Question: What equipment and supplies will I need to start doing dye sublimation printing?

First, decide what market you’re going to enter. Will it be mouse pads? Check out the competition. What is the Asian market selling mouse pads for, landed, in your market. They’ll be your primary competition for the larger orders. If you’re focusing on the smaller market orders with higher margins, research your local competition. What are they getting for the product?

If Printing on Mugs

If you’re going to focus on coffee mugs,

Question:  Can a printer be used for Dye Sublimation after already having been used with regular inks?

No. The two types of printers are mutually exclusive to the types of material that are being printed.

First, traditional dye sublimation printing of cloths and fabrics is done with a CMYO ink set, which is different from CMYK. The CMYO (“O” stands for the clear overprint) printing is printed to a transfer paper, and then applied to the fabric using heat and pressure.