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jxh112 · February 3rd, 2007

Hi, i've recently been making t-shirts using some home iron transfer paper. (i'm using a canon printer, with the canon paper which i know probably doesn't make great shirts...)

and everything was good and dandy - (most my shirts actually looked quite fantastic...

) till i washed them

Even though I washed them inside out on cold and gentle, when i took them out, everything was wrinkled, I've attached a picture for reference

And according to the instructions on the transfer paper, in case of this, i was to iron the shirts out with a piece of teflon on top, and after i did this all the ink became smudged, but in a dry way (but i think this only happens on black ink... because on the colored ones i've re-ironed, the smudging is less prominent):

So... now i ask you t-shirt gurus, is this expected? are home-ironed on t-shirts always going to be bad and wrinkle in the wash??? because i can't sell shirts to people like this, when they buy it...it looks great, but as soon as they wash it - its crap...

Is it perhaps the paper i use? People always mention the transjett paper or the Iron All, are they maybe thicker and of better quality and less prone to wrinkling and cracking? (oh and can these ACTUALLY be used with a home iron??? i really would like to know)

Or is it because i have bad shirts? Do i need thicker ones?

Or is it the plain fact that home-ironed shirts are going to be shoddy...*sigh* and that i will have to invest in screenprinting or heatpress equipment? (i can not afford any of these things as i currently make very, very few shirts of a style to sell to people i know)

Please help a newbie out here

thanks!

Greg Hamrick · February 3rd, 2007

Sounds like the shirts weren't pre-shrunk. After you wash them and dry them the fabric shrinks and the transfer does not.

Solmu · February 3rd, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by jxh112

Is that the Muse logo?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jxh112


	So... now i ask you t-shirt gurus, is this expected?

Yes, more or less.

It's a somewhat subjective thing, but probably the majority opinion is that home irons don't cut it; for quality shirts you need a heat press (or better still, to be looking at things like vinyl or screenprinting).

kimosogi · February 3rd, 2007

It could be your printer and the ink you're using. I find that if your printer is printing your black in multiple colors, which means that it uses other inks as well as black to produce black you will get an oversaturation of ink which will cause all sorts of problems from color bleeding to fading and wrinkling.

I started out using the transfer paper that you buy at your local office store. I have also tested multiple brands but like Solmu says they don't cut it. Buy a heatpress and test out different tranfer paper to find which one that works for you. Good luck!

jxh112 · February 5th, 2007

yep it sure is the muse logo lol...

ah damnit, i don't think i can go anywhere unless i buy a heat press....

which means i can't go anywhere with this tshirt stuff.... argh ><

Jasonda · February 5th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by jxh112


	ah damnit, i don't think i can go anywhere unless i buy a heat press.... which means i can't go anywhere with this tshirt stuff.... argh ><

If you don't want to invest in a heat press right now, why not outsource the printing to a screenprinter?

Or use a fulfillment service like Cafepress, Spreadshirt, etc?

jxh112 · February 5th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasonda


	If you don't want to invest in a heat press right now, why not outsource the printing to a screenprinter? Or use a fulfillment service like Cafepress, Spreadshirt, etc?

I am in serious consideration of that - looking for local screenprinters wih reasonable prices and quality etc. etc.

But the fact is that I can never do micro-sized runs, i.e. 5 shirts, because I don't really have the time and energy at the moment to be be promoting and selling my shirts if i printed say, 50 shirts and needed to sell them all.

thanks anyways/// maybe in a year, after i finish high school then i can get into it seriously

in the mean time i will amass much knowledge from these forums

Rodney · February 6th, 2007

Quote:


	Is "good quality, home-ironed t-shirt transfers" an oxymoron??

In my opinion, yes. I would never suggest that someone try to sell a t-shirt in a retail environment that they created with a home iron.

I think it can be great for home projects, personal gifts, etc.

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Is "good quality, home-ironed t-shirt transfers" an oxymoron??