Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I Received my DuraCottonHT order today, and was itching to try it. I documented my work with the released product here. The original thread is getting long, and it was time to start a new one with the release of HT.
INTRO
I was excited to see the mail box lid slightly up when I arrived home this evening. I had pre-ordered DuraCottonHT to use with my Okidata C3200 Laser Printer. I received and used the original test sample (2 sheets), and was impressed with the quick prints I made there, so I was more than excited to get to work with this released product.
PRINTER, BACKGROUND AND SETUP
Printer - Okidata C3200N color laser printer Toner - OEM toner (still the original toner that came with the printer in January) Design Software - CorelDraw x3 Shirts – Haines Beefy (6.1 oz) Tag less, Grey
Three attempts will be made with the same design and various differences in settings, etc.
PRINTING THE DESIGN
I have a mock up that I was working on for a fitness group (freebie) to which I am a member. The mock up was started yesterday, and finished when I got home this evening and made a couple of tweaks that others suggested.
I have created a “DuraCottonHT” setting in my print dialog:
Print from the multi Purpose Tray, Medium weight – Notice the drive settings are saved as “DuraCottonHT”
I ganged some images to fill the printable area:
Next, I proceeded to print the three I would be working with.
All the printing went without a hitch. So far, DuraCottonHT worked better than any other paper I tested with my Oki C3200 (all other papers I have tried jammed on either print #2, or print #3 without exception)
CHANGES I MADE TO THE INSTRUCTIONS
DuraCottonHT boasts that it does not need trimming and will produce a soft hand from full sheet pressing.
I decided to trim one sheet to moderate trim for testing:
The second sheet, I only trimmed off the ganged images:
The third sheet was a worded sheet I created and sent to the printer at the same time I sent the double print job. The third sheet had a crease in the paper, but I wanted to see what would happen with a sheet that was not pristine:
Right along the crease line, I lost some toner coverage, but I decided to use it anyway and see how things came out.
The instructions for HT state that results are better when you do not pre-press. I’m sorry, this is Florida. All the shirts here are damp to a degree. To handle this issue, I pre-pressed the shirts while the press was heating to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and moved the shirts off the press to cool before application
Instructions for DuraCottonHT with my Okidata C3200 printer: - Don’t preheat garment, results are better without preheating - Press the “DuraCottonHT” print to Cotton or 50/50 fabric for 12-20 seconds, at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, using Medium to Heavy pressure, (40-60 psi) - Wait 2-3 seconds and peel evenly - For even softer results, press again for 6-12 seconds using Teflon and hot peel - When finished, if done correctly, surface should feel like cotton and there should be very little toner left on the carrier page. Transfer should peel like butter
Troubleshooting Instructions: Transfer won’t peel or peels but pulls at the fabric - Raise temperature by 5 degrees F and press again for 3-5 seconds. - Repeat until you find the optimal setting for your heat press, (all heat presses have temperature variations) - Add pressure and or time to your pressing Always test on unwashed, throw-away fabric, not on an expensive garment Scorching occurs on garment - It is always prudent to use a Teflon sheet over the garment to protect it from scorching. - All heat presses are not of identical quality. If yours is an inexpensive press, it is very likely that there is uneven or inconsistent heat distribution which can lead to scorching
PRESSING RESULTS
The first press I made was on the trimmed image at 400 degrees F for 14 seconds (I think my pressure was lighter than it should have been). Here is the result of press #1
I did not increase pressure, reheat and reapply to attempt image transfer (as the troubleshooting section of the instructions state). I wanted to see what the image was going to be from that press at that temperature, for that time and pressure without reheating. It did not peel like butter, and as you can see, too much ink is left on the paper
The second press I made was on the image that was trimmed only to rid it of the ganged images. The press was set at 405 degrees F for 16 seconds with some increased pressure (Again, I don’t think I had enough pressure to get to 40-60 psi)
Again, I did not increase pressure, reheat and reapply to attempt image transfer (Yes, the instructions were clear, and I knew what they were). I saw that this one was much better than the last. The heat was good and the time seemed to be good. I will adjust the pressure to a harder press on the third press.
