Start Your Own Sublimation Printed Fabric and Clothing Business with AM.CO.ZA
This page started as a short 2022 sublimationinks.co.za post with one video. It now works as a practical starter guide: what a sublimation fabric and clothing business needs, which AM.CO.ZA printers, roller heat presses, inks and papers fit each stage, what power and space to plan for, and the answers AM.CO.ZA's own technicians give in the sublimation FAQ video. The original post is kept at the bottom.
Product facts come from the AM.CO.ZA product data behind buythis.co.za (product JSON on am.im, dump dated 2026-10-20). Prices change, so check the current price on each linked buythis page. Stock is not shown here.
Quick answer
- How it works: you print your design (mirrored) onto sublimation paper with dye sublimation ink, then a heat press melts the ink into a gas that bonds with polyester fibres. AM.CO.ZA presses fabric at about 195 to 240°C depending on the fabric.
- What you need: a piezo inkjet printer with sublimation ink, sublimation paper, a heat press, protection (tissue or liner) paper, and polyester or mostly-polyester fabric.
- Small start (garments, gifts): an Epson EcoTank-type desktop printer, 100 ml sublimation inks, A4 or A3 sublimation paper and a flat heat press. See the Heatware heat press size guide for plate sizes.
- Fabric rolls and sportswear: a 1,800 mm FastCOLOUR ONE roll-to-roll sublimation printer plus a 1,620 mm or 1,700 mm roller heat press, 1 kg ink bottles and 1,520 or 1,600 mm paper rolls.
- Industrial runs (flags, banners, décor fabric): a 3,200 mm FastCOLOUR ONE printer with Epson I1600 or I3200 heads plus a 3,200 mm oil-heated roller press.
- Fabric rule: sublimation only stays in synthetic (polyester) fibres. On cotton, the cotton share of the print washes out.
The workflow, step by step
- Design and RIP. Every FastCOLOUR ONE sublimation printer ships with either InkRIP (AM.CO.ZA's in-house RIP with a built-in colour profiler) or SAi FlexiPRINT. The RIP prepares the file and handles colour.
- Print onto paper, never straight onto fabric. Paper absorbs ink the same way every time, so detail stays sharp. Printing straight onto fabric lets ink spread, pushes ink through into the press blanket, and releases a lot of gas when pressed.
- Use 8 passes for best sublimation quality. Sublimation ink is thin and does not dry instantly, so AM.CO.ZA prints sublimation at 8 passes for the most colour and vibrancy (thicker, fast-drying inks are run at about 6 passes).
- Press with protection paper. When you press edge to edge, or press mesh or other fabric with holes, put tissue or liner paper behind the fabric so ink cannot pass through and permanently stain the blanket.
- Heat and pressure do the rest. Under heat and pressure the ink turns from solid into gas, bursts into the fabric and bonds with the fibres.
Settling a new roller press blanket
A new roller press blanket is not evenly tensioned when it arrives. Bring the blanket forward until it is just tight (not over-tightened) and run the machine hot for at least 60 hours, which can be spread over a few days. Until the blanket levels out you may see streaks across prints; that is the blanket settling, not a fault with the press. See also Blanket Care and New Blanket Preparation for Roller Heat Press Machines.
Choosing fabric
- Polyester (synthetic) fabric takes the ink into the fibre, so colours stay vivid and survive washing.
- Cotton-rich fabric loses the cotton share of the print in the wash. A 60% polyester and 40% cotton shirt holds far more colour than a 60% cotton and 40% polyester shirt.
- For cotton or dark garments use the cotton or dark heat transfer papers listed below rather than standard sublimation paper.
- How long prints last: the ink is embedded in the fibre, so the fabric usually wears out before the print fades. With a UV-coated material, results of up to about 15 years are possible.
- Ironing is safe: a household iron reaches roughly 150 to 180°C, below the 195 to 240°C used for pressing, so ironing (even a steam iron) does not lift the print.
Sublimation printers (FastCOLOUR ONE roll-to-roll)
All 30 sublimation versions below are FastCOLOUR ONE roll-to-roll large format printers. Each ships with sealed Epson printheads (preassembled sealed data cables), 1 litre of each CMYK sublimation ink plus cleaner, a bulk ink system with eight feeding tanks, automatic head cleaning and capping, 2-stage pre-heat and post-heat with a front dryer, a heavy-duty roll feeder and take-up roller, a network-cable connection to the computer, household 220 V power (32 W stand-by), and free vouchers for the Large Format Printing and ICC Profiles online courses at Ambitious Academy. Printing resolution is 720 × 720 dpi (4 pass), 720 × 1,080 dpi (6 pass) and 720 × 1,440 dpi (8 pass).
