Thank You Courtney, I am out of ink in my Sawgrass SG1000 and I was waiting for your final review. I did not want to purchase the Hippo Ink and ruin my most expensive printer purchase. I will bite the bullet and forge on with the purchase of the Sawgrass Ink for my peace of mind. I was hoping you had found us a "cheaper" efficient was to replenish our inks, but I am not willing to take the chance. Thank You for looking out for us and I will continue to trust your reviews. THANK-YOU!!!
I knooooowwww I was SO hoping that I could recommend it. I’m gonna keep using it in my 500 and see how it goes. If I have no issues after using it for months then maybe I’ll change my recommendation. But for now, I’m sticking with sawgrass in my 1000
@@TheCraftyBrick I was having the same difficulty with reading the levels with the Hiipoo ink . I bought refillable cartridges and ink, It won't read the cartridges after the firmware update. Should I get new chips? New refillable cartridges? This firmware update was very evil forcing us to buy expensive ink. Did you find any other alternatives, this video was from a month ago?
I am so thankful you did these videos! I've been dead in the water with my sublimation printing since July due to the Sawgrass update. I keep getting grids across everything. I used a different ink that worked great, until the update, but that company said they didn't know when they'd have cartridges that will work again. So...I've been waiting to see what people say about anything else that might work. I'm actually a little excited to give this a shot. I'm absolutely willing to spend the $50-60 for a trial run since you had some recent success. It's better than doing nothing at all, imo. Knowing what I know now though, I most definitely will not buy another Sawgrass product. What a pain this has been.
Oh man I hate that you’re having issues. I also had issues with the update. Nothing as far as print quality but my sizing is never correct with the PrintMate. I went back to using Print Manager. Did you ever try that? I really hope this ink works for you. Let me know how it goes
@@TheCraftyBrick I installed the Hiipoo ink a few days ago. My printer saw it and didn't reject it. No warnings about warranty, low ink, etc. YAY! I'm using the Sawgrass print utility with their Design Mate. It's slow and clunky but it works. I tried Print Mate, but it kept telling me I was using foreign ink and wouldn't send it to print. I'm just happy to be able to work on my projects again, so thank you again for doing this video, testing the ink, and giving us a viable option to try!
@@grammysgaming1313sorry the delay in my response as I didn’t see this latest comment BUT I’m sooooo excited for you. That’s great news. I hope it continues to work well for both of us!
Thank you for sharing! With the sawgrass updates you can’t use other inks, what a bummer! I’ve been using inks for years until this update. But to inform everyone heat press nation has the sawgrass on sale for 244.00! Happy crafting!
it really is a bummer. Although I have the update and its working so far. It will probably stop at some point but I'm gonna ride it out. That's a GREAT price!
Yeah that’s what I would recommend. I would be a little nervous. I’m gonna keep using it in my 500 and see how it goes but I’m gonna stick with sawgrass in my 1000z.
Well, with all that being said, I will say this, I bought the Sawgrass for ease of use and its simplicity. So, to keep me free from worry or problems down the line, I think I'd better stick to Sawgrass ink. Thank you for the honest review, Courtney. This came just in time cause it's almost time to refill!! 😳😫🤷🏾♀️
Yes me too, I have had to get the machine replaced and my bypass tray, for other reasons, not the ink but I’m scared to try other ink because if something happens again they won’t help me.
i bought mine in Australia less than 12 months ago from day 1 have not used every 30 days needs 4 new genuine sawgrass carts just to clean mode im lodging ACCC in my country its extortion i have never even printed 1 a4 print yet as all the softeare keeps changing with no Australian support $1000 dollars of JUNK
Courtney, I was pulling for you, so wanted it to work. I appreciate you experimenting for everyone that wants another option, that was so kind of you. I still have my converted Epson with Starcraft ink. I don't print much and still works fine. I'm leaning towards the Brother Sublimation Printer, any thoughts on that one? Thanks again Court! 😊
Hey Dee! I really was hoping I could save people some coins. But I would HATE for them to have to buy a new printer 😬. I haven’t tried the brother one but have heard great things about it from my crafty friends that have it.
Thanks for the info. I had problems after I changed my ink but I did use saw grass ink. Was getting black grid lines in everything I printed. Contacted saw grass and the issue was fixed but the first question that was asked was are you using saw grass ink.
