# Anyone Using Cobra Inks For Sublimation?



## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

Is anyone use the Cobra Ink High Temp Ink for Dye Sub? What are your printer settings? I have an Epson 1400. Thanks


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

Anyone with this setup?


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## big frank sports (Aug 7, 2008)

I have never heard of Cobra sublimation ink. Desk top sublimation is limited to whatever Sawgrass has for sale. 

Frank


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## veedub3 (Mar 29, 2007)

Cobra's high temp ink is not sublimation ink so no it will not work for sublimating.


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## Brian the Brain (Apr 13, 2010)

gerryppg said:


> Is anyone use the Cobra Ink High Temp Ink for Dye Sub? What are your printer settings? I have an Epson 1400. Thanks


I'm just starting the process. I am using a Workforce 1100 instead.

I tried a couple of tiles yesterday. The glass tile was OK but on the light side. The ceramic tile was not good.

I'm still experimenting, but one person on the tbiz forums said they were using the Epson driver and letting the printer manage colors.

In the heat transfer papers, I've had better results using Gutenprint drivers but I'm still too early in the process to make firm statements about sublimation papers.

The Cobra HT inks appear to be viable for sublimation. I have to work on the process and technique. I bought a sample tile set for experiments. I suspect I'll need more pressure and/or time to get the results I want.

Any hints on improving the process are welcome.


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## taricp35 (Dec 10, 2008)

Brian the Brain said:


> I'm just starting the process. I am using a Workforce 1100 instead.
> 
> I tried a couple of tiles yesterday. The glass tile was OK but on the light side. The ceramic tile was not good.
> 
> ...


I have the Cobra 1400 set up with the high temp inks and it does not work for sublimation. Are you sure this is what you are using?


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## Brian the Brain (Apr 13, 2010)

taricp35 said:


> I have the Cobra 1400 set up with the high temp inks and it does not work for sublimation. Are you sure this is what you are using?


I am using a Workforce 1100 vs. the Epson 1400. But, the inks are Cobra HT. I would expect the ink to function the same with either printer.


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

taricp35 said:


> I have the Cobra 1400 set up with the high temp inks and it does not work for sublimation. Are you sure this is what you are using?


I have the 1400 with High Temp ink setup and it works. I have done a mousepad, an aluminum tile and a coaster. The colors need some help with the photos, the flesh tones seemed washed out


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## taricp35 (Dec 10, 2008)

I have done mousepads they work with anything but when I tried it on 100% polyester shirts it was terrible, faded colors and washed out after the first wash. The faded colors was a dead giveaway that it wouldn't work but if you have it working good for you I have not had that kind of success with it.


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

I am actually going to try a T-shirt today. We will see what happens. I was just hoping to get some color management help because I know other sub inks use software to control colors


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

Just did a shirt and it came out great. I will try to post a pic soon.


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

This is from my cellphone.


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

Let me try again.


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## jdoug5170 (Sep 8, 2010)

Please send us a new picture after you wash it. If it still looks like this, please share the details. What paper, time and temp, shirt makeup (cotton, poly??)

Doug


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## taricp35 (Dec 10, 2008)

was the shirt 100% poly?


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

Hanes Soft Link. I know they dont make them anymore but I got from someone that had some leftover from a job and i picked them up cheap


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

Did the wash test and it actually did not fade at all. I made 2 shirts and only washed 1 to compare and I could not tell the difference. I will try to get pics up soon.


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

I sent a email to Richard asking about the HT inks and his reply was that they were for hard textiles.


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## jdoug5170 (Sep 8, 2010)

Not so sure that I understand what a "hard textile" is? Certainly do wonder if this ink has the makeup to actually sublimate as is being suggested.


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

hard textiles are coasters, tiles etc. Not made of fabric.


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

I am very happy with Cobra Inks for the mugs i have been doing. Awesome vibrant color


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## sandhopper2 (Apr 26, 2010)

I just did my first 2 mugs with Cobra ink I have a new WF30 and Cobra High Temp Carts 
Used Cobras Sub Paper and Epson printer controls for color press at 400* at 2.5 minutes 
Very happy with the out come 
Larry


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## sewon (Sep 4, 2007)

veedub3 said:


> Cobra's high temp ink is not sublimation ink so no it will not work for sublimating.