Speeds are in m²/h for 4-pass draft / 6-pass production / 8-pass quality mode, exactly as listed in the product data.
| SKU | Print width | Roll capacity | Printheads | Controller | RIP software | Speed 4 / 6 / 8 pass (m²/h) | Max power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1-1801/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Epson XP600 | ATools | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 15 / 10 / 8 | 1,500 W |
| F1-1801D/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Two Epson XP600 | ATools | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 30 / 20 / 16 | 1,500 W |
| F1-1804/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Epson XP600 | ATools | SAi FlexiPRINT | 15 / 10 / 8 | 1,500 W |
| F1-1804D/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Two Epson XP600 | ATools | SAi FlexiPRINT | 30 / 20 / 16 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1801/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Epson XP600 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 15 / 10 / 8 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1801D/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Two Epson XP600 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 30 / 20 / 16 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1801DI/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Two Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 44 / 30 / 24 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1801I/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 22 / 15 / 12 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1801T/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Three Epson XP600 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 45 / 30 / 24 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1801TI/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Three Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 66 / 45 / 36 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1804/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Epson XP600 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 15 / 10 / 8 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1804D/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Two Epson XP600 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 30 / 20 / 16 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1804DI/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Two Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 44 / 30 / 24 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1804I/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 22 / 15 / 12 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1804T/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Three Epson XP600 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 45 / 30 / 24 | 1,500 W |
| F2-1804TI/SUB | 1800 mm | 20 kg | Three Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 66 / 45 / 36 | 1,500 W |
| F1-3201/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson XP600 | ATools | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 30 / 20 / 16 | 2,000 W |
| F1-3204/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson XP600 | ATools | SAi FlexiPRINT | 30 / 20 / 16 | 2,000 W |
| F2-3201/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson XP600 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 30 / 20 / 16 | 2,000 W |
| F2-3201I/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 70 / 80 / 60 | 1,500 W |
| F2-3201I2/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson I3200 A1 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 140 / 160 / 120 | 1,500 W |
| F2-3201T/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Three Epson XP600 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 30 / 20 / 16 | 2,000 W |
| F2-3201TI/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Three Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 140 / 160 / 120 | 1,500 W |
| F2-3201TI2/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Three Epson I3200 A1 | PrintExp | InkRIP (built-in colour profiler) | 280 / 320 / 240 | 1,500 W |
| F2-3204/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson XP600 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 30 / 20 / 16 | 2,000 W |
| F2-3204I/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 70 / 80 / 60 | 1,500 W |
| F2-3204I2/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Two Epson I3200 A1 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 140 / 160 / 120 | 1,500 W |
| F2-3204T/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Three Epson XP600 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 30 / 20 / 16 | 2,000 W |
| F2-3204TI/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Three Epson I1600 A1 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 140 / 160 / 120 | 1,500 W |
| F2-3204TI2/SUB | 3200 mm | 40 kg | Three Epson I3200 A1 | PrintExp | SAi FlexiPRINT | 280 / 320 / 240 | 1,500 W |
How to read the SKU codes:
- 1800 or 3200 in the SKU is the print width class (1,800 mm or 3,200 mm).
- F1 models use the ATools controller and F2 models use PrintExp.
- …1/SUB models (for example F2-1801/SUB) come with InkRIP, and …4/SUB models (for example F2-1804/SUB) come with SAi FlexiPRINT.
- On 1,800 mm models, D means two heads; the 3,200 mm models start at two heads. T means three heads. I means Epson I1600 A1 heads instead of Epson XP600, and I2 means Epson I3200 A1 heads.
One head or more?
More heads mainly add speed and colour function, not sharper quality. With several heads it is easier to hit a customer's exact spot colour through CMYK. A single head is easier for a first-time user because there is no head-to-head calibration, so you get a good print from the start.
Desktop printers for small items
For garments, mugs and gifts you can start with an ordinary office inkjet with a bulk ink system. AM.CO.ZA suggests a brand-new Epson EcoTank printer that can print dye ink at 600 dpi or better. Sublimation ink is a water-based dye ink that is activated by heat, so it needs a piezoelectric drop-on-demand printhead (Epson) and does not work in thermal or heat-expansion printheads.
