Hilton Images, Inc.     Finest Quality Laser Sublimation Products

InkJet Sublimation or Laser Sublimation - Which is Right for You?

   It depends entirely on what you're doing. If you're doing low volume runs of high-quality photographic products, such as ceramics, T-shirts, mousepads - you're better off with inkjet sublimation. InkJets typically produce images with 1440 dots per inch (dpi) and full-color laser printers run at 600 dpi.

Production Speed: Most laser printers pump out paper at eight to fourteen pages per minute. Which means that 100 sheets will be printed in under fifteen minutes. Printing 100 sheets of anything on an inkjet can be a nightmare. Laser printers don't require head cleanings or nozzle checks.

Quality: Laser sublimation produces excellent images on metals. Dense rich blacks can be obtained even when pressing through the protective plastic of metals. Full color on metal is outstanding with laser sublimation, even photos on gold or silver are gorgeous. On white metals laser sublimation leaves a gray background where there is no image. There are ways to lessen this or to make it unnoticeable, but it happens with white metals. InkJet sublimation is excellent for ceramics, for short runs of T-shirts and similar substrates.

Flexibility: Laser printers do not have to be dedicated to sublimation, you can quickly and easily change cartridges and print full-color brochures from the same printer you use for sublimation. With InkJet sublimation the printer cannot be used for anything other than sublimation. And most ink suppliers will tell you that you MUST run some ink through the inkjet heads every week or they will clog. A sublimation inkjet printer cannot sit unused or it will dry up and need repair or replacing. Laser printers do not have that problem.

Profit: One 90 gram SubToner cartridge will yield thousands of individual trophy plates. Many trophy shops buy one cartridge every two years. Laser sublimation uses ordinary copy paper, not a special transfer paper. Margins are excellent with laser sublimation.

        Which is right for you? It depends on what product you're working with, and how many of those you need to produce. Possibly you need both. If you already have a heat press, chances are you've got, or could borrow, an HP LaserJet which could accept a SubToner cartridge, and all you'd need to buy would be the cartridge itself.