Vinyl stickers come in handy whether you’re planning to keep your items organized or promote your business. No doubt they are also a great form of self-expression!
But that doesn’t mean you should dip into your wallet and pay for customized stickers every time you need them. That’s just unnecessary when it is actually possible to make your own vinyl stickers at home. And no, we’re not telling you to invest in some gigantic equipment for the sake of quality.
So, what are you going to use?
You need the best vinyl printer, or in this case, an inkjet printer that supports vinyl sheets. Although you’ll find plenty of options, it is quite hard to find ones that live up to your expectations. To help you decide on a printer easily, we have shared our top five picks.
Keep reading to find out!
Printer For Vinyl – Quick Summary
- Offers Versatility: Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Wireless Color All-in-One
“Besides printing, you can do a lot more with this printer and expect consistent results.”
- Affordable Canon Printer: Canon PIXMA G6020 Wireless All-in-One Printer
“This particular model comes at an affordable price while being reliable.”
- Wide Color Spectrum: Canon Pixma Pro-100 Wireless Inkjet Printer
“This is a great option for those who expect a wider color spectrum and more details in their printouts.”
- Ink-Efficient: Epson WorkForce ET-3750 EcoTank Wireless All-in-One Printer
“This particular model uses ink bottles that last longer than most printers in the market.”
- High Print Speed: HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e Wireless All-in-One Printer
“Although this printer has the highest print speed in this list, it doesn’t compromise on the print quality.”
Comparison Chart for Top 5 Vinyl Printers
Image | Product Name | Maximum Resolution (dpi) | Maximum Media Size (inches) | Price |
  | Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Wireless All-in-One Printer | 4800 x 1200 | 8.5 x 14 | |
  | Canon PIXMA G6020 Wireless All-in-One Printer | 4800 x 1200 | 8.5 x 14 | |
  | Canon Pixma Pro-100 Wireless Inkjet Printer | 4800 x 2400 | 13 x 19 | |
  | Epson WorkForce ET-3750 EcoTank Wireless All-in-One Printer | 4800 x 1200 | 8.5 x 47.2 | |
  | HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e Wireless All-in-One Printer | 4800 x 1200 | 8.5 x 14 |
Top 5 Vinyl Printer Reviews
1. Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Wireless Color All-in-One
Starting with the first vinyl sticker printer on this list, the Epson EcoTank ET-4760 boasts of incredible features that let you perform a specific task with ease.
This is a multi-functional printer that is capable of printing, scanning, copying, and even faxing documents. Despite the versatility, you won’t experience a lack in accurate results for any of the functions. Moreover, you’ll save the extra cost of scanning or photocopying from the local print shop.
If you’ve never used an all-in-one printer before, there’s no problem because setting this one up is a no-brainer. With the intuitive color touchscreen, you can set your preferences and select a function for the printer to perform.
When it comes to printing, the EcoTank ET-4760 does a great job. Whether you’re printing documents or images, it will always ensure precise output at 4800 x 1200 dpi. You’ll be able to print on sheets having a maximum size of 13 x 19 inches, and types, such as cardstock and vinyl. It also allows you to make borderless prints for vinyl decals.
Additionally, you can use this printer for sublimation printing but you’ll need to invest in sublimation ink.
As for scanning and photocopying, you can make use of the ADF without having to place documents individually. It can hold up to 30 sheets. This particular feature without a doubt makes this printer is a great time-saver!
Lastly, you’re free to print not only from your desktop but also phone, tablet, and laptop. That’s because the printer offers different connectivity options, like USB, Ethernet, WiFi, and WiFi Direct.
- Delivers sharp, black text and brightly-colored images
- Offers borderless printing
- Compact printer takes up less space
- The ink cartridges are refillable
- Comes with different connectivity options
- The printer is a bit noisy
Product Specialty
Epson EcoTank ET-4760 is a great multi-functional printer that ensures high-quality output. Its compact size is what makes the printer fit in small spaces.
2. Canon PIXMA G6020 Wireless All-in-One Printer
If you’re a Canon fan on the hunt for a budget-friendly vinyl printer, you can take a look at the PIXMA G6020.
This is another multi-functional printer that allows you to print, scan, and copy documents in the comfort of your home. Although it comes at a price lower than most multi-functional printers out there, you will appreciate its performance.
First of all, the printer boasts of high-quality prints at 4800 x 1200 dpi. Whether you print on glossy photo paper or adhesive vinyl, you will expect sharp, dark text and bright images with every print. That’s because the printer uses two types of ink for monochrome and color documents- pigment-based and dye-based.
What’s great about this guy, the ink bottles it uses contain more inks compared to regular ink cartridges, so you can save on the ink cost! Moreover, you can save paper by activating the duplex printing function.