 OK, NOW I am REALLY confused. I thought in one of the other threads they were saying the high temperature ink WAS Sublimation ink but they just couldn't call it that because of getting in trouble with Sawgrass. If its not for sublimation, what is the high temterature ink for? 
*Thanks,* just want to clear this up since I was planning on buying the WF1000 with high temp inks for Sublimation.


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

sewon said:


> OK, NOW I am REALLY confused. I thought in one of the other threads they were saying the high temperature ink WAS Sublimation ink but they just couldn't call it that because of getting in trouble with Sawgrass. If its not for sublimation, what is the high temterature ink for?
> *Thanks,* just want to clear this up since I was planning on buying the WF1000 with high temp inks for Sublimation.


cobra told me it was for hard goods only.


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## gerryppg (Jan 29, 2010)

freebird1963 said:


> cobra told me it was for hard goods only.


It does work with hard goods. I have also done soft goods as well. T-shirts 100% poly of course, and mousepads. Comes out good but color management is where it lacks. I have not figured out how to manage the colors yet.


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## jdoug5170 (Sep 8, 2010)

I suspect that this "high temp" ink is in fact a off shore sublimation ink and it will just be a matter of time before Sawgrass will close it down as they have the rest. It just takes a little time.

The other problem is as was alluded to, lack of color correction. Once you get it figured out, the ink formula changes. As high a Sawgrass ink is, it just is not worth the hassles for me so I'm still using Sawgrass product, building towards the Epson 7800 series printer so that I can buy the wide format formula and get the better pricing. I'm gong to let my business buy it all off the profits of small format/desktop printer today.


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

jdoug5170 said:


> I suspect that this "high temp" ink is in fact a off shore sublimation ink and it will just be a matter of time before Sawgrass will close it down as they have the rest. It just takes a little time.
> 
> The other problem is as was alluded to, lack of color correction. Once you get it figured out, the ink formula changes. As high a Sawgrass ink is, it just is not worth the hassles for me so I'm still using Sawgrass product, building towards the Epson 7800 series printer so that I can buy the wide format formula and get the better pricing. I'm gong to let my business buy it all off the profits of small format/desktop printer today.


Most of us in dye sublimation, including us, started in the desktop market. In this market we are forced to purchase incredibly over priced ink. There was a recent post that calculated it out to be $1M a gallon. Ok that is me exaggerating but the point is the desktop market is getting murdered by Sawgrass's grip on the market. To add injury to insult the quality of the ink they make available to the desktop market, Artainium, is a poor quality ink that causes significant clogging issues in Epson printers. They have an ink called Sublim that greatly reduces this issue but will not sell it to the desktop market. WHY? I have never seen a post or read a blog on why Sawgrass will not sell their higher quality ink to the desktop market. People in this market should demand high quality ink yet Sawgrass knows they have this market and can dump any ink they please onto it.

To me it was clear - when we were in the desktop market were taken advantage of and forced to pay bloated prices for poor quality ink. Why in the world would we or anyone else continue to do business with a company that completly took advantage of them in the desktop market now that we are able to have choices being in the wide format market? Anyone who moves to the wide format arena should rejoice to be free from the clutches Sawgrass


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## texasjack49 (Aug 4, 2008)

jdoug5170 said:


> I suspect that this "high temp" ink is in fact a off shore sublimation ink and it will just be a matter of time before Sawgrass will close it down as they have the rest. It just takes a little time.
> 
> The other problem is as was alluded to, lack of color correction. Once you get it figured out, the ink formula changes. As high a Sawgrass ink is, it just is not worth the hassles for me so I'm still using Sawgrass product, building towards the Epson 7800 series printer so that I can buy the wide format formula and get the better pricing. I'm gong to let my business buy it all off the profits of small format/desktop printer today.


 It just occurred to me a few weeks ago that if I continue to sublimate I need to switch to a 7800 and sell or convert my 4800. It costs too much to fill the 4800 with Sawgrass ink carts. I wish I had come to that realization a year or two ago when I could have afforded to switch, now the 4800 has to make the profit to pay for the 7800. Not sure why it took me so long to figure out the obvious except that sublimation was not our main focus.


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

Are the tiles designed for sublimation? Sublimation consist of substrates (tiles) designed to accept sublimation ink, sublimation paper, time, temp and pressure. If you have sublimation tiles, keep in mind that supplier has written instructions for specific sublimation inks and paper. If you are using supplies from several different vendors, it will be a matter of trial and error.


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