Roller heat presses (Heatware)
Roller presses transfer printed paper onto fabric rolls continuously. Rolling speed on the 1620 and 1700 models is adjustable from 0.3 to 3 metres per minute. The tempered glass worktable surface is not included on the 1620, 1700 and 3200 models, and none of the power cables are included.
| SKU | Working width | Heating and power | Compressed air and supply | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-ROLLER/300/E4 | 300 mm (drum ⌀210 mm) | 4 kW, 220 V electric, up to 260°C | Not listed | Lanyards, ribbons and other narrow rolls |
| H-ROLLER/1600/E6 | 1,620 mm, material up to 8 mm thick (artwork up to 1,200 mm wide on 120 g+ paper) | 6.4 kW, 220 V single phase electric, about 35 minutes to pre-heat | No; 32 A 6 mm² cable (not included), 32 A plug on a 40 A breaker | Worktable with 2 feeding and 2 take-up rollers |
| H-ROLLER/1600/E6P | 1,620 mm, material up to 8 mm thick (artwork up to 1,200 mm wide on 120 g+ paper) | 6.4 kW, 220 V single phase electric, about 35 minutes to pre-heat | No; 32 A 6 mm² cable (not included), 32 A plug on a 40 A breaker | The 3x version of the E6 (three feeding and take-up rollers) |
| H-ROLLER/1700/OIL9 | 1,700 mm, material up to 10 mm thick | Typical 9 kW (max 12 kW), 220 V single phase, oil-heated drum, about 50 minutes to pre-heat | Yes, about 60 L/min for automatic blanket centring (or two AG-AIR/550 compressors); 41 A 10 mm² cable, 63 A plug and breaker | Automatic blanket deskewing, motorised take-up, auto cooling and stand-by below 95°C |
| H-ROLLER/1700/OIL12 | 1,700 mm, material up to 10 mm thick | 12 kW heating (15 kW total), 380 V three phase, oil-heated drum, about 50 minutes to pre-heat | Yes, about 60 L/min for automatic blanket centring; 32 A 4 mm² 5-core cable, 32 A plug on a 40 A breaker | Three-phase version of the 1700 oil press |
| H-ROLLER/3200/OIL35 | 3,200 mm, 420 mm oil-heated drum | 35 kW, 380 V three phase | Yes, 4 to 8 bar; 61 A 16 mm² cable, 63 A plug and breaker | Industrial wide-fabric production (flags, banners, décor, sportswear) |
| H-ROLLER/3200/OIL58 | 3,200 mm, 420 mm open-drum oil heating | 58 kW, 380 V three phase | Yes, 4 to 8 bar; 110 A 35 mm² cable, 125 A plug and breaker | Highest-output roller in the range |
Spare parts for roller presses include H-ROLLER/12KW/KIT (12 kW heating element connection kit), H-ROLLER/1700/RING (slip ring for the 1700 oil press) and H-ROLLER/GEAR/60 (1:60 cranking gearbox). For flat, twin-station, mug and cap presses see the Heatware heat press size guide.
Pairing printers and roller presses
- A 1,800 mm printer pairs with the 1,620 mm or 1,700 mm roller presses and the 1,520 mm or 1,600 mm paper rolls.
- A 3,200 mm printer pairs with the 3,200 mm oil roller presses.
- The 300 mm press is a separate niche machine for lanyards and ribbons.
Sublimation inks and cleaner
Sublimation ink is water-based dye ink for piezo printheads. The 1 kg Premium inks suit large format printers; the 100 ml bottles suit desktop printers.