I have used the third party inks from Amazon for a couple of years and have never had a problem. The package is similar however I cannot conform if it is Hippo. HOWEVER, with Sawgrass Print Manager software being discontinued in February 2025, the new Sawgrass Print Utility will block any third party inks. SPM is not longer available for download and even though I still have SPM installed on my laptop, I cannot click on Print then Send to SPM from Photoshop. I guess when I installed SPU it overwrote SPM and messed me completely up. I am beside myself with frustration. Sawgrass Support basically told me since I could not verify use of sawgrass inks with the barcodes on their carts, that I was unable to be assisted. They said that this is different than the previous HP ink class actions (not in those words) because when SPU is downloaded the ender user agreement states that only Sawgrass inks will be used and primarily because unlike HP, the physical printer is still available to use. No it is not-at least not for me because the ICC color profile is not the same and I have no idea how to correct. So just be aware before downloading or making any software changes. I guess all I can do is wait for new cart readers to come out to work with third-party inks.
oh no! That's super annoying. I still have SPM and Print Mate installed. I haven't downloaded the new Print Utility yet. I don't know if I want to but it sounds like I might not have a choice. That's very unfortunate. So your printer isn't printer correctly at all right now? Are you able to switch back to sawgrass inks?
That non sawgrass ink notification is just something they throw up because once you use non sawgrass ink it just voids your warrenty. I have seen lots of people have great success with amazon cheaper ink and I have seen some have the lines or whatever with the cheaper ink AFTER the update. However I did see one lady where she showed that you can remove the chips off your old sawgrass carteidges and put them on the cheaper cartridges to force the printer to use the cheaper ink. I personally bought my SG500 used for $400 and have yet to be able to use it because the ink would well......force me to work the corner or sell an organ on the black market so it's been sitting unused and what little ink it came with it has used to clean itself so it's just been sitting empty for over a year. I'm irritated with the whole thing and had I known the ink was that much I would have just bought an epson and converted it but I'm already invested and not gonna fine out what does or does not work unless I give it a whirl. I still have the old SG cartridges in the printer it just won't let me do anything because they are empty. So hopefully my firmware atleast updated with the old ones in it and I can get buy with the cheaper stuff from amazon and I figure if I ruin it to hell with SG I will get a $100 Epson and convert it.
Yeah the ink is very expensive and that’s annoying. I’ve been paying it for 3 years but I would love to try something new. I just did the update and I have a watermark across my whole page. I’m SO pissed. It’s even on the printer that has sawgrass ink in it which doesn’t make any sense at all. I’m not sure you will have a lot of success with yours if it’s been sitting idle for a year and hasn’t printed anything😬. I hope it works but if it doesn’t you might look into the brother as well. I’ve heard great things about it as well.
I clicked "continue" button. I voided the warrenty. I have used 'sawgrass compatible" ink for months. Then sawgrass had an update and then that is when the problems started. My $700 sawgrass printer is a $700 paper weight...
Ahhhh now that makes sense. It was the last one I added. Although it did work out when I replaced it with a new one. I think it has to do more with the chip not working. I have all Hiipoo ink in one of my printers now and it is working
These manufacturers are ridiculous, $300 for ink? They are getting bad with special cartridges as well so You can't use compatibles either. HP pushed the limit with low ink warning where they automatically shut down your MFP, unless you buy ink when they tell you, you cannot use the machine including the ability to scan documents. Ridiculous! Basically, it's all about GREED!
Don’t bother ever buying a Sawgrass. I don’t know how you can’t see the predatory business practice by them forcing a watermark on your design if you use aftermarket ink. They sell their ink for $300+, which is more than half the cost of a sawgrass printer. Buy an Epson sublimation printer and save yourself the money.
The ink is very expensive but I’ve never had a watermark on my design. For a long time Sawgrass was the only option for small businesses if you wanted a sublimation printer and didn’t want to convert one.
@@TheCraftyBrick Most small businesses like mine utilize aftermarket branded ink in their printers as the price of the ink is significantly (75%) cheaper than the Sawgrass ink and still produce great quality results. Sawgrass took notice of this and decided to release firmware/software updates with hidden information deep in their End User Agreement that specifies they will block any other brand of ink used in YOUR printer than you own except theirs. Their method is to recognize it’s not their brand of ink and print grid lines over your printouts every time you decide to print. If you go outside of the Print Manger to print elsewhere like Adobe, it will print your image out in a compressed low qualify format without grid lines. They pretty much still have control over the printer you own to force you to buy into their ink. They care more about the greed than the customer using their product.
that is very frustrating. I always print in PM so maybe that's why I didn't experience that issue. I definitely understand wanting to save money. I'm in the same small business boat for sure. I heard with the new update it will be impossible to use aftermarket inks. I haven't updated to the new one yet and I hate when I will have to. I didn't like print mate so I've still be using Print Manager.
