With all the printers on the market, I get asked all the time “Is there one printer that can do it all?” Today I’m excited to introduce you to the IColor 560 All in One Printer.
This is a laser printer that can be a white toner printer, sublimation printer, a regular day-to-day home printer, and more. If you’re limited in space, this may be the perfect printer for you!
I think you’re going to love everything this printer can do. The video below shows me setting it up and making a few different projects. Press play to watch.
What Can the IColor 560 All in One Printer Do?
There are so many things you can do with the IColor 560 all in one printer. If you’re looking for one printer that can do just about everything, this may be it.
You can add accessories to this printer so it can print on different materials for different types of crafts. Let’s look at the different printing options you have with this printer.
Printing Types
Some of these printing types you can do with the printer right out of the box and for others, you will need to order additional accessories.
White Overprint Printing
A white overprint is a white toner print. For white toner printing, you will print on special paper and marry that print to an adhesive with a heat press. With the adhesive applied, you can add the print to textiles and more.
The IColor 560 comes with the cartridges you need for white toner printing.
White Underprint Printing
A white underprint is what you would do if you wanted to print white onto dark paper like black cardstock or craft paper.
This would be just like regular printing except it will show up on those dark papers. You can white underprint with the cartridges that come with the printer.
Regular Printing
The IColor 560 also comes with a black toner cartridge. This cartridge will allow you to print regular everyday documents like school assignments.
These three printing options come standard with the printer. You don’t need to purchase anything additional except the different paper types.
Sublimation Printing
You can purchase a sublimation kit and turn this printer into a sublimation printer. The best thing about this printer is that you can use it for sublimation today and then use it as a regular printer tomorrow. This isn’t like converting an Epson EcoTank printer for sublimation.
The sublimation process is a little different and I will walk you through it below.
Other Printing Options
Along with sublimation, there are other printing options that you can add to your printer. By purchasing different toner cartridges you can print fluorescent, gold, and silver.
There are a lot of different ways to print with this printer.
I’m going to show you how to set up the printer and how to print a white overprint, white underprint, regular printing, and sublimation printing.
You’re going to love how easy it is to change this printer for different printing types. If you’re a crafter who likes to do all the different printing crafts, you’re going to love this printer.
Installation and Setup
Before getting started with this printer, you will need to go through a quick setup process.
What Comes in the Box
When you open the box you’ll find everything you need to get started. You’ll find the printer itself, all the cables you need and the different toner cartridges.
This printer comes with Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, White, and Black toner cartridges that allow you to all the different printing types we talked about above (except sublimation and speciality printing).
You’ll also find a Quick Start Guide that will walk you through the setup process.
IColor 560 All in One Printer Setup
The first thing we want to do is take the printer out of the box and remove all the packaging material and tape.
Open the lid and remove the tape inside the printer. You will also need to remove the white toner cartridge as it has protective foam around it. Remove all the packing materials and then replace the white toner cartridge.
Note – Toner can settle during shipment. Before you begin pick up each toner cartridge and shake it a few times before you use it the first time. You don’t have to do this every time, just during the initial setup.
Cartridge Placement in Printer
How you place the cartridges in the printer will be determined by what type of printing you’re going to do.
To begin, I am setting mine up for white overprinting. The correct order for this is Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and White from back to front. This is the setup for traditional white toner printing.
You can find these settings in the setup guide but you can also look at the inside of the lid for the different configurations.
When you have the cartridges in place for the printing you will be doing, close the lid and plug in the printer to begin the printer setup.
Download Printer Files
The guide that comes with the printer lists the website that you will go to to download your files. You will need to download the files including the RIP software that you need to print. Your printer will include the activation key for the RIP software license.
Note – The RIP software that you need to use this printer is PC only. There is not a RIP software for Mac or IOS. Make sure you’re downloading all the files to a PC.
The download will also include a user manual that you can reference if you have more questions about the setup process.
With the purchase of the IColor 560 All in One printer you also receive a White Toner Masterclass. If you’re confused about white toner printing, you can join a class to learn more.
This printer is also WiFi-compatible, once you hook it up to the WiFi you no longer need a cord to print. I love this feature.
That’s it, the setup process is very easy. Now we’re ready to start printing.
How to Use the IColor 560 Printer
Now that the printer is setup, I want to show you how to use it for a variety of printing crafts.
Supplies Used
- Free Butterfly File
- IColor 560 Printer
- Sublimation Cartridges
- IColor 2-Step Paper
- T-Seal Finishing Sheet
- ProWorld Heat Press
- SubliClean
White Toner Printing
The first project we’re going to make with our all in one printer is a white toner print that we can add to a shirt.
