I’ve got to share with you my 4 best Fabric Printers for home fabric design.
Printing onto transfer paper and then using heat to transfer an image onto fabric allows for a high degree of customization and creativity at home. Almost any inkjet printer can be used to print designs onto transfer paper. Transfer paper can be purchased online or at most office or craft stores. Many types of paper are designed to work with all different inkjet printers, though some might be specific to the type of printer, like inks often are. Printers often work best with their own brand of ink cartridges.
Fabric Printing Guide
Printing on fabric is much easier now than it was a few decades ago when the sole choice was to press each piece of fabric onto freezer paper to stabilize it before printing. You can still use that process, but now that manufacturers are producing treated textiles that are ready to print, you have more possibilities.
As a growing number of individuals rely on home printers for fabric printing and paper pictures, inkjet manufacturers continue to improve their printer inks.
Fabrics that have been professionally prepared
Pre-treated fabrics are sold in sheets and rolls, with both varieties available in a variety of sizes. Printable fabrics are already reinforced with stiff materials to keep them from rippling as they pass through the printer. After the printing is finished, the backings readily peel away.
Each company discusses how to print their products as well as how to handle the materials thereafter to remove excess ink and ensure that the ink that remains is colorfast.
Commercial printables are convenient, but they are more expensive than fabrics that have been prepared for home printing. Fabric sheets sold in stores are usually designed for inkjet printers, not laser printers. White cotton is commonly used in commercial fabric printers.
Fabrics You Can Print Yourself
Freezer paper is suited for fabric printed on inkjet and laser printers and makes an excellent background for your home-prepped printouts.
Fabric should be treated for colorfastness.
Printing on Fabric
How to Print on Fabric
- If you’re using a product to pre-treat the fabrics, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for treatment and drying.
- Tear a 12-inch section of freezer paper and cut away a section that is just over 8 1/2 inches across.
- Using freezer paper as a guide, press a piece of treated cotton fabric that is slightly larger than the freezer paper. Steam should not be used on pretreated fabrics. Remove any remaining loose threads from the fabric’s surface.
- Place the shiny side of the freezer paper on top of the fabric’s wrong side (if there is one), and press the paper side with a medium-hot iron (no steam)
- Trim the glued pair to 8 1/2 by 11 inches with rotary cutting equipment, a size that works with most printers. If the fabric splits from the freezer paper along one edge, iron it again. It’s critical that all of the fabric’s edges are securely fastened to the paper and free of loose threads.
- Create and trace around an 8 1/2 by 11-inch template if you don’t have rotary cutting tools (a piece of cardstock works nicely, and so do templates made from file folders). Cut the bonded fabric using scissors.
- Check to see if the fabric should be positioned face up or face down before inserting the sheet into the printer’s manual feed area.
- Create a print on the bonded cloth. The printing options vary. Select the highest quality level available on your printer, which is typically referred to as a ‘photo’ setting. The best results are obtained by using a high-resolution photograph (photos downloaded from the Internet are usually of lower quality).
- Allow the inks to dry completely before carefully peeling away the freezer paper backing.
- If you used a commercial fixative agent to pre-treat the cloth, rinse or wash it as directed.
- To set the inks, some people propose rinsing them in a vinegar solution, however, this doesn’t always work. If you’re printing images, you’ll want them to last, and commercial solutions can help you do that.
- While working with small pieces of freezer paper may be easier than attempting to control bigger yardages, your results may vary. To see which way you prefer, try both.
Inkjet Inks
inkjet inks are a type of ink that is used in printers. Gloria Hansen provides excellent advice on the many types of inks used in printers, including a comparison of pigmented versus dye-based ink prints, as well as how the same images printed with each type of ink have aged over time. Inkjet printers and their inks are always changing. With different types of inks, you can get fantastic results with HP and Epson printers, as well as good results with a little Canon printer. If you don’t already have an inkjet printer, check reviews and look at manufacturer websites.
Fabric printing with a laser
Laser printing on fabric is comparable to inkjet printing, except you don’t have to pre-treat the fabric. As previously described,
- adhere the fabric to freezer paper and feed it through the printer’s manual feed area.
