Are you looking for a complete, step-by-step guide to set up your Epson ET-8550 for sublimation? Don’t worry, it’s easier than you might think! And I am going to show you how to do each step.
Sublimation is unquestionably fun! Many crafters agree it’s the best way to take your designs that you would normally have printed with a Cricut machine to the next level. When you do sublimation, you get stunning, vivid color, plus, the designs last a long time!
What stops many crafters from getting started is the cost of a sublimation printer. While the features of these printers are AMAZING, it’s hard to justify the cost!
But, you can use an Epson Ecotank printer as a sublimation printer. And it’s so much cheaper. You just need to do a few things to get it set it up so that it works as a sublimation printer. And that is what I am showing you how to do in this blog post.
Can all Epson EcoTank Printers be used for sublimation?
Yes, they can! This is because the printer comes with refillable cartridges for the ink instead of ink cartridges that you get with other household printers. Not only is this good for the environment, but this makes it possible to use the Epson Ecotank printer for sublimation! Such a win-win!
But the Epson ET-8550 is hands-down my favorite of the Epson desktop printers. The print quality is amazing, it can be used alongside any design software, and it has a wide format printing feature. So you can print designs that are up to 13″ x 19″. How incredible is that?
Best Sublimation ink for Epson ET-8550 Printers
You should make sure you are using high-quality inks in your Epson sublimation printer because these will give you the best vibrant colors and quality. The 3 most popular sublimation inks to use in your Epson ET-8550 for sublimation printing are:
- Hiipoo Sublimation Ink
- Cosmos Ink
- Printer Jack Sublimation Ink
Setting up your Epson Printer ET-8550 For Sublimation Printing
Once you have your printer and the inks, it is time to set up your Epson ET-8550 for sublimation printing!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be! I know the idea of “converting a printer” sounds very technical, but it’s not. There are a lot of steps to follow, but when you follow this guide, I promise you can do it!
Okay, let’s get started!
Materials
Copy Paper
Tools
Epson ET-8550
Hiipoo Sublimation Ink (or one of the other options I shared above)
Step #1
The first thing you will want to do is unbox your new printer. It will come with ink in the box, but DO NOT put them in your printer.
You can save them to use with another Epson ET printer, give them away, or discard them.
Step #2
Unbox your sublimation ink, (I’m using the Hiipoo sublimation ink), but don’t open the actual ink bottles yet. You don’t need them at this stage, so you can set them aside.
Step #3
Carefully locate and remove all of the tape on your Epson ET 8550. And make sure you check inside the printer and pull out the trays too! Trust me, there is a lot of tape on these printers!
Step #4
Inside the box, you will find a power cord. Plug it into the back of the printer and a power supply. (It is a standard printer cord, so it is easy to attach.)
Step #5
Once you have it plugged in, follow the prompts on the screen until you get to where it tells you to fill your ink.
Step #6
Now you can grab the sublimation inks that you previously set aside. Unscrew the lids from the top and add the appropriate ink to the appropriate tank.
CHECK and DOUBLE CHECK! You need to make sure you have the correct ink in the correct tank.
*Reminder – Make sure you AREN’T using the ink that came with the printer. The ink that comes with the Epson ET-8550 is NOT sublimation ink and adding it to the printer will make it impossible to ever turn it into a sublimation printer.
Step #7
Click through each ink on the printer screen once you have filled them all.
Step #8
Follow all of the prompts on the printer’s screen. Next, you will be prompted to print a nozzle check. Before you click print, there are a couple of things you need to do.
a) Pull out the bottom tray, carefully.
b) Very carefully, pull the blue tabs outward.
c) Load the paper tray with regular copy paper. (There is no reason to mess up your good sublimation paper for this part.)
Once you’ve done those steps, you can go ahead and click print on the Epson ET 8550. At this point, the output tray will automatically come out of the printer and will start printing.
*Note – After you hit print, stay near the printer and check to see if any more prompts, errors, etc. come up on the screen.
Step #9
Once you’re done with the print test, if everything worked properly, you should head to your computer and download the Epson Drivers for your computer and printer. You can get those drivers by clicking here.
Step #10
Their system should automatically detect the operating system, (PC or Mac), that you’re using. But, if it doesn’t, there is also a dropdown menu where you can select it yourself.
Click download.
Step #11
Once the download is complete, find the installer on your computer and open it. (Depending on the setup of your computer, the download will either be in the downloads or recent folder.)
You may be prompted to enter your password.
Step #12
A window will open automatically. The first page in that window will ask you to agree to the terms and conditions. Then, on the next window, deselect the software usage information and product usage information boxes.
Step #13
Click to confirm you have filled your Epson ET 8550 ink tanks.
Step #14
Next, you will need to connect your Sublimation Printer to your computer. Select the connection method you will be using in the open window and click next.
Step #15
On the next screen, the ONLY thing you should check is the scanner software. The required software will be downloaded automatically.
Step #16
It may take a few minutes for the drivers to install on your computer. I recommend waiting nearby in case there are any errors.
Step #17
Now you will finish connecting your printer to your computer. The steps for this will be different between PC and Mac, but you can just follow the prompts and instructions on the screen. (Epson is wonderful for giving detailed instructions on what to do!)
Step #18
Next, you will be prompted to print a test page. Go ahead and click next.
Step #19
You will need to grab the ICC profiles for the ink you purchased. To do this, go to the website for the inks you bought.
I used Hiipoo inks in my Epson ET 8550 for sublimation printing, so I will head over to their website.
If you need more direction on color profiles and where to find the Hiipoo ICC profiles check out this post – Hiipoo Sublimation Ink Color Profile.
Step #20
After you have downloaded the ICC profile for your ink, go into your computer’s hard drive and then into your libraries.