| SKU | Product |
|---|---|
| H2-INK/COMBO | Premium CMYK Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Each & General Purpose Water Based Ink Cleaner 1 Litre Bottles Combo Pack |
| H2-INK/COMBO/CMYK | Premium CMYK Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Ink Bottle of Each Colour Combo Pack |
| H2-INK/CYAN | Premium High Density Cyan Colour Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Bottle F661.1181 |
| H2-INK/MAGENTA | Premium High Density Magenta Colour Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Bottle F661.1182 |
| H2-INK/YELLOW | Premium High Density Yellow Colour Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Bottle F661.1183 |
| H2-INK/BLACK | Premium High Density Black Colour Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Bottle F661.1184 |
| H2-INK/COMBO/NEON | Premium CMYK Dye Sublimation Fluorescent Ink Combo, 1Kg Ink Bottle of Each Colour Combo Pack |
| H2-INK/NEON/M | Premium Fluorescent Magenta Colour Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Bottle F661.1209 |
| H2-INK/NEON/Y | Premium Fluorescent Yellow Colour Dye Sublimation Ink, 1Kg Bottle F661.1210 |
| H-INK/COMBO/100 | 100ml 4 Bottle of CMYK Dye Sublimation Ink Each Combo Pack for Office/Home Inject Piezoelectric Printer |
| H-INK/CYAN | Heatware Cyan Dye Sublimation Ink 100ml Mini Bottle |
| H-INK/MAGENTA | Heatware Magenta Dye Sublimation Ink 100ml Mini Bottle |
| H-INK/YELLOW | Heatware Yellow Dye Sublimation Ink 100ml Mini Bottle |
| H-INK/BLACK | Heatware Black Dye Sublimation Ink 100ml Mini Bottle |
| H-SUBLINOVA/100MC | SubliNova Smart DT104 Dye Sublimation Ink Cyan 100ml Bottle |
| H-SUBLINOVA/100MM | SubliNova Smart DT104 Dye Sublimation Ink Magenta 100ml Bottle |
| H-SUBLINOVA/100MY | SubliNova Smart DT104 Dye Sublimation Ink Yellow 100ml Bottle |
| H-SUBLINOVA/100MK | SubliNova Smart DT104 Dye Sublimation Ink Black 100ml Bottle |
| F-AQUA/CLEAN | Water Based Ink, Sublimation Ink, DTF/DTG Ink Cleaning Solution 1KG Bottle ░ F611.1158 |
Sublimation and transfer papers
| SKU | Product |
|---|---|
| H-PAPER/ROLL/1520 | Heatware 1520mm x 100M 120g Sublimation Paper Roll for Poly-Fabric Sublimation Printing, Shipping from 3 |
| H-PAPER/ROLL/1600 | Heatware 1600mm x 100M 120g Sublimation Paper Roll for Poly-Fabric Sublimation Printing, Shipping from 3 |
| H-PAPER/A4 | Heatware A4 100g Sublimation Paper for Hard Surface and Poly-Fabric 100 Sheets |
| H-PAPER/A3 | Heatware A3 100g Sublimation Paper for Hard Surface and Poly-Fabric 100 Sheets |
| H-PAPER/A4L | Heatware A4 Sublimation Paper for All Fabric, Cotton (-95%), Laser/Inkjet 20 Sheets, HT-150P |
| H-PAPER/A3L | Heatware A3 Sublimation Paper for All Fabric, Cotton (-95%), Laser/Inkjet 20 Sheets |
| H-PAPER/DARK/A4 | Heatware A4 Heat Transfer Paper for Dark Fabric and Cotton (-95%) 20 Sheets, HTW-300 |
| H-PAPER/DARK/A3 | Heatware A3 Heat Transfer Paper for Dark Fabric and Cotton (-95%) 20 Sheets |
The 100 g papers are for hard surfaces (coated mugs, tiles and similar) and light polyester fabric; print the design mirrored. The cotton (-95%) papers and dark-fabric heat transfer papers cover cotton and dark garments.
Power and workspace checklist
- Printers: household 220 V; up to 1,500 W (1,800 mm models and I-head 3,200 mm models) or 2,000 W (XP600 3,200 mm models); network cable to the RIP computer; room for a 20 kg (1,800 mm) or 40 kg (3,200 mm) media roll.
- Roller presses: 1620 models run on single phase 220 V but need a 32 A supply; the 1700 OIL9 needs a 63 A single-phase supply; the 1700 OIL12 and both 3200 presses need three-phase 380 V.
- Compressed air: the 1700 oil presses use air for automatic blanket centring; the 3200 presses need 4 to 8 bar.
- Glass: order the tempered glass worktable surface separately where the product says "No Glass".
- Pre-heat time: about 35 minutes on the electric 1620 and about 50 minutes on the oil-heated 1700.
Beyond clothing
The same paper, ink and presses work for mugs, plates, keyrings and many other sublimation blanks; AM.CO.ZA's technicians note that this side of the market can be even larger than clothing. Narrow rolls such as lanyards and ribbons run on the 300 mm roller press.