The PIXMA G6020 is designed to handle various paper types and sizes, including A4, envelopes, glossy photo paper, matte photo paper, and vinyl sheets. You can also create attractive borderless prints up to letter size.
If you’re going to print a lot of vinyl stickers or photos, you won’t have to refill the tray frequently because it can hold as many as 350 sheets.
What’s more, you won’t have trouble printing wirelessly from different devices because the printer supports WiFi, as well as Mopria, AirPrint, and the Canon PRINT app.
- Ensures sharp, dark text and bright images
- Allows borderless printing
- It has a large paper capacity
- You can save on ink costs with this printer
- Offers effortless wireless printing
- The LCD is very small which makes it hard to read
Product Specialty
Canon PIXMA G6020 is not only affordable when it comes to price, but also ink and paper costs. Still, you can expect high-quality monochrome and color prints with the types of inks it uses.
3. Canon PIXMA Pro-100 Wireless Inkjet Printer
Another Canon PIXMA printer worth mentioning here is the Pixma Pro-100.
Without a doubt, this one is the best vinyl printer for shirts. The reason is that, unlike most inkjet printers, Pixma Pro-100 uses eight dye-based inks for printing. That means each of your printed artwork or sticker will show a wide spectrum of colors. Whether you print in monochrome or color, the output will always appear vivid.
As for the print resolution, you will get excellent quality at 4800 x 2400 dpi. The printer is equipped with a specially-designed nozzle than can emit minuscule droplets for fine details. This is something that isn’t ubiquitous when you look at other printers.
Additionally, your printouts are guaranteed to be durable as long as you use Genuine Canon ink. And, if you store them in an archival-quality photo album, they can last as long as 300 years!
With this printer, you can print on a range of paper types and sizes, including photo paper, fine-art paper, vinyl, letter, and legal. While the rear tray of the printer holds fine-art paper and glossy photo paper, the other one supports thicker media. You can print on papers having a maximum size of 13 x 19 inches.
Lastly, you can plug in this printer to your laptop via USB or Ethernet, or connect it to your phone via WiFi. It’s as simple as that!
- The eight ink cartridge system ensures wide color spectrum
- Prints detailed text and photos at 4800 x 2400 dpi
- Supports a range of paper types and sizes
- The printouts are long-lasting
- Offers effortless connectivity options
- The ink is expensive
Product Specialty
Canon PIXMA Pro-100 is an excellent single-function printer that offers a wide color spectrum and more detailed prints suitable for professional use.
4. Epson WorkForce ET-3750 EcoTank Wireless All-in-One Printer
If you’re looking for the best heat transfer vinyl printer, look no further than this one by Epson!
Like the Epson printer we’ve seen previously, the WorkForce ET-3750 has all-in-one functions that make all your everyday tasks a breeze. Besides printing text and graphics, you can also scan and copy documents whenever you need.
For printing, this guy uses CMYK ink cartridges. The cartridges are refillable, and the bottles contain enough ink to last a couple of years. That means you won’t have to spend on ink frequently, rather stay focused on your project.
The printer is capable of printing excellent quality text and graphics at a resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi, which is suitable for vinyl printing. If you want to print borderless photos and artwork, you can do that up to a maximum size of 8.5 x 11 inches.
Apart from that, the paper tray can hold up to 150 sheets. So, if you’re printing important documents besides vinyl stickers, you won’t have to worry about refilling the tray often. Additionally, you can use the 30-page capacity ADF for quick scanning and copying of documents.
As every printer should, the WorkForce ET-3750 offers both wired and wireless connectivity options, including Ethernet and WiFi Direct.
- Includes scan and copy functions
- Allows borderless printing
- Ensures high-quality prints at 4800 x 1200 dpi
- The ink bottles contain enough ink to last a couple of years
- Offers both wired and wireless connectivity options
- Lack of a touchscreen
- The settings for the scan function aren’t user-friendly
Product Specialty
Epson WorkForce ET-3750 EcoTank is a great option if you’re looking forward to spending on ink as less as possible. Besides that, the printer ensures quality when it comes to printing, scanning, and copying documents.
5. HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e Wireless All-in-One Printer
Last but not least, we have HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e, the best vinyl printer for small business.
This is an all-in-one printer that simplifies your tasks with its print, scan, copy, and fax functions. All of these functions come in handy for small businesses, so you can save yourself from the hassle of using equipment separately.
When it comes to printing, this printer is capable of printing at faster speeds. It can print in monochrome at a rate of 20 pages per minute while color at 10 pages per minute. Regardless of the fast speed, you can expect 4800 x 1200 dpi quality in every print.
As for media handling, the OfficeJet Pro 8025e is compatible with different paper types, including glossy photo paper, cardstock, and vinyl. You‘ll be able to print vinyl stickers or photos up to a maximum size of 8.5 x 14 inches. It is also possible to print on both sides without you having to flip the page manually.