Step #21
Open the ColorSync Folder and then profiles.
Step #22
Now drag the downloaded profile into that folder.
*Tip – Your computer might change the name of the profile when it is downloaded. If you do not see the profile, check for other names it may be under.
Step #23
Next, you will be prompted to update the firmware, and this is the only time you will update. There is no way to bypass this one.
Once the update is done, you can click on the finish button.
Step #24
Finally, you can go and check your test print page. If everything works properly, then you’re ready to print your first sublimation design on sublimation paper!
See, that wasn’t too hard, right? As long as you follow these instructions step-by-step, you should be able to have your Epson printer set up for sublimation printing in less than an hour.
There is also a Facebook group dedicated to using an Epson ET-8550 for Sublimation printing. This is a great community and resource to be a part of. If you run into any issues or have any questions, someone in the group should be able to help guide you in the right direction on what to do next. To join the Facebook group, go here.
Looking For Some Sublimation Craft Ideas?
Now that you have your sublimation printer all set up, you probably want to get started with some crafts! The great news is I have tons of free tutorials and sublimation designs available here on my blog!
Here are some of my top picks!
- Free Unicorn Mom Sublimation Tumbler Design
- Free Blessed Mama PNG For Sublimation
- Free Born To Be A Unicorn Sublimation Design
- Sublimation Coffee Mug For Teacher Appreciation Day
You will also need a heat press to do sublimation. Here are my top picks!
- Cricut Mug Press (for coffee mugs)
- Cricut Easy Press Mini
- Cricut Easy Press
How To Setup An Epson ET-8550 For Sublimation
Learn how to set up your Epson ET-8550 for sublimation printing in an hour!
Materials
- Copy Paper
Tools
- Epson ET-8550
- Hiipoo Sublimation Ink
Instructions
- The first thing you will want to do is unbox your new ET-8550 printer. It will come with ink in the box, but DO NOT put them in your printer. You can save them to use with another Epson ET printer, give them away, or discard them.
- Unbox your sublimation ink, (I'm using the Hiipoo sublimation ink), but don't open the actual ink bottles yet. You don't need them at this stage, so you can set them aside.
- Carefully locate and remove all of the tape on your Epson ET 8550. Check inside the printer and pull out the trays too! Trust me, there is a lot of tape on these printers!
- Inside the box, you will find a power cord. Plug it into the back of the printer and a power supply. (It is a standard printer cord, so it is easy to attach.)
- Once you have it plugged in, follow the prompts on the screen until you get to where it tells you to fill your ink.
- Now you can grab the sublimation inks that you previously set aside. Unscrew the lids from the top and add the appropriate ink to the appropriate tank.
CHECK and DOUBLE CHECK! You need to make sure you have the correct ink in the correct tank.
*Reminder - Make sure you AREN'T using the ink that came with the printer. The ink that comes with the Epson ET-8550 is NOT sublimation ink and adding it to the printer will make it impossible to ever turn it into a sublimation printer. - Click through each ink on the printer screen once you have filled them all.
- Follow all of the prompts on the printer's screen. You will be prompted to print a nozzle check. Before you click print, there are a couple of things you need to do.
- Pull out the bottom tray, carefully.
- Very carefully, pull the blue tabs outward.
- Load the paper tray with regular copy paper. (There is no reason to mess up your good sublimation paper for this part.)
Once you've done those steps, you can go ahead and click print on the Epson ET 8550. At this point, the output tray will automatically come out of the printer and will start printing.
*Note - After you hit print, stay near the printer and check to see if any more prompts, errors, etc. come up on the screen. - Once you're done with the print test, if everything worked properly, you should head to your computer and download the Epson Drivers for your computer and printer. You can get those drivers by clicking here.
- Their system should automatically detect the operating system, (PC or Mac), that you're using. But, if it doesn't, there is also a dropdown menu where you can select it yourself. Click download.
- Once the download is complete, find the installer on your computer and open it. (Depending on how your computer is set up, this will either be in the downloads or recent folder of your computer.) You may be prompted to enter your password.
- A window will open automatically. The first page in that window will ask you to agree to the terms and conditions. Then, on the next window, deselect the software usage information and product usage information boxes.
- Click to confirm you have filled your Epson ET 8550 ink tanks.
- Now it's time to connect your Sublimation Printer to your computer. Select the connection method you will be using in the open window and click next.
- On the next screen, the ONLY thing you should check is the scanner software. The required software will be downloaded automatically.
- Wait while the print drivers are being installed. This may take a few minutes.
- Now you will finish connecting your printer to your computer. The steps for this will be different between PC and Mac, but you can just follow the prompts and instructions on the screen. (Epson is wonderful for giving detailed instructions on what to do!)
- Next, you will be prompted to print a test page. Go ahead and click next.
- You will need to grab the ICC profiles for the ink you purchased. To do this, go to the website for the inks you bought. I used Hiipoo inks in my Epson ET 8550 for sublimation printing, so I will head over to their website.
If you need more direction on color profiles and where to find the Hiipoo ICC profiles check out this post - Hiipoo Sublimation Ink Color Profile. - After you have downloaded the ICC profile for your ink, go into your computer's hard drive and then into your libraries.
- Open the ColorSync Folder and then profiles.
- Now drag the downloaded profile into that folder.
*Tip - Your computer may change the name of the profile when it is downloaded, so if you do not see the profile, check for other names it may be under. - Next, you will be prompted to update the firmware, and this is the only time you will update. There is no way to bypass this one. Once the update is done, you can click on the finish button.
- Finally, you can go and check your test print page. If everything works properly, then you're ready to print your first sublimation design on sublimation paper!
