Sublimation Printer Settings: Complete Setup Guide for Epson EcoTank

Updated: April 6, 2026

Getting your sublimation printer settings right is the difference between vibrant, professional-looking prints and faded, banded, or color-shifted transfers that waste your ink and blanks. The frustrating part is that the default Epson settings are designed for regular document and photo printing, not sublimation transfer paper and ink. You have to change several things before your first print.

The good news is that once you set these up correctly, you rarely need to change them again. This guide walks you through every setting you need, explains why each one matters, and gives you a cheat sheet you can copy exactly. If your prints already look wrong, jump to the diagnosis section at the bottom to find out which setting is causing the problem.

The 5 important Sublimation Printer Settings

These are the five settings that matter most. Get these right and your prints will be clean, vibrant, and consistent.

1. Paper Type: Premium Presentation Paper Matte

This is the most important driver setting for many sublimation users. Set your paper type to “Premium Presentation Paper Matte” (or “Matte Paper” on some Epson models). Do not leave it on “Plain Paper.”

Why this matters: The paper type setting controls how much ink the printer lays down. “Plain Paper” uses less ink because it assumes you are printing a regular document. “Premium Presentation Paper Matte” tells the printer to use more ink with better coverage, which is exactly what sublimation paper needs for vibrant color transfer. Using the wrong paper type is the most common reason for faded or washed-out sublimation prints.

2. Print Quality: High or Best

Set your print quality to “High” or “Best” as your starting point. Avoid “Draft” for sublimation. “Standard” can work on some rigid blanks, but High/Best gives the most consistent results for most projects.

Why this matters: Higher quality settings make the printer fire more ink dots per inch, which produces smoother gradients and more vibrant colors. Draft mode skips dots to save ink, which creates visible banding and poor color coverage. The difference between Draft and Best is dramatic on sublimation transfers.

3. Mirror Image: ON

Turn Mirror Image ON (also called “Flip Horizontal” in some software). This reverses your design so it reads correctly when transferred face-down onto the blank.

Why this matters: Sublimation paper is placed face-down on the blank, so the design transfers in reverse. If you do not mirror, all text will be backwards and asymmetrical designs will be flipped. The one exception is some acrylic blanks that are sublimated on the back side and viewed through the front, check your blank’s instructions.

4. High Speed / Bi-Directional Printing: OFF

Turn off “High Speed” or “Bi-Directional” printing if your printer has this option.

Why this matters: Bi-directional printing makes the printhead lay ink in both directions (left-to-right AND right-to-left) to print faster. But the alignment between passes is never perfect, which can cause slight misregistration and banding. Turning it off makes the printer print in one direction only, which is slower but produces cleaner results.

5. Color Management: ICC Profile or Printer Manages Colors

This is the most confusing setting for beginners, but it has the biggest impact on color accuracy.

If your design software manages colors (Photoshop, etc.): Set the ICC profile in your software and set the Epson printer driver to “No Color Adjustment.” This lets your software handle the color conversion and prevents the driver from double-correcting.

If you want the driver to manage colors: Set the Epson driver to “ICM” and select your ICC profile there. Do not also set a profile in your design software, or you get double color management.

The key rule: only ONE thing should manage colors, either your software OR the driver, not both. And never use “Epson Color Controls” with an ICC profile, it will override the profile.

If you do not have an ICC profile: Set color management to “Printer Manages Colors” or “Epson Color Controls” as a starting point. Your colors may not be perfect, but this is better than having no color management at all. Then look into getting an ICC profile for your specific ink and paper combination (see the ICC Profile section below).

Copy-This-Exactly Cheat Sheet

Here is every setting in one place. Copy these for your Epson EcoTank sublimation setup:

Setting	Value
Paper Type / Media Type	Premium Presentation Paper Matte
Print Quality	High or Best
Paper Size	Match your actual paper (usually 8.5 x 11 or A4)
Mirror / Flip Horizontal	ON (except some back-printed acrylic blanks)
High Speed / Bi-Directional	OFF
Color Mode	RGB by default (avoid CMYK unless you have a specific profiled CMYK workflow)
Color Management	ICC Profile if available; otherwise Printer Manages Colors
Density / Ink Density	+2 to +4 (if your printer has this option)
Borderless	OFF (borderless can expand/crop your image)
Scale / Size	100% / Actual Size (do not let the printer resize your design)
Resolution	300 DPI or higher in your design software

My tip: take a screenshot of your printer settings once they are correct and save it somewhere easy to find. If settings ever get reset (after a driver update or printer reset), you can restore them in seconds instead of trying to remember each value.