Videos
- Start Your Own Clothing Factory with AM.CO.ZA Sublimation Printer and Roller Heat Press Interviews (2022-09-24): interviews with AM.CO.ZA customers who use a sublimation printer and heat press for sports apparel, corporate wear, embroidery and uniform work.
- Sublimation Printing FAQ, Large Format Sublimation Printer and Roller Heat Press Usage Guide (2025-02-10): the source of the FAQ answers on this page.
- GAPP Award Winner In-house Branding Uses FastCOLOUR Sublimation Printer & Heatware Roller Heat Press (2022-05-01)
- New 2023 FastCOLOUR Wide Format Printer with Bulk Feeding Ink System for UV/ECO-Solvent/Sublimation (2023-04-02)
- Roller Heat Press Review and Heatware 220V 1620mm Roller Heat Press Basic Functions Walkthrough (2022-09-26)
- Roller Sublimation Heat Press Step by Step Assemble Guide, Work Table, Tension Rollers and Feeders (2021-03-04)
- Blanket Care and New Blanket Preparation for Roller Heat Press Machines (2025-05-01)
- 220V 9kW Oil Heating Roller Heat Press Tested on 7 Meters Long Banner Sublimation Pressing (2024-09-26)
- Basic Operation for 12kW 1700mm Open-Drum Oil Heat Press with Blanket Automatic Centering (Part 1) (2026-02-01)
- H-ROLLER/300/E4 300mm Roller Heat Press for Lanyard, Ribbon Heat Sublimation Transfer (2024-06-27)
- #SortIT, Sublimation and Heat Transfer Paper Temperature and Press Time Guideline for All Fabrics (2020-03-17)
- #SortIT, Choose EPSON EcoTank Bulk Ink Printer for Sublimation Printing for Our Heat Press Machine (2018-10-30)
- AM.CO.ZA Sublimation Inks: Neon Fluorescent, 6 Colour CMYK/LM/LC & Easy Refill Nozzle for 100ml Ink (2021-07-18)
- Printhead Service, Large Format Printer Maintenance with New Hybrid UV Ink Flushing and Conversion (2021-12-04)
More from AM.CO.ZA
- Sublimation large format printer gallery and roller heat press gallery
- Printer sales handbook and roller heat press sales handbook
- Large format printer SKU guide
- Training: Large Format Printing and ICC Profiles online courses at Ambitious Academy
FAQ
Can I print straight onto the fabric and skip the paper? No. Paper gives the same absorption every time, so detail stays sharp. Printing on fabric spreads the ink, stains the press blanket and gives off a lot of gas when pressed.
Can I sublimate onto 100% cotton? Not with standard sublimation paper; the print washes out of cotton fibres. Use polyester, or the cotton and dark-fabric transfer papers.
Why do I see streaks on a new roller press? The new blanket has not settled yet. Tension it correctly and run the press hot for at least 60 hours.
Do two printheads print better? They print faster and make spot-colour matching easier, but not sharper. One head is simpler for a first-time user.
Which print mode should I use? 8 passes for the best sublimation colour and vibrancy.
Which printer do I need for small items? A brand-new Epson EcoTank-type printer with dye sublimation ink is enough for garments, mugs and gifts.
Will an iron damage the print? No. An iron is cooler than the 195 to 240°C pressing temperature.
Is the glass included with roller presses? No, the tempered glass worktable surface is not included on the 1620, 1700 and 3200 models, and the power cable is not included on any of them.
Original post (sublimationinks.co.za, 2022)
- published: 2022-11-09 11:33:35
- modified: 2022-11-17 16:08:21
- youtube:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpYVYXLtGXY
New sublimation technologies in terms of sublimation machines (like Large format printers, heat rollers) and cost effective sublimation consumables, has created a new wave in the textile industry. Once exclusive techniques are now the accessible standard in sublimation printing. The time is right to start your fashion design and printing business.
With AM.CO.ZA cost effective and reliable products you will find that all you need is your design flair and entrepreneurial grit to start.
Check out the video from the AM.CO.ZA Youtube channel for more information about using large format printer, AM.CO.ZA Sublimation Ink, and a HEATWARE Heat roller, to create stunning textile fabric in large rolls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpYVYXLtGXY
If you have technical queries about sublimation printing or CNC Machines in general to not hesitate to contact the Machinery.Africa team or the AM.CO.ZA Sales team. We have also setup a handy Whatsapp number if you prefer to text chat - simply send "hi" to 060 600 6000.