This is the overprint process. We’ll print directly onto film and I am using the IColor Standard Two-step Paper. This paper is for textile surfaces.
The type of paper you need to use will depend on the blank you’re adding the print to. There are a lot of different papers you can use with white toner printing. This is just one example.
Step 1: Create Design in RIP Software
The IColor Pro Rip Essentials is the software that comes with the IColor 560 All in One Printer.
RIP software is needed to translate regular images into designs that will print white.
Inside the RIP software select the printer model you’re using and make sure the Output Destination is your printer.
In the top toolbar there are different buttons which include New Job, Save Job, and Import Graphics. The first thing we’re going to do is import a graphic. There are sample files you can choose between or select any photo file or PDF file from your computer.
I am using a rainbow butterfly file that you can get for free at the link in the supply list above.
In the top toolbar, you’ll also find buttons where you can crop your design or remove the graphic from the canvas. If your design has a lot of extra white space around it, you can use the crop tool to remove that extra space.
The other 4 buttons in the top toolbar allow you to look at your print in different ways. You can click to look at only the white layer or select another option to look at only the color layer. There is also a print preview option and an option to view the original image.
These buttons give you a good idea of what the print will look like coming out of the printer.
Step 2: Adjust Printer Settings
Over on the right is where you can make adjustments to your printer settings.
Make sure the correct printer is selected and that you have the right type and size of paper selected. There are a lot of options so make sure you know what paper you have.
Next, you can choose which tray you want to load your paper. There is a bypass tray option or tray one. I am using tray one.
For the type of film I’m using today, selecting the thick paper setting is the best option and now we can choose the toner configuration.
Mine is set up for overprint so I will select that option and we’re ready to go.
There are a few other options that you can play with if you need to. Rastizeration is a great option if your print is very large, it can save toner and give you a better feel on your shirt. I am not using that today. You can also select Image Enhancement if your image is a lower quality. I don’t need to use that either.
On the next tab, you can make adjustments to the white layer of your design if needed. You can add more white or remove some white to get the look you want.
On the Color & Toner tab, you can actually remove a color if you want to. If my design had a lot of black and I was adding it to a black shirt I could remove all the black from the design and let the shirt replace that color.
You can also increase the saturation or brightness if you want. I do like to increase the saturation just a little sometimes when I am printing.
The last tab is the Artwork tab and it allows you to make changes to the design as a whole. There are buttons to help you center your design both horizontally and vertically.
You can rotate your graphic which can allow you to increase the size of your design depending on the design you’re using.
Note – when you’re doing a white overprint the software will automatically mirror your design. You do not need to flip your design unless for some reason you do not want it mirrored when you print.
The Remove Blank Space button will remove any blank space around your image and then there is an option to change your background color.
You can change the color of the background to get an idea of what your print will look like on a different colored blank. The background color will not print with your design, it’s just to give you an idea of what it will look like on different colors.
The last button will take your image and make it the maximum size it can be for printing. I like to shrink it just a little so my design isn’t too close to the margins. Now we’re ready to print.
This is a basic overview of the IColor Pro Rip Essentials program. There are other things you can do and you can find those in the White Toner Masterclass.
Step 3: Print on IColor 2-Step Paper
Click the button on the top toolbar to print and it will print to the IColor 560.
When you’re loading the paper into the printer you’ll see that it tells you inside the drawer the correct way to load the paper. On the A Film, you print on the rough side and you’ll load it into the printer print side up.
The film comes out of the printer completely dry and when you look at it you’ll see that it has a white overlay on the back and the white will show through the front only where there is white in the actual design.
Step 4: Add Adhesive to the White Toner Print
Before we can add the print to a shirt, we need to marry the A paper to the B paper to add the adhesive.
White Toner prints can be used on a wide variety of surfaces. From textiles to acrylic and leather to glass, there are a lot of options depending on the paper you use.
For the paper I’m using today I need to preheat my heat press to 310 degrees with the heat press closed. We want the bottom platen very hot for the process to work correctly.
Make sure you keep the press closed for at least 5 minutes once the press reaches the full temperature.
Place the printed image onto the platen with the printed side up and lay the adhesive sheet on top covering the entire design. Make sure the liner is facing up and then cover it with a protective paper.
Press at 310 degrees for 120 seconds with medium pressure. While everything is still hot, rub the adhesive sheet with a piece of textile for about 5 seconds.
