Why use dye-sublimation toner in a color laser printer?  The colors are incredibly vibrant and wash performance on T-shirt transfers is exceptional.  You must see it to believe the quality.  The Okidata dye-sublimation toners lets you scan in photos, print and press them without worrying about color shifts.  Below is a thumbnail of a test T-shirt made using transfers printed with four different printers (top two are not dye-sub).  Click on the image for a larger view.

What printers can use Sublilaser dye-sublimation toner?  This toner was designed to be used with both the Okidata C5200 and C3200 color laser printers.  We also carry Sublilaser dye-sublimation toner for the older Hitachi engine based color laser printers (QMS 6100, Tally 8006, 8106, 8306 and 8406, Brother HL2600CN and HL3450CN, Xante Colorlaser and Screenwriter 1200, and the Lexmark C720).

Why use a laser with dye-sublimation toner instead of an ink jet printer with dye-sublimation inks?  Because the process is dry toner being fused to paper rather than wet inks being sprayed, there are no jets to get clogged and no inks to get smeared or run. With laser dye-sublimation you can press vivid dye-sublimation colors onto 100% cotton or 50/50 blend T-shirts using Hottee Transfer Paper for a fraction of the cost of producing 100% polyester T-shirts with straight dye-sublimation. Don't forget, laser dye-sublimation also costs less per square inch of printing than ink jet dye-sublimation.  Also, with Okidata laser dye-sublimation toner, you can produce a 50/50 T-shirt using only that toner, a prep spray and release paper.  The color fast T-shirt has zero hand and zero visual presence except for the transferred color.

For a good look at what can be accomplished, click on this thumbnail of a wood mousepad made using Sublilaser toner from an Okidata 5200N.  It is not the greatest photography, but can give you an idea of what can be accomplished using Sublilaser toner in an inexpensive laser printer.

What are the advantages of using dye-sublimation toner? 

1. Production level output: The regular format Okidata printers print 12 - 16 full color letter sized pages per minute   in 8 1/2" by 11" or 8 1/2" by 14" output size.  Producing 100 transfers now only takes 9 minutes using one printer. 
2. Lower production cost: Typically sublimation expense is measured in cost per square inch of coverage. Using an ink jet, the prices will vary from $.02 to $.04 per square inch based on whether you have a printer with separate inks or a combined color cartridge. With dye-sublimation toner, your costs drop to under a penny per square inch. 
3. Reliability: Since there are no jets to get clogged, you can use your dry process color laser printer or let it sit while going on vacation with no fear of losing valuable sublimation ink to cleaning cycles in an ink jet. 
4. Sublimate to 100% cotton or 50%/50% blend fabrics: Using Hottee transfer paper with its specialized polymer coating, you can produce sublimation transfers to apply to either 100% cotton or 50%/50% blend T-shirts. The advantage of the sublimation transfer is vibrant colors and enhanced wash performance.  Additionally, using release paper you can produce transfers that will not darken the light fabrics of T-shirts like yellow, ash gray, pink, light blue, off-white, etc.
5. Color Fast: When using 50%/50% blend, you will notice negligible color fade over the life of the T-shirt (about 50 washes) when the garment is laundered.  With 100% cotton, the color fade is higher because the cotton fibers begin obscuring color as the fibers begin popping through the thin Hottee polymer.
6. Color Accuracy: Sublilaser dye-sublimation toners are designed to be used with complete assurance of color accuracy once the transfer is pressed onto the final product using the free color profile. 
7. One Printer, One Toner for Everything: Using your Okidata color laser printer, you can now use that one printer loaded with one toner to produce all of your transfer needs.  Sublimate to Hanes Sof'Link T-shirts, 100% cotton, 50%/50% blend T-shirts, coated mugs, tiles, etc.  You now have a printer that can produce color accurate output quickly and reliably so you can fill those large orders competitively.

What do I need to make T-shirt or mug transfers using dye-sublimation toner?

    1.  Okidata color laser printer (C3200 or C5200)

    2.   Sublilaser dye-sublimation toner 

    3.   Hottee transfer paper (for 100% cotton or 50/50 T-shirts)

    4.   Release paper for making 100% polyester fabric transfers or 50/50 when used with prep liquid.

    5.   A heat press (we recommend the swinger presses such as the DK20S and DC16 combination press and the DK3 mug press).

    6.   Hard goods paper for making hard surface transfers like mugs or ceramic tiles.  

How Difficult Is It to Set Up for Use?

    1.  Load the dye-sublimation cartridges and the color profile, then start printing.  It's that simple.

How do I order?  Go to our Online Catalog or click on  Okidata Toner to order a complete set of cartridges of all four colors for $675.

To speak with someone who is in business producing sublimation transfers and has been doing so for over eight years, please contact Walt Watson at (800) 514-3201 or image.solutions@earthlink.net.

   We gladly accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

Send mail to wfwatson@earthlink.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: July 14, 2007