Settings by Epson Model

The settings above apply to all converted Epson EcoTank printers, but the menu path to reach them varies by model. Here is where to find the key settings on each popular model:

Model	Access Print Settings	Notes
ET-2800 / ET-2803	Print dialog → Preferences → Main tab	Has a small color display; paper size/type can be set on printer, but main print-quality settings are chosen from computer
ET-2850	Print dialog → Preferences → Main tab	Has small screen but print settings are still set from computer
ET-4800	Print dialog → Preferences → Main tab	Has ADF and fax; sublimation settings same location
ET-15000	Print dialog → Preferences → Main tab	Wide format up to 13×19 through rear feed; same settings

On all Epson EcoTank models, you access print settings through your computer when you hit Print. The printer dialog shows “Preferences” or “Properties” where you set paper type, quality, and other options. The printer’s own screen handles maintenance functions (nozzle checks, head cleaning) and basic paper/media settings. The main sublimation print-quality options (quality level, mirror, color management) are controlled through the computer’s print dialog.

Settings by Design Software

Where you set Mirror Image and Color Management depends on which software you use to design and print. Here is where to find these settings in the most common sublimation design tools:

Canva

Canva has a built-in Flip tool (click the element, then Flip Horizontal), but it does not offer the same printer-driver-level color workflow as Photoshop. You can mirror your design inside Canva before downloading, or mirror later in the Epson print dialog. For export, PNG is a good default for raster sublimation designs. For vector-heavy artwork, PDF may preserve edges better depending on your workflow. Canva works in sRGB by default, which is close to most sublimation setups.

Adobe Photoshop

Go to Image → Image Rotation → Flip Canvas Horizontal to mirror your design. For color management, go to Edit → Color Settings and set the working space to Adobe RGB (1998) or sRGB. When printing, go to File → Print → Color Management. If you want Photoshop to manage colors: set “Color Handling” to “Photoshop Manages Colors,” select your ICC profile under “Printer Profile,” and in the Epson driver set “No Color Adjustment” (not ICM, not Epson Color Controls). This ensures Photoshop handles the conversion and the driver does not double-correct.

Photopea (Free, Browser-Based)

Go to Image → Canvas → Flip Horizontally to mirror. Photopea supports ICC profiles under Image → Color Profile. For printing, download as PNG and print through your system print dialog with the Epson settings from the cheat sheet above.

GIMP (Free Download)

Go to Image → Transform → Flip Horizontally to mirror. For color previewing with an ICC profile, use Image → Color Management → Soft-Proof Profile and View → Color Management → Proof Colors to see how your design will look with the profile applied. For the actual print, export as PNG and use your system print dialog with the Epson driver settings from the cheat sheet above. Let the driver handle color management (ICM with your profile selected) unless you have a specific GIMP-managed workflow.

My tip: use an RGB workflow by default for converted Epson sublimation setups (Adobe RGB or sRGB are both good starting spaces). If you design in CMYK and print through a converted Epson without a specific profiled CMYK workflow, the colors will shift because the data gets converted incorrectly. For most sublimation crafters, RGB is the safe and simple choice.

Windows vs Mac: Print Dialog Differences

Windows

When you print, click “Preferences” or “Properties” in the print dialog. This opens the Epson driver panel with tabs for Main settings, More Options, and Maintenance. Set Paper Type and Quality on the Main tab. Set Mirror and Color Correction on the More Options tab. If your design software manages colors with an ICC profile, set Color Correction to “No Color Adjustment.” If you want the driver to manage colors, set Color Correction to “ICM” and select your profile there.

Mac

When you print, look for the dropdown menu that says “Layout” and change it to “Print Settings” to access Paper Type and Quality. For color management, look for “Color Matching” in the dropdown and select “ColorSync” or your ICC profile. For mirroring, you can flip in your design software before printing, or check the Mac print dialog for a Mirror Image / Flip Horizontal option. The availability depends on the software and driver version.

ICC Profiles: What They Are and When You Need One

An ICC profile is a small file that tells your printer exactly how to translate digital colors into printed colors for a specific ink and paper combination. Without one, your printer guesses, and the guess is often wrong, especially with third-party sublimation inks.

When you need an ICC profile: If your printed colors do not match what you see on screen, reds look orange, skin tones look gray, or the overall print is too dark or too light, an ICC profile is usually the fix. This is especially common with third-party inks like Hiipoo or Printers Jack in a converted Epson.

Where to get one: Most sublimation ink manufacturers offer free ICC profiles for download on their website. Look for a profile that matches your exact printer model AND your ink brand. A Hiipoo profile made for an ET-2800 is not guaranteed to work correctly on an ET-15000 or with Printers Jack ink.

How to install (Windows): Download the .icc file. Right-click it and select “Install Profile.” Then choose your color management approach: if your design software handles colors, set the Epson driver to “No Color Adjustment.” If you want the driver to handle colors, set it to “ICM” and select the installed profile. Either way, never use “Epson Color Controls” with an ICC profile.