I really wish I would have read these comment a month ago! Now I have a sg1000 and can’t afford the ink for it when it does run out! That is pathetic that they price their ink so high and then force you to use it! That is exactly why they priced it so high! They made it to where we had no other choice but to use it! I would have never bought their printer if I knew this is how they act! I needed assistance and heat press nation was who I purchased my bundle from they were fast to help but they were unable to fix it so they put a ticket in I had to wait 3 weeks for Sawgrass to have available time and schedule that’s insane to have to wait 3 weeks for assistance with a brand new printer purchase!
@@amandahaj1938I had the same thing happen to me 2 weeks ago. That’s when I discovered the hidden truth behind Sawgrass’s business practices. I watched many TH-cam videos before I chose Sawgrass SG500, unfortunately none of the TH-camrs really explained (or perhaps they didn’t know) that Sawgrass forceable pushes their overpriced ink onto their customers. I ended up with a $600 printer I couldn’t use unless I wanted to pay $300 for ink. I did message Sawgrass to tell them about their predatory business practices and they told me that using another brands ink goes against their end user license agreement and I would need to purchase their ink. I have bought an Epson F170 now, Epson allows you to use any ink that you would like.
Thank You Courtney, I am out of ink in my Sawgrass SG1000 and I was waiting for your final review. I did not want to purchase the Hippo Ink and ruin my most expensive printer purchase. I will bite the bullet and forge on with the purchase of the Sawgrass Ink for my peace of mind. I was hoping you had found us a "cheaper" efficient was to replenish our inks, but I am not willing to take the chance. Thank You for looking out for us and I will continue to trust your reviews. THANK-YOU!!!
I knooooowwww I was SO hoping that I could recommend it. I’m gonna keep using it in my 500 and see how it goes. If I have no issues after using it for months then maybe I’ll change my recommendation. But for now, I’m sticking with sawgrass in my 1000
@@TheCraftyBrick I was having the same difficulty with reading the levels with the Hiipoo ink . I bought refillable cartridges and ink, It won't read the cartridges after the firmware update. Should I get new chips? New refillable cartridges? This firmware update was very evil forcing us to buy expensive ink. Did you find any other alternatives, this video was from a month ago?
Thank you for your review. Love your honesty, I appreciate your opinion.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for watching!
I am so thankful you did these videos! I've been dead in the water with my sublimation printing since July due to the Sawgrass update. I keep getting grids across everything. I used a different ink that worked great, until the update, but that company said they didn't know when they'd have cartridges that will work again. So...I've been waiting to see what people say about anything else that might work. I'm actually a little excited to give this a shot. I'm absolutely willing to spend the $50-60 for a trial run since you had some recent success. It's better than doing nothing at all, imo. Knowing what I know now though, I most definitely will not buy another Sawgrass product. What a pain this has been.
Oh man I hate that you’re having issues. I also had issues with the update. Nothing as far as print quality but my sizing is never correct with the PrintMate. I went back to using Print Manager. Did you ever try that? I really hope this ink works for you. Let me know how it goes
@@TheCraftyBrick I installed the Hiipoo ink a few days ago. My printer saw it and didn't reject it. No warnings about warranty, low ink, etc. YAY! I'm using the Sawgrass print utility with their Design Mate. It's slow and clunky but it works. I tried Print Mate, but it kept telling me I was using foreign ink and wouldn't send it to print. I'm just happy to be able to work on my projects again, so thank you again for doing this video, testing the ink, and giving us a viable option to try!
@@grammysgaming1313sorry the delay in my response as I didn’t see this latest comment BUT I’m sooooo excited for you. That’s great news. I hope it continues to work well for both of us!
Thank you for sharing! With the sawgrass updates you can’t use other inks, what a bummer! I’ve been using inks for years until this update. But to inform everyone heat press nation has the sawgrass on sale for 244.00! Happy crafting!
it really is a bummer. Although I have the update and its working so far. It will probably stop at some point but I'm gonna ride it out. That's a GREAT price!
Yep, because the negative backlash they’re getting
That’s why I got rid of my sawgrass and upgraded to an F570 the sawgrass inks are toooooooooooooooooooooo expensive
Yeah I think if my sawgrass gives out I would get an epson as well.
Thanks for sharing because I was waiting on your results....So I guess I will just order sawgrass ink
Yeah that’s what I would recommend. I would be a little nervous. I’m gonna keep using it in my 500 and see how it goes but I’m gonna stick with sawgrass in my 1000z.
