Sawgrass vs Epson: Why Epson EcoTanks Are the Better Value for Sublimation
If you have spent any time researching sublimation printers, you will have come across two names: Sawgrass and Epson. Sawgrass builds printers specifically for sublimation. Epson builds general-purpose inkjet printers that can be converted for sublimation use. Both produce excellent sublimation prints, but the cost of ownership is dramatically different, and for most UK beginners and small businesses, Epson comes out well ahead.
What Sawgrass Gets Right
Sawgrass deserves credit where it is due. Their printers, particularly the SG500, are purpose-built for sublimation from the ground up. You do not need to convert anything or flush out factory ink. You plug it in, load the Sawgrass sublimation cartridges, and start printing.
The Sawgrass Print Manager software is genuinely excellent. It includes built-in templates for common blank sizes, integrated colour management, and ICC profiles that are well-tuned out of the box. For someone who wants minimal setup and does not want to think about colour calibration, that software is a real advantage. The print quality is strong too, with accurate colour reproduction and reliable consistency from print to print.
So if Sawgrass printers are purpose-built and come with good software, why do most UK sublimation businesses end up choosing Epson?
The Cost Problem with Sawgrass
The answer is running costs. The Sawgrass SG500 retails at around 400-500 pounds in the UK, which is already two to three times the price of an entry-level Epson EcoTank. But the real expense shows up when you need to replace ink.
Sawgrass printers use small cartridges. The starter cartridges that ship with the SG500 are particularly tiny and will run out quickly if you are printing regularly. Full replacement cartridges cost between 30 and 50 pounds each, and you need four of them (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). A full set of replacement cartridges can easily cost 120-200 pounds, and depending on your print volume, you might be replacing them every few weeks.
Compare that to the Epson EcoTank system. Each colour tank holds 70ml of ink, and a full set of four sublimation ink bottles costs a fraction of what Sawgrass cartridges cost. A 70ml CMYK ink bundle will keep you printing for hundreds of pages. When you run low, you simply pour in more ink from a bottle rather than swapping an entire cartridge. Over six months of regular printing, the ink cost difference between Sawgrass and Epson can easily reach several hundred pounds.
Upfront Cost Comparison
The Epson EcoTank ET-2810, one of the most popular choices for sublimation beginners in the UK, costs around 180-200 pounds. You can pick up an ET-2810 starter bundle that arrives pre-converted with sublimation ink already installed, sublimation paper included, and ready to print straight away.
The Sawgrass SG500 at 400-500 pounds gives you a printer that is also ready to go out of the box, but at more than double the entry price. For a beginner who is still testing whether sublimation is the right business for them, that is a significant difference in financial risk.
Print Quality: Closer Than You Might Think
This is where some people assume there must be a catch. If the Epson is so much cheaper, surely the print quality suffers? In practice, no. Epson's MicroPiezo print heads produce sharp, vibrant sublimation transfers with excellent colour accuracy. When paired with good quality sublimation ink and proper ICC profiles, a converted EcoTank produces results that are comparable to Sawgrass output.
The one area where Sawgrass has a slight edge is in the out-of-box colour management. Their ICC profiles and Print Manager software mean you can get accurate colours with less manual setup. With an Epson, you may need to install an ICC profile and adjust your print settings, but this is a one-time setup that takes about ten minutes and there are plenty of guides available to walk you through it.
Flexibility and Ink Availability
Another advantage of the Epson EcoTank system is ink flexibility. Because the tanks accept generic bottles rather than proprietary cartridges, you can source sublimation ink from multiple suppliers and are not locked into buying from a single manufacturer. Sawgrass cartridges are proprietary, which means you must buy Sawgrass-branded replacements at Sawgrass prices.
For UK buyers specifically, Epson EcoTank printers are widely available from multiple retailers, and sublimation ink and paper are easy to source domestically. Sawgrass printers and supplies can sometimes be harder to find locally, with some users importing from European or US distributors.
Which Should You Choose?
If budget is not a concern and you value the convenience of purpose-built sublimation software with minimal setup, Sawgrass is a solid option. It does what it is designed to do, and it does it well.
But for the majority of UK beginners and small sublimation businesses, the Epson EcoTank is the smarter choice. The lower upfront cost, dramatically cheaper ink, and comparable print quality make it hard to justify the Sawgrass premium. You can browse our full range of sublimation printers to see the available EcoTank bundles and find the right starting point for your setup.