How to install (Mac): Copy the .icc file to ~/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/. Then in your print dialog, under Color Matching, select the profile. In the printer driver, set “No Color Adjustment.”

For more on ICC profiles and which ones work best with popular sublimation inks, see our sublimation color problems guide.

Settings That Ruin Your Sublimation Prints

These are the mistakes that cause the most print quality problems. If your prints look wrong, check these first:

“My Print Looks Wrong”, Quick Diagnosis

If your sublimation print does not look right, use this table to identify which setting is probably the cause:

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Colors faded or washed out	Paper Type set to Plain Paper, or Quality too low	Change to Premium Presentation Paper Matte + High Quality
Horizontal lines or banding	High Speed ON, clogged nozzles, or misaligned printhead	Run nozzle check → clean if needed → align printhead → disable High Speed
Colors completely wrong (red → orange, blue → purple)	No ICC profile, or Epson Color Controls overriding ICC	Install ICC profile; set driver to No Color Adjustment
Text is backwards after pressing	Mirror Image not turned on	Enable Mirror / Flip Horizontal before printing
Print looks good on paper but faded after pressing	Wrong side of paper, low polyester content, moisture, wrong temp/time, or low ink density	Print on coated side; check blank is polyester; pre-press for moisture; verify temp/time; increase Density
Overall too dark or muddy	Wrong ICC profile, or designing in CMYK	Use RGB color mode; check ICC matches your ink + paper combo
Grainy or pixelated print	Design resolution too low	Design at 300 DPI or higher; do not stretch small images

My tip: sublimation prints on paper always look duller and more muted than the final pressed result. The colors activate and become vibrant during the heat press step. Do not judge your sublimation print by how it looks on paper, judge it by how it looks after pressing onto a white polyester blank. If it still looks wrong after pressing, then check your settings.

For more detailed color troubleshooting, see our sublimation color problems guide. For green printing as blue specifically, we have a dedicated guide for that common issue.

Cricut Design Space Settings

Many sublimation beginners use Cricut Design Space for their designs. For Cricut Print Then Cut workflows, choose “Use System Dialog” so you can access your Epson paper type, quality, mirror, and other printer settings directly. Turn off bleed unless your design specifically needs it. Mirror your design only once, either in Cricut or in the print dialog, not both. Confirm your design size matches the actual size you want printed, as Cricut can resize designs when sending to print.

Settings for Dedicated Sublimation Printers

Epson SureColor F170: The F170 comes with a matched ink and paper workflow, so color management is simpler out of the box than a converted EcoTank. You still set paper type, quality, and mirror in the print dialog, but you do not need to hunt for a third-party ICC profile. Use the Epson driver and bundled Mac/Windows print software that comes with the F170 for the smoothest experience. For more on the F170, see our best Epson printers guide.

Sawgrass (SG500/SG1000): Sawgrass printers use their own print utility (MySawgrass / Sawgrass Print Utility) with preset-driven printing. Mirror, profile, and substrate settings are managed through Sawgrass Print Utility rather than the standard system print dialog. If you use a Sawgrass printer, follow Sawgrass’s own setup documentation rather than the Epson-specific settings above. For Sawgrass vs Epson, see our comparison guide.

Test Chart: How to Calibrate Your First Print

Before printing real projects, print and press a color test chart to see how your settings actually perform. Here is a simple calibration workflow:

Step 1: Download or create a test image that includes a range of colors: bright red, skin tones, blues, greens, a gray gradient, and black. Simple test charts are available free online.

Step 2: Print the test chart on sublimation paper using the settings from the cheat sheet above.

Step 3: Press the test chart onto a white 100% polyester blank (a scrap piece of polyester fabric or a white test tile works well). Use the recommended settings for your substrate.

Step 4: Compare the pressed result to your screen. Are reds accurate or shifted toward orange? Are skin tones natural? Is the gray gradient neutral or tinted? If colors are off, an ICC profile is likely the next step.

This test costs almost nothing (one sheet of paper + a scrap blank) and tells you more about your setup than any amount of settings-guessing. Do it once when you first set up your printer, and again if you change ink brands, paper brands, or install a new ICC profile.

Mac: Missing ColorSync Options

Some Mac users find that the Color Matching or ColorSync options appear to disappear in the print dialog. This is a known frustration point. Depending on your macOS version and printer driver, the Color Matching panel may be hidden or relocated. Check under the dropdown menu in the print dialog and look for “Color Matching,” “Color Options,” or “Printer Features.” If it is missing, update your Epson printer driver from Epson’s website, as older drivers may not show all options on newer macOS versions.

Frequently Asked Questions