Well, with all that being said, I will say this, I bought the Sawgrass for ease of use and its simplicity. So, to keep me free from worry or problems down the line, I think I'd better stick to Sawgrass ink. Thank you for the honest review, Courtney. This came just in time cause it's almost time to refill!! 😳😫🤷🏾♀️
Right, I bought it for the same reasons. I don't think I would risk it. I guess we'll just keep spending the money, 🤪
Yes me too, I have had to get the machine replaced and my bypass tray, for other reasons, not the ink but I’m scared to try other ink because if something happens again they won’t help me.
your a honest reviewer and i think as sawgrass users we are all stuck ( extortion ) comes to mind
i bought mine in Australia less than 12 months ago from day 1 have not used every 30 days needs 4 new genuine sawgrass carts just to clean mode im lodging ACCC in my country its extortion i have never even printed 1 a4 print yet as all the softeare keeps changing with no Australian support $1000 dollars of JUNK
what the heck?!?!?! Tha sounds terrible! I have definitely not had that issue. I wonder what is going on with yours. I hate the support is bad there.
Thanks for sharing!
Tracey
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching!
Courtney, I was pulling for you, so wanted it to work. I appreciate you
experimenting for everyone that wants another option, that was so
kind of you. I still have my converted Epson with Starcraft ink. I don't print
much and still works fine. I'm leaning towards the Brother Sublimation Printer,
any thoughts on that one? Thanks again Court! 😊
Hey Dee! I really was hoping I could save people some coins. But I would HATE for them to have to buy a new printer 😬. I haven’t tried the brother one but have heard great things about it from my crafty friends that have it.
Thanks for the info. I had problems after I changed my ink but I did use saw grass ink. Was getting black grid lines in everything I printed. Contacted saw grass and the issue was fixed but the first question that was asked was are you using saw grass ink.
Yeah they do not play about other inks. I’m glad your issue got fixed!
Thanks for sharing!
You got it girl!
Good video thanks
thanks Jessie!
When you say about the ink being wet coming out I almost wonder if that is just how Hiippoo ink is
That may be. I’ve actually never used hiipoo ink. Is that typical?
@@TheCraftyBrick I’m not sure I just know someone else that uses it always talks about drying their prints under the heat press.
@@KristenCencihmm that’s interesting. I’ve definitely never dried ink unless I was using Siser easy subli
I have used the third party inks from Amazon for a couple of years and have never had a problem. The package is similar however I cannot conform if it is Hippo. HOWEVER, with Sawgrass Print Manager software being discontinued in February 2025, the new Sawgrass Print Utility will block any third party inks. SPM is not longer available for download and even though I still have SPM installed on my laptop, I cannot click on Print then Send to SPM from Photoshop. I guess when I installed SPU it overwrote SPM and messed me completely up. I am beside myself with frustration. Sawgrass Support basically told me since I could not verify use of sawgrass inks with the barcodes on their carts, that I was unable to be assisted.
They said that this is different than the previous HP ink class actions (not in those words) because when SPU is downloaded the ender user agreement states that only Sawgrass inks will be used and primarily because unlike HP, the physical printer is still available to use. No it is not-at least not for me because the ICC color profile is not the same and I have no idea how to correct.
So just be aware before downloading or making any software changes. I guess all I can do is wait for new cart readers to come out to work with third-party inks.
oh no! That's super annoying. I still have SPM and Print Mate installed. I haven't downloaded the new Print Utility yet. I don't know if I want to but it sounds like I might not have a choice. That's very unfortunate. So your printer isn't printer correctly at all right now? Are you able to switch back to sawgrass inks?
Does sawgrass have bidirectional in the settings. If so try turning that off as that may drop less ink.
Ahhh ok I’ve never messed with that setting. I’ll check it out. Thanks for the tip.
That non sawgrass ink notification is just something they throw up because once you use non sawgrass ink it just voids your warrenty. I have seen lots of people have great success with amazon cheaper ink and I have seen some have the lines or whatever with the cheaper ink AFTER the update. However I did see one lady where she showed that you can remove the chips off your old sawgrass carteidges and put them on the cheaper cartridges to force the printer to use the cheaper ink. I personally bought my SG500 used for $400 and have yet to be able to use it because the ink would well......force me to work the corner or sell an organ on the black market so it's been sitting unused and what little ink it came with it has used to clean itself so it's just been sitting empty for over a year. I'm irritated with the whole thing and had I known the ink was that much I would have just bought an epson and converted it but I'm already invested and not gonna fine out what does or does not work unless I give it a whirl. I still have the old SG cartridges in the printer it just won't let me do anything because they are empty. So hopefully my firmware atleast updated with the old ones in it and I can get buy with the cheaper stuff from amazon and I figure if I ruin it to hell with SG I will get a $100 Epson and convert it.