The third press I made was on the image that was creased before printing. The press was set at 405 degrees F for 16 seconds with increased pressure over my second attempt (I feel like I was getting closer to the 40 psi recommended). I also changed shirts for this test. I went to the test bin and pulled out a Haines Heavyweight (5.6 oz) white 50/50 that was not preheated for this attempt. I have circled the two areas where this image failed to press. I have also imposed the line of the crease onto the picture to show how the crease line and the two areas that failed to print coincide with each other
I have my fingers just to this side of the crease. Still, this attempt was a vast improvement for ink transfer over the other two attempts. The image peeled like butter, there was only trace ink left on the paper. Except for the two places noted, this is a sale-able shirt. The hand is soft, and there is only a trace to it, which will wash out in the first laundering
AH, A FORTH ATTEMPT AT PRESSING
Yes, I know I was only going to attempt three tonight, but I was encouraged by the third attempt and wanted to see if this was a fluke for the night, or if I had found MY combination to using this “wonder paper”… lol
The fourth press attempt I made was back to the Haines Beefy Ts (Tag less, 6.1 oz, Grey), but I grabbed one that I had not preheated. Settings for the Transfer press remained the same (405 degrees F and 16 seconds dwell). I did increase pressure again (But, I still don’t think I got to 40 psi. I will keep cranking it until I am truly satisfied that I have the right pressure)
The results from the fourth attempt were that I got a sale-able shirt with this pressing. The shirt has great color and a soft hand. Here is the fourth press attempt
Vibrant colors, peeled like butter and soft hand
Little ink left on the paper
A little closer view
No visible hand
FIRST IMPRESSION I am excited about this new transfer paper. I like the way it looks, feels and transfers when I did it correctly. There is little, if any hand that will be eliminated with the first washing of the garment.
The cost is OK. But, the savings over inkjet printing is tremendous! The colors are much better than an inkjet transfer. Since the ink is fused onto the paper, it will always come out with better colors than an inkjet can produce.
DuraCottonHT should end up saving printers time and money in the long run!
Nice post. Did you do the second pressing with the teflon? We did it with the duracotton98 and it eliminated the hand altogether. You really need to press the snot out of the shirt to get this stuff to transfer and at 400+F scorching could be an issue. Did you use the teflon sheet over the initial pressing?
I did not use teflon on the initial press. I did use it on each second pressing, and yes... the hand was eliminated with the second pressing every time
I did not use teflon on the initial press. I did use it on each second pressing, and yes... the hand was eliminated with the second pressing every time
Thanks for the info. The shirt looks great.
I am keeping an eye on CompUSA stores that are closing for another laser printer. We have a KM3300 Magicolor but I really don't care for it. If I can pick up a nice one at a good price I will do it as they drop their prices over the next few weeks.
I'm keeping an eye on them too-- but they aren't all lowering prices the same.
One clerk said it depended on when that particular store started the "closing" process. another had the same printer in two different places at two VERY different prices -- on the order of a hundred dollars different.
I did not use teflon on the initial press. I did use it on each second pressing, and yes... the hand was eliminated with the second pressing every time
Very nice presentation. I am impressed.
Did you have to run 5 or 6 blank sheets through the printer before printing on HT as recommended by Autoart's instruction for some Oki models?
What paper type was selected in the printer setting itself? Was it Plain, bond, recycled, rough, transparency, etc? Or did even mess with paper type.
I just had a call from a customer. He bought a OKI 3400 and was having problems with jamming. While he was on the phone with me he tried the glossey mode. It worked wonderfully. So if you use a OKI 3400 with DuraCotton HT make sure you are in the Glossey mode.
Edwin 98
Last edited by Solmu; March 9th, 2007 at 03:10 AM.
Reason: removed url as per forum guidelines, feel free to add it to your signature
did anybody try the duracotton for sublimation because i have only inkjet epson printer and sublimation printer? do you have pictures of the test/s ?
thanks a lot guys!
Loved the info, it is great to see the results on shirts and not just close ups. You can really see that there is no visible window or box with the HT. We tried the original durracotten and had the issue with the gray box on our Oki. We also have a Lexmark and have just tried a couple of sample sheets on it, no pics of yet but hopefully soon.
Once again great job on the info!
__________________ Mystic Never give up on YOUR DREAM!
Very Nice Presentation And Very Nice Result! Do You Have Sample Picture That Already Been Washed.where Can I Buy This Duracotton?thanks
Wow! You guys don't waste any time... press... wash....
Ok, I've had a chance to do the laundry...
Straight from the dryer just throwing it over something to snap this picture
The "Fold it over and show a hand" test - The only hand is mine (note: not the best of pictures... I am just holding them out. The actual shirt looks better than this image)
Again, the only hand is mine! (note: this is what the image actually looks like when viewed on the shirt in person)
Jim - thanks so much for sharing the results of your extensive testing. I am so close to deciding I want to switch to the OKI and duracotton HT from my current inkjet. My concern is the resolution for the laser printer vs. inket. I do almost 100% photo products. The photo part of your Jammin' Beach shirt looks good as far as I can tell. What's your opinion of this method for photos?
New CLC DuraCottonHT Report 
Re: New CLC DuraCottonHT Report 