To save time, the printer’s input tray boasts of a paper capacity of 225 pages. Plus, there’s an ADF that can handle up to 35 pages. With this convenience, you can focus on your projects instead of filling up the trays.
What’s more, the OfficeJet Pro 8025e features self-healing technology that ensures the printer stays connected to WiFi.
- Offers good print quality
- Prints monochrome and color documents at a fast speed
- Can be used to print on both sides
- Self-healing technology ensures the printer stays connected to WiFi
- Works with HP Smart app
- The ink cartridge is expensive
- Does not include a USB cable
Product Specialty
HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e is an affordable printer that comes with great features suitable for small businesses. Some of those features are- it prints documents at a fast speed, maintains good print quality, and also ensures the printer stays connected to WiFi.
How To Choose The Best Vinyl Printer?
When shopping for the best printer for vinyl, it is recommended you learn about a few factors so that you can get what you’re looking for in the printer.
Resolution
The resolution of a printer is something you should consider as the quality of a printout depends on it.
Inkjet printers are capable of printing monochrome documents at a minimum resolution of 600 dpi and color at 1200 dpi. Typically, the higher the dpi, the better will be the quality of the printout.
If you’re going to print vinyl stickers, we recommend you go for a minimum resolution of 1000 dpi. For high-quality vinyl art prints, a resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi should suffice. You’ll find plenty of other printers that offer resolution higher than that, but they tend to be more expensive.
Print Speed
Unless you’re going to create vinyl prints in large amounts regularly, you won’t need a printer having exceptionally faster speeds. Even you’ll find a lot of printers that make a trade-off between print speed and quality.
Typically, printers are capable of printing monochrome text and images at a faster rate than the color version. That’s because it takes only a small amount of ink for printing. So, if you’re going to make monochrome vinyl prints, you can expect them to be done faster.
But, if you prioritize the quality of colored vinyl stickers or artwork, you can look for a printer that offers slow speed for color documents, such as eight pages per minute.
Versatility
When choosing a printer, you should know whether it offers versatility. Besides vinyl printing, you might want to use your printer for different media, like cardstock and glossy photo paper. If that’s the case, it is recommended you check whether the printer is capable of handling those media types.
Apart from that, you might also want to look for a printer that can scan, copy, and fax documents. These are called all-in-one printers, and they tend to be a bit more expensive than single-function printers.
Connectivity
You might not want to go through the hassle of transferring your designs from your phone to your laptop and then printing them. This is the reason why it is important that you choose a printer with wireless connectivity options, such as WiFi and Bluetooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I Need A Special Printer To Print On Vinyl?
It is not necessary to invest in a special printer for printing on vinyl. That’s because both laser and inkjet printers have the capability for printing high-quality photos on it.
2. Can EcoTank Print On Vinyl?
Not all Epson EcoTank printers support vinyl except for models, such as the ET-4760 and ET-3750.
3. Is Sublimation Better Than Vinyl?
Although sublimation printers and supplies are expensive, the process results in better quality and more durable prints than heat transfer vinyl.
4. What Type Of Printer Is Needed For Printable Vinyl?
It’s not necessary to invest in an expensive printable vinyl machine as almost any laser or inkjet printer can be used to produce high-quality printouts. Both printers work on vinyl regardless of the material being clear or matte. If the size of the vinyl sheet is large, you can cut it to fit the printer’s supported sizes.
5. What Kind Of Printer Do I Need To Make Decals?
It is possible to make decals using a laser or an inkjet printer. Inkjet printers are a great option if you’re on a budget and looking for high-quality prints. Those that come with six cartridges offer a wider color spectrum and superb print quality. But the only drawback of inkjet printers is that they tend to consume more ink.
On the other hand, laser printers also produce high-quality text and images, and the printouts don’t require to be sealed. Although laser printers have higher upfront cost, the toner they use last longer than ink.
6 Can You Print On Heat Transfer Vinyl With Inkjet?
It is possible to print on heat transfer vinyl as long as you use an inkjet printer. But, if you want to use vinyl rolls, then you’ll have to use a wide-format printer. This type of printer is larger than inkjet and laser printers, and they can hold rolls of a maximum width of 100 inches. They use a water-based ink known as latex ink for printing.
Final Word
The best vinyl printing machine doesn’t have to be expensive when there are affordable options available that can provide superb-quality results. And if that’s what you had been looking for, we’re glad that you’ve found this guide!
The above printers you’ve read about are all compatible with vinyl sheets, and their print quality corresponds to the resolution. But, it’s up to you regarding which printer to pick as its features, such as print speed and maximum media size matter.
Therefore, we recommend you check the buying guide along with the reviews to find one that matches your preference. We wish you luck printing awesome vinyl stickers!
