Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
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Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
Hello, I helped my Father run a digital t-shirt shop from 1995-2000. We used a Seiko 4104 with thermal ink sheets to do shirts. Im looking to get back into it and had a few questions....
We stayed away from the injet transfers because the colors would run when washed, is this still the case?
We couldn't print on dark shirts, unless we used a two step transfer system by airwaves, which made a 'heavy' patch on the garmet. Anything better today?
I've seen some nice multicolored designs on dark shirts using sublimation vinyl cutters, I thought this system was really best for solid colors like athletic numbering but apparently you can do more know.
Thanks for any info, I'll be doing lots of searches, but thought I could get some early direction.
Re: Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
Quote:
We stayed away from the injet transfers because the colors would run when washed, is this still the case?
Not really. If you use inks formulated for t-shirt transfers or pigment inks, you shouldn't have any running problems. Using a quality transfer paper will help (like IronAll or JetFlex)
Quote:
We couldn't print on dark shirts, unless we used a two step transfer system by airwaves, which made a 'heavy' patch on the garmet. Anything better today?
You can still make black t-shirts with a heat press, but the best quality transfers for black t-shirts won't come from your inkjet printer. It would either be a vinyl transfer or a plastisol (screen printed) transfer.
Re: Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
Quote:
Originally Posted by geoprint
We stayed away from the injet transfers because the colors would run when washed, is this still the case?
For best results, use only pigmented inks such as the Epson series Durabrite inks, Magic Mix and a few others. Seems the Epson printers are the way to go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by geoprint
We couldn't print on dark shirts, unless we used a two step transfer system by airwaves, which made a 'heavy' patch on the garmet. Anything better today?
There are opaque heat transfers on the market today (Avery) and some others that use a one step method. They're pretty god when used on items that do not get a lot of wear and tear such as messenger bags, totes, etc... On t-shirts and such, over a period of time, the transfer will crack.
Re: Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
Quote:
Originally Posted by geoprint
We stayed away from the injet transfers because the colors would run when washed, is this still the case?
As Rodney touched on, not anymore. As long as you're using pigmented inks, they will not run at all. Inkjet transfers seem to be the standard these days; some people still use laser, but inkjet is more widely used from what I've seen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by geoprint
I've seen some nice multicolored designs on dark shirts using sublimation vinyl cutters, I thought this system was really best for solid colors like athletic numbering but apparently you can do more now.
I've heard of this in passing, but really haven't heard of many people using it. It sounds like it'd be great - the quality of vinyl with any number of colors. I can only assume there is some significant snag (hard to do, difficult to find supplies, etc.) that prevents more people from utilizing this technology, or we'd be hearing more about it. That said, I really don't know for a fact that there is such a snag, and I'm curious about it myself =)
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Originally Posted by geoprint
I was impressed with the DTG machines, especially the T-Jet.
Impressive, but expensive =) Some (including myself) don't think they're really worth it yet; their effectiveness on dark shirts is still a bit inconsistent (some people have no problems, but others have nothing but problems) and the price is high. Other say they're a boon and do wonders for their business, though.
Re: Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
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Originally Posted by Twinge
I've heard of this in passing, but really haven't heard of many people using it. It sounds like it'd be great - the quality of vinyl with any number of colors. I can only assume there is some significant snag (hard to do, difficult to find supplies, etc.) that prevents more people from utilizing this technology, or we'd be hearing more about it. That said, I really don't know for a fact that there is such a snag, and I'm curious about it myself =)
Its not hard. You just create your text or graphic in a program that creates vector graphics (as opposed to pixel based raster type). You then reverse the image and send it to the vinyl cutter. Weed out the unused vinyl (which is considerably easier than weeding regular vinyl) and what is left is your transfer. 240 degrees for about 20 seconds and that's it.
The reason it isn't used more is the cost of the vinyl. It is great for short runs or to create a demo shirt for a customer but not economical in large runs where the setup charge for plastisol transfers would be covered.
Another use in our shop is to customize a stock design that is in plastisol by adding a name or such. Most of what we print on is navy blue (fire departments) and the white vinyl does an excellent job of covering the dark color and contrasts well. We stock blank shirts and can push out a customized shirt in a manner of a few minutes.
All in all, vinyl has a definite place in our shop besides making signs. The only drawback we have found, besides the cost, is that we are limited to spot color designs.
Now, if more of you would get on the band wagon, perhaps the cost problem would be solved by the increased volume.
Re: Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry
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Originally Posted by jrford
All in all, vinyl has a definite place in our shop besides making signs. The only drawback we have found, besides the cost, is that we are limited to spot color designs.
The other posters were talking about a print and cut system, not standard vinyl done in spot colour. Hence "haven't heard of many people using it".
This is a discussion about Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry that was posted in the Heat Press and Heat Transfers section of the forums.
Getting back into, have questions about what's changed in the heat transfer industry 