Peel the adhesive away from the A paper in a diagonal, slow, fluid motion. Leave the paper on the press during this step so things stay hot. When you get to the edge of the paper slow down and allow the adhesive sheet to fall off so you don’t mess up the edge of the print.
You should be able to see the adhesive adhering to the toner on your print. Trim around the outside edge of the print because there may be an adhesive line around the outside edge of the design and you don’t want that pressing onto your shirt.
Step 5: Press White Toner Print to Fabric
Place the garment on the heat press and preheat for 10-15 seconds to remove wrinkles and moisture.
Locate the design onto the shirt and hold it in place with heat-resistant tape.
Cover with a protective paper and press for the time recommended for the type of paper you’re using.
For this paper, I’m going to press at 310 degrees for 30 seconds with medium-high pressure. When the time is up, remove the garment from the press and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes. I use a DTF cooling block to ensure it’s completely cool before peeling back the liner.
Peel back the liner starting at the corner that has a lot of toner. Peel back the cover sheet in one smooth continuous motion.
Step 6: Finish the White Toner Shirt
You’ll notice that the print looks very shiny. White Toner printing requires a post-press to embed the print into the fibers and give you the matte professional look.
Add the shirt back to the press and cover it with a T-seal sheet and press at 310 degrees for 20 seconds. Open the press and wait approximately 10 seconds before removing the T-seal sheet in a smooth continuous motion.
Note – remember to adjust the pressing time and temperature for the material and paper you’re using.
Here you can see how bright and vibrant the print looks on a black shirt. Having the white overprint helps all of the colors pop off the fabric, even on dark colors like black.
Even small areas like the antennas transferred perfectly.
Regular Printing with the IColor 560 All in One Printer
Next, we’re going to look at regular printing with this all in one printer.
I’m going to show you regular printing with both white and black toner. Printing with white is called underprinting.
The type of printing you want to do will dictate how you place the cartridges in your printer.
How to Do White Underprinting
To show you how white underprinting works, I am going to print the same butterfly design we used before onto kraft paper.
Step 1: Add Design to RIP Software
For white underprinting, you need to use the IColor Pro RIP Essentials software. You want to change the printing type to underprint and choose the print mode, I am using black paper. If you’re using any type of dark paper, I would select the black paper option.
Next, I am changing the paper type to thick 205 grams. The paper I’m using is thicker than regular paper but not too thick.
To choose the paper size, you can’t have a graphic on the canvas. I am using 8.5 x 11 paper. Now I can add the graphic to the canvas and we’re ready to send to the printer.
Step 2: Switch Cartridges and Print On Paper
I am adding my paper to tray one and now it’s time to change the toner cartridges. Look at the underside of the printer lid to see the right configuration for underprinting.
Press print in the RIP software and you’ll see how beautifully this printer prints onto dark papers.
Even with the color of the kraft paper, all of the colors pop off the paper and you can see the white sections perfectly.
How to Do Regular Printing
Next, we’ll change the cartridges for regular printing. Open the lid and move all the cartridges to the correct spots. For regular printing, you will pull out the white toner cartridge and use the black toner that comes with the printer.
You do not need to use the RIP software for this type of printing. Load regular printer paper into the printer and print from whatever program you normally use.
Just like the other printing options regular printing works beautifully with this all in one printer.
Sublimation Printing with IColor 560
Now we’re ready for sublimation printing. In order to do sublimation with the IColor 560 all in one printer you will need to purchase the sublimation cartridges.
Step 1: Add Sublimation Cartridges to Printer
For sublimation printing, you will replace all the toner cartridges in the printer for sublimation toner cartridges.
As you research the cost of the sublimation toner cartridges take note of the number of pages you can print with one set of cartridges. The cost of the cartridges is not cheap but the price per print is very inexpensive.
Note – this printer does not change the sublimation process. You still need a high polyester content or a poly coating and white or light-colored blanks.
Sublimation printing is CMYK, there is no white sublimation so there is no white sublimation cartridge.
Open the lid to your printer and replace all the toner cartridges with sublimation cartridges. Put each cartridge in the correct spot and close the lid.
Step 2: Add Design to RIP Software
For sublimation, you will print from the IColor Pro RIP Essentials software because that will handle the color management for you.
In the printer settings, change the toner configuration to CMYK. With CMYK selected, you’ll see different print modes open up.
You’ll print on regular copy paper for sublimation printing with this printer which is another bonus. You don’t have to purchase special sublimation paper.