Yeah the ink is very expensive and that’s annoying. I’ve been paying it for 3 years but I would love to try something new. I just did the update and I have a watermark across my whole page. I’m SO pissed. It’s even on the printer that has sawgrass ink in it which doesn’t make any sense at all. I’m not sure you will have a lot of success with yours if it’s been sitting idle for a year and hasn’t printed anything😬. I hope it works but if it doesn’t you might look into the brother as well. I’ve heard great things about it as well.
I clicked "continue" button. I voided the warrenty. I have used 'sawgrass compatible" ink for months. Then sawgrass had an update and then that is when the problems started. My $700 sawgrass printer is a $700 paper weight...
oh nooooo!!!!! I'm so sorry to hear that. You're not able to go back and use the sawgrass ink now at all?
Hmmmmm, now I don't know!!! 😅
tough decision right? I know i won't be doing it with my second printer though
I found it will work as long as you have at least one sawgrass ink in. Once you remove that last sawgrass one it will not work.
Ahhhh now that makes sense. It was the last one I added. Although it did work out when I replaced it with a new one. I think it has to do more with the chip not working. I have all Hiipoo ink in one of my printers now and it is working
Id like to ask you a question Will You Ruin Your Sawgrass Printer If You Use Non-Sawgrass Ink?!
These manufacturers are ridiculous, $300 for ink? They are getting bad with special cartridges as well so You can't use compatibles either. HP pushed the limit with low ink warning where they automatically shut down your MFP, unless you buy ink when they tell you, you cannot use the machine including the ability to scan documents. Ridiculous! Basically, it's all about GREED!
That’s crazy! I hate paying that much for ink.😩
I need help with my SawGrass printers from you via Zoom
oh really what do you need help with? If it's the new PrintMate, I can't help. I stopped using it and went back to Print Manager
Don’t bother ever buying a Sawgrass. I don’t know how you can’t see the predatory business practice by them forcing a watermark on your design if you use aftermarket ink. They sell their ink for $300+, which is more than half the cost of a sawgrass printer. Buy an Epson sublimation printer and save yourself the money.
The ink is very expensive but I’ve never had a watermark on my design. For a long time Sawgrass was the only option for small businesses if you wanted a sublimation printer and didn’t want to convert one.
@@TheCraftyBrick Most small businesses like mine utilize aftermarket branded ink in their printers as the price of the ink is significantly (75%) cheaper than the Sawgrass ink and still produce great quality results. Sawgrass took notice of this and decided to release firmware/software updates with hidden information deep in their End User Agreement that specifies they will block any other brand of ink used in YOUR printer than you own except theirs. Their method is to recognize it’s not their brand of ink and print grid lines over your printouts every time you decide to print. If you go outside of the Print Manger to print elsewhere like Adobe, it will print your image out in a compressed low qualify format without grid lines. They pretty much still have control over the printer you own to force you to buy into their ink. They care more about the greed than the customer using their product.
that is very frustrating. I always print in PM so maybe that's why I didn't experience that issue. I definitely understand wanting to save money. I'm in the same small business boat for sure. I heard with the new update it will be impossible to use aftermarket inks. I haven't updated to the new one yet and I hate when I will have to. I didn't like print mate so I've still be using Print Manager.
I really wish I would have read these comment a month ago! Now I have a sg1000 and can’t afford the ink for it when it does run out! That is pathetic that they price their ink so high and then force you to use it! That is exactly why they priced it so high! They made it to where we had no other choice but to use it! I would have never bought their printer if I knew this is how they act! I needed assistance and heat press nation was who I purchased my bundle from they were fast to help but they were unable to fix it so they put a ticket in I had to wait 3 weeks for Sawgrass to have available time and schedule that’s insane to have to wait 3 weeks for assistance with a brand new printer purchase!
@@amandahaj1938I had the same thing happen to me 2 weeks ago. That’s when I discovered the hidden truth behind Sawgrass’s business practices. I watched many TH-cam videos before I chose Sawgrass SG500, unfortunately none of the TH-camrs really explained (or perhaps they didn’t know) that Sawgrass forceable pushes their overpriced ink onto their customers. I ended up with a $600 printer I couldn’t use unless I wanted to pay $300 for ink. I did message Sawgrass to tell them about their predatory business practices and they told me that using another brands ink goes against their end user license agreement and I would need to purchase their ink. I have bought an Epson F170 now, Epson allows you to use any ink that you would like.