? What would be my best option? Looking for good quality, nothing that will produce cheap quality.


Sawgrass is the way to go, and I dispute the cost of ink being high. use the correct printer with the correct ink and papers and with the built in ICC's in the 'powerdriver' just press print and not waste a single print once you've dialled in the press settings.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Dekzion said:


> Sawgrass is the way to go, and I dispute the cost of ink being high. use the correct printer with the correct ink and papers and with the built in ICC's in the 'powerdriver' just press print and not waste a single print once you've dialled in the press settings.


The ink cost is very high if selling larger substrates and/or high volumes of anything > 6x8. 

Obviously you're not in that category.


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## pastortommy (Sep 19, 2009)

Support sucks for the Virtuoso Printers. I have both the sg400 and the sg800 and when there is a problem you can not get a straight answer out of anyone. You can't find out if something is a common problem or if it is a fluke. Just in case somebody here might have an answer to my latest problem, here goes . . .
The SG800 was working fine until I put the bypass try back on, now it shows a "paper jam" that is nonexistent and will not clear. Anyone ever have this problem and if so, what was the solution?


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## sawgrasssucks (Aug 20, 2020)

I would NEVER recommend anyone purchasing a Richo or Sawgrass product. 

1. Richo/Sawgrass scrubs the search engines so complaints about their poor products cannot be found
2. Rich/Sawgrass website and tech support is super poor. 
3. Rich/Sawgrass scrub the internet so a customer cannot purchase a repair manual. Not a user manual, a repair manual.
4. The Sawgrass SG 400 ink is outrageously expensive. Each time the unit powers on, it will suck down no less than 1/8 of the ink in the cartridges. So, if you shut down and restart 8 times in one day, you have to replace ALL 4 of the ink cartridges at a cost of about $400.
5. I have had 6 of these units and have to say they are 100% a waste of money. 
6. Richo/Sawgrass, you are the worst.
7. My only recourse is smashing these terrible dye sub machines on the floor. (oh it is sooo enjoyable)
8. Do not waste your money on Sawgrass. Buy an Epson.


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## PedalJustPedal (Nov 26, 2019)

You have six yet you still power on/off? I do not even own one and I know that you leave it and ANY dye sub printer on especially a Ricoh. Ricoh has built in timed mini cleans that prevent clogging unlike an Epson. You turning on and off is insane. As far as ink cost - in so many cases the ink cost is minimal, coffee mug as an example. Unless you are using a lot of ink it matters a lot less than people think. 

Also notice these threads on how much ink is dumped down the drain trying to get other systems to work. There are countless post about poor support from Cobra and the likes as well. Realize these companies are typically dealing with noobies are hobbyist and require much more support.

You complain about support from sawgrass yet it is your distributor you should be getting support from. If you compare the post of Ricoh users having issues against Epson users having issues it would be around 10 - 1 epson issues to ricohs issues. If I was a very first time dye sub person I would go ricoh from an authorized distributor so you have resources to learn and be advised. These early days are to learn not to just try to get a printer to work. If you are doing so much volume that ink cost are an issue that you are successful and can buy an Epson out of petty cash. 

Each of us has different needs based on what we market and our experience. Ricoh + Authorized Dealer increases your chance of success for a brand new dye subber.


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## Magannchl (Sep 14, 2020)

I think your post is well said! I’m new and doing my best to choose a machine to best fit my needs. I’m leaning towards a sawgrass, I see everyone saying ink is high- but I’m currently doing vinyl shirts and I pay $263 for a 50 yard roll, that will do approximately 150 full sized shirts, can anyone tell me how many estimated shirts let’s say 8x10(like I said I’m new so not sure this is the correct sizing example) a new set or carts will do?


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

sawgrasssucks said:


> I would NEVER recommend anyone purchasing a Richo or Sawgrass product. <img src="http://www.t-shirtforums.com/images/smilies/mad.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Mad" class="inlineimg" />
> 
> 1. Richo/Sawgrass scrubs the search engines so complaints about their poor products cannot be found
> 2. Rich/Sawgrass website and tech support is super poor.
> ...


Your issues with Sawgrass have absolutely nothing to do with Ricoh. Ricoh printers are superb sublimation printers.

I run 2 Ricoh SG3110DN's (practically equivalent to the Sawgrass SG 400) and they use a negligible amount of ink on 24/7 standby. I use an ICC profile and third-party inks that are as good as, if not better than, the Sawgrass inks, at a tiny fraction of the cost, so my ink costs aren't even worth adding in when pricing jobs.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

Magannchl said:


> ...50 yard roll, that will do approximately 150 full sized shirts...


you are doing something wrong

that should do about 3 times that, minimum (unless your designs are 36" x 12" each)


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