Choose Sublimation Toner Vibrant and you can play around with the different settings to see if there is one look you like better than another.
I selected Plain paper and for resolution I used 300 by 300 DPI. Make sure the paper size is correct for the paper you’re printing on. I am printing on 8.5 x 11 paper.
On the Color Tab, you can alter the saturation and change the color profiles. You can choose between graphics or images. For most designs I would choose graphics unless you’re using a photograph of people or places then you might want to choose images.
With all those settings selected, import the design and resize it to whatever size you want to print. My design can be sized larger by rotating it.
Step 3: Print Your Sublimation Print
The IColor 560 will not automatically mirror a design for sublimation so make sure you mirror before printing. Click to print the design and we’re ready to press.
Step 4: Pressing Your Sublimation Print
This process varies for textile and hard surfaces so I have broken down the steps for both below.
Pressing to Textile Surfaces
Because I’m pressing this design onto a shirt, the pressing instructions are the same as they are for sublimation projects with other printers.
Follow the time and temperature recommendations for whatever blank you’re using. I have my press set at 385 degrees for 55 seconds.
Begin by preheating the shirt to remove moisture and wrinkles and then lint roll to remove any dust, hair, and lint.
Place a piece of protective paper inside the shirt. Locate the design where you want it and hold it in place with heat-resistant tape.
Add a piece of protective paper to the top and press for the full-time.
With this printer, you want to remove the sublimation print while it’s still hot. The only real difference I noticed with the toner sublimation vs traditional sublimation ink is that the print sticks to the fabric.
You’ll notice some resistance when you peel away the print however, the feel on the shirt is the same and the print looks amazing. There is no residue left on the shirt.
Pressing on Hard Surfaces
Toner sublimation on hard surfaces is where you’ll notice more of a difference from traditional ink sublimation.
When pressing toner sublimation onto hard surfaces you may have a residue on the blank after pressing. There are two ways that you can try to avoid that.
SubliClean is a product that is kind of like plastic wrap. Add the SubliClean to the blank, I’m using a coaster and then add the print on top of the SubliClean.
Add a piece of protective paper below the blank and another piece to the top and press. The instructions for my blank are 400 degrees for 90 seconds. Follow the settings for the blank you’re using.
Allow the blank to cool before peeling back the print and you’re done. There is nothing else to do when using the SubliClean.
The coaster turned out great. There is no residue and the print is vibrant as you’d expect from sublimation.
If you don’t want to use SubliClean, there is also a residue spray cleaner that you can use.
Press the blank like normal and if there is any residue left, spray the cleaner on the surface and wipe it away.
The toner ink can leave a residue on hard surfaces but there are ways to prevent it or clean it off which is great.
IColor 560 FAQ
Here are some answers to some common questions for this printer.
What blanks work with white toner prints?
You can use these white toner prints on any type and color of fabric and even hard surfaces.
White toner printing can be used on a wide variety of blanks making it a great addition to your craft room.
How does white toner printing feel compared to other products?
The product itself feels thinner than regular HTV and when applied correctly it lasts about 50 laundry cycles.
How do white toner prints wear over time?
This product is long-lasting and I love the way it wears. It doesn’t peel it wears uniformly to give it a more vintage look over time.
How easy is it to switch cartridges?
All of the cartridges are easy to swap. Just lift one out and put the next one in. The sublimation cartridges are really easy to swap with the regular cartridges.
What blanks do you need for sublimation?
You need to use sublimation blanks, the sublimation process doesn’t change with toner vs ink sublimation.
Make sure your blanks are white or light in color. Fabrics need to be at least 65% polyester and hard surfaces need to have a poly coating.
What maintenance does this printer need?
The best thing about a white toner printer is that the maintenance is very little. Compared to other printers like DTF printers or sublimation printers you don’t have to worry about clogs or cleaning print heads.
Whether you keep the printer plugged in and use it daily or you don’t use it for over a month it will still work as it’s supposed each time.
Do you need the IColor 560 Printer?
The IColor 560 really is an all in one printer. With the ability to buy different cartridges you can do even more than I showed you today.
I really like this printer. It isn’t too big which makes it great for crafters with limited space. While it has a higher price tag than a printer that only does one thing, it has the ability to do multiple craft types.
Make sure you check the number of prints you get from the toner cartridges. You’ll find that the number of prints is very high compared to traditional ink printing.
If you’re in the market for a craft printer, check and see if this one will do everything you’re looking for. It may be the best option for you.
I hope I’ve answered any questions you have about this all in one printer. If you have any additional questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.