- Place the print on newspapers outside or in a well-ventilated area with the freezer paper still attached.
- Apply many light coatings of Krylon Workable Fixatif to the fabric (or another similar product).
- Laser-printed fabric is stiff and difficult to hand quilt since the toner can be thick and the fixative adds depth. You might want to save laser-printed fabric for fabric postcards, machine-quilted parts of wall hangings, and other crafts that don’t need to be quilted at all.
Experiment with different procedures and products to see which ones work best for you. Only the maximum dimensions that will feed through the printer limit the size of the fabric you can create.
Best Fabric Printers
Here are our fabric printer reviews.
1. Epson Expression
- Epson printers work best with Epson inks
- This printer can print, copy, and scan
- Can do wireless printing and can also do network-free printing, so sending images from a phone or tablet is easy
2. Epson SureColor SC-P400
This amazing printer can do so many different things that many other printers can’t do. The printer can print images up to 13”, which is great for customized projects. The printer is considered by many to be of professional quality. The color prints from this printer are vibrant and are far more true than many other printers.
- The printer can print on sheets of paper or on rolls of paper
- Can print images as matte or as gloss
- Has an eight-color pigment ink set, and features individual 14ml ink cartridges
3. Canon PIXMA TS9520 Wireless Photo All in One Printer
Many different inkjet printers can work well for printing onto transfer paper and then transferring to fabric using heat. This Canon printer has a five-color, individual ink system for beautiful-looking photos and for easy ink replacement. The printer can support many different paper sizes, all the way up to 11×17 paper.
- Print from a computer, smartphone, or tablet
- Can print double-sided as well, on double-sided matte photo paper
- Also a copier and a scanner as well as a printer
Fabric Printer Buying Guide
Printing designs at home is a great way to customize and personalize items without spending a ton of money getting it done commercially. Printing can cost more money when done at the store and sometimes you’ll need to order in quantities that aren’t realistic if you’re just getting a project done for one or two people. Many inkjet printers will work for printing on all different types of transfer paper, though it is suggested that Epson printers and Epson inks often work very well for doing image transfers.
Buying on a Budget
Inkjet printers can be budget-friendly if you wait for a sale. Even if you don’t buy one on sale, many great quality printers can be purchased for under two hundred dollars. Depending on how often you use the printer, the ink might last for quite a long time. Inkjet printers can do so many things- they aren’t just great for image transfers, so if you need a quality printer that you can use for printing documents, photos, and more, an inkjet printer is often a great investment.
Quality
The quality of an image transfer might surprise you. Many times, a personalized item like a t-shirt, tote bag, or blanket, will actually turn out quite well. Transfer paper is often quite inexpensive in itself. You can now make your own logos, designs, personalized projects, and more, all at home. Some items like t-shirts and blank canvas totes can also be purchased on a budget and are quite easy to customize.
Are you on the lookout for the best printer for printing on fabric? If so, you’re in the right place! When it comes to fabric printing, you want nothing less than the top-notch performance provided by the printers designed specifically for this purpose.
Luckily, there are several options available that can meet your needs. Inkjet printers have proven to be the preferred choice among dressmaking enthusiasts and professionals alike. Their exceptional quality and versatility make them the best inkjet printers for fabric printing.
When selecting the ideal fabric printer, it’s essential to consider factors like print resolution, color accuracy, and durability. The printers tailored for fabric printing excel in all these aspects. They ensure that your designs and patterns come out vibrant and clear, enhancing the overall quality of your creations.
Whether you’re a passionate dressmaker or a business specializing in fabric-based products, having a reliable printer for fabric printing is crucial. The best printer for fabric will bring your imaginative designs to life with absolute precision, giving your garments that professional touch.
With inkjet printing on fabric, you can unleash your creativity and explore limitless possibilities in the world of textile art.
Investing in a top-notch fabric printer opens doors to exciting opportunities. From customizing dresses to creating personalized home decor or unique gifts, the best printers for fabric empower you to express your artistic flair effortlessly.
So don’t wait any longer, gear up with the finest fabric printer and immerse yourself in the boundless realm of dressmaking and fabric printing.
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