If you are into some printing work then you must have some idea about printing inks. If yes then you should be aware of regular printing inks and sublimation inks. A lot of times we run out of stuff at our working place or forget to restock it, don’t we? So if you are in a somewhat similar situation and wondering if you can use sublimation ink for regular printing then this article is for you.
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Can You Use Sublimation Ink For Regular Printing
Printing is a very versatile and diverse field. The first thought we usually get whenever we hear the word printing is printing on paper like a newspaper etc. But it is not limited to paper, you can print stuff on t-shirts, cutlery, glass, etc. let me tell you that printing on stuff other than paper mostly uses sublimation ink, and to know if you can use sublimation ink for regular printing then keep on reading this article.
A simple answer to this question is a Yes. You can use sublimation ink for regular printing. However, it won’t look as good as regular ink but it can do the job. Keep in mind, sublimation inks are more expensive than regular inks so think before you switch to this for regular printing.
Regular Printing Vs Sublimation Printing
Before we jump into the discussion of using sublimation ink for regular printing let me brief you about regular and sublimation printing. Regular printing simply prints the ink on the paper whereas sublimation printing is a little different from regular printing. In sublimation, printing ink penetrates the material completely to leave a print on it. If you want to know about How To Fix Printer Color Problems Epson then visit: How To Fix Printer Color Problems Epson.
Regular Printing Using Sublimation Ink
If you have read the article till now you can easily differentiate a regular print from a sublimation print. Now coming back to the topic, can you use sublimation ink for regular printing? I have answered it already and the answer is yes but mind that they require a special printer. The print won’t be perfect without the special printer and the right material but here are a few things that will make you do this.
- These prints last longer than regular ink prints.
- It will not fade away easily and maintain the quality for a long time.
- The vibrant color options make the print more appealing than usual inks.
- Most importantly it is waterproof so no worries if you accidentally or intentionally make it wet.
- Also, it is cost-effective as sublimation ink printers can produce regular prints as well as sublimation prints which a regular printer can’t do.
Why Sublimation Ink Is Not Recommended For Regular Printing?
Undoubtedly sublimation ink and printer is an excellent choice for your printing business and projects. But all the good things about this cannot make us overlook the fact that it is not ideal for regular printing. I know this can be disappointing but go through the following points and know why we don’t recommend this.
- To get the best out of sublimation inks you should use the right material. The results won’t be satisfactory if you use them for printing on paper.
- The sublimation inks are expensive and I don’t think it’s a smart move if you waste it on something that can be printed with regular ink.
- As sublimation ink has penetration properties so if you use them for regular printing it will get absorbed in the paper and smudge which destroys the quality of the print.
There is no doubt sublimation printing is better than regular printing in many ways but switching the regular inks with sublimation inks for regular printing is a big no. Sorry to disappoint you but you will never get excellent results with sublimation ink on regular paper. So it’s better to drop the idea of using sublimation ink for regular printing.
Some of you might be wondering if they run out of sublimation inks and have regular inks at the moment and want to know if you can use regular ink on sublimation paper. Honestly regular inks and sublimation papers don’t go well with each other.
Sublimation paper locks the sublimation ink inside it so it doesn’t smudge but using regular ink on sublimation paper I won’t recommend it. Although sublimation paper is a high-quality paper, it is not appropriate for regular ink. The ink doesn’t get locked in which is why a regular ink print on sublimation paper starts smudging as soon as it is printed on the paper. Read More: Best Sublimation Heat Press.
Printing On Regular Shrink Plastic
Nowadays printing on any material is not a difficult task. So are you wondering if it is possible to print on regular shrink plastic? Then I am happy to reveal printing on shrink plastic is super easy. You just need to follow a few simple steps. Its steps are very similar to how you print on paper. All you need to do is select the image, load the sheet, change the printer settings, and run your plastic sheet from the printer to get the selected image print. That’s all you need to do to print on shrink plastic.
Surprisingly you can even wash the print off if there is some issue with the quality. This is the best feature of using shrink plastic for printing stuff on it and also my favorite. So if you are satisfied with the print let it cool and dry before you give it the finishing touch. You must be thinking I forgot to mention the printing inks for shrink plastic, right? So here you go you can use sublimation inks on shrink plastic and it works completely fine with it.
Printing Photos on Regular Paper
There is no issue in using regular paper to print photos but keep in mind the results won’t be very satisfactory. If you are thinking of using sublimation inks to print photos on regular paper then I don’t think it would be the best choice. As regular paper’s quality is not good enough to hold the ink in its place which is why many people don’t find the results eye-appealing as much as people praise sublimation printing. So to be honest regular paper is not the right material to print photos using sublimation ink.
FedEx Regular Printing
FedEx is an amazing tool that you can use for editing and printing your documents, banners, flyers, presentations, etc. Do you want a high-quality print at cheaper rates? Then you should try using FedEx. Now you may ask can I use FedEx for regular printing? Yes, you can use this online tool to edit and customize your order for regular printing. You can use this online printing service to build your business or get a high-quality print.
Regular Printer For Sublimation
If you are thinking using sublimation inks for regular printing or using regular printers for sublimation is even a thing? I have already discussed in detail using sublimation inks for regular printing. If you are interested in knowing if you can use a regular printer for sublimation then read ahead.
The simple answer to this question of yours is a yes. The sublimation printer is not the problem. The real magic is the sublimation inks as long as you have the sublimation inks a regular printer won’t be an issue for you. Just swap the regular inks from your printer with the sublimation inks and you are good to go. You can use sublimation paper as well as regular paper for sublimation using a regular printer.
FAQs
Conclusion
If you’re somehow related to printing work then you must have an idea about inks used in printing. These include sublimation inks and regular inks. If you want to be experimental with these inks and wondering if you can use sublimation inks for regular printing well the answer is a yes but here are a few things:
- Bad printing quality
- It won’t last long
- The image will smear right away
I would like to conclude using sublimation inks for regular printing is not a good idea. There are a lot of reasons why it is not recommended and I have mentioned a few above. I hope you find our content informative and helpful. Thank you for reading our article.
