Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I was wondering what's the best paper for mousepads? I know mousepads are much less demanding than a shirt that will stretch and be washed. So would it be reasonable to use a cheaper transfer paper for mousepads? I've tried a couple different papers including TransferJet and was happy with all of them. I haven't tried Iron-All yet. I need to order some more. Any recommendations?
Personally, I don't think hand matters much at all for a mousepad. The blank mousepads are just fine to use without anything on them, and I don't think the image is going to change the feel much.
We only use dye sub on mouse pads. Customers have been much happier with the results. Other types of transfers that we have tried can feel tacky/sticky (especially w/ high humidity) and gum up the roller balls on the mouse pretty quickly.
We have not tried using the Ironall type papers on mouse pads, that might work pretty well.
I've tried DyeSubbing the mousepads too, but I think the inkjet transfers look much better. The produce a much sharper image and better color tone, at least for my setup. But I've never actually tried using one with the inkjet transfer, so I'm not aware of it messing up the mouse roller balls. I'll have to try using one and see. I can't imagine that would be a major problem because I would think that there are a lot more people using inkjet transfers on mousepads than using sublimation. And inkjet is also cheaper.
I've been testing duracotton 98 (not the HT) on mousepads and so far the results have been wonderful. No stickiness or roughness at all. It seems to be fine with rollerballs although I use an optical mouse mostly or a tablet. Best of all the colors are very vibrant and detail is excellent when printing photos. Much better than some papers I've tried for them.
__________________ Everything tastes better on a stick
Duracotton 98 is a transfer paper made for use with laser printers. Duracotton HT (high temperature) is an off-shoot developed for laser printers with a fuser that runs hotter than others. If you do a search on duracotton you will learn all about it. It's really good stuff.
__________________ Everything tastes better on a stick
(they also don't need mouse pads for that matter - has anyone noticed a drop off in that business yet?)
I haven't noticed. I sell between 275 and 350 of them a month.
I can't say I'm surprised. I wonder if that area of business will die soon, or if it'll be one of those anachronisms that people keep sticking to out of tradition for no apparent reason.
Good business while it lasts anyway - although if it was going to die I might have expected a drop off by now, so maybe it's not going anywhere.
I was wondering what's the best paper for mousepads? I know mousepads are much less demanding than a shirt that will stretch and be washed. So would it be reasonable to use a cheaper transfer paper for mousepads? I've tried a couple different papers including TransferJet and was happy with all of them. I haven't tried Iron-All yet. I need to order some more. Any recommendations?
Thanks
When was the last time you ran someting over your shirt for 8 or 10 hours a day? They don't get washed but they do get abused. My personal favorite is dye sublimation, it gives a better feel and lasts until the thing falls apart. If the color isn't as bright as a regular transfer then it probably wasn't pressed long enough. People who start out doing inkjet transfers have problems with the long press times for dye sub, I do 60 seconds for mousepads. I have dye sub, inkjet, and laser transfers samples and let my customers decide which they want. I charge more for the dye sub.
I can't say I'm surprised. I wonder if that area of business will die soon, or if it'll be one of those anachronisms that people keep sticking to out of tradition for no apparent reason.
Good business while it lasts anyway - although if it was going to die I might have expected a drop off by now, so maybe it's not going anywhere.
As long as they keep selling those cheap bundled computer packages (including a very cheap ball mouse) the need for mouse pads will continue. I personally dislike ball mice and all the lil' lint bunnies they collect inside them. I'll take my Wacom tablet everytime.
__________________ Everything tastes better on a stick
When was the last time you ran someting over your shirt for 8 or 10 hours a day? They don't get washed but they do get abused. My personal favorite is dye sublimation, it gives a better feel and lasts until the thing falls apart. If the color isn't as bright as a regular transfer then it probably wasn't pressed long enough. People who start out doing inkjet transfers have problems with the long press times for dye sub, I do 60 seconds for mousepads. I have dye sub, inkjet, and laser transfers samples and let my customers decide which they want. I charge more for the dye sub.
Brightness wasn't the problem with sublimation. They were plenty bright. Sublimation just does not produce as sharp of an image as an inkjet. And the colors don't look as natural when printing photographs. That's just a result of how sublimation works vs how inkjets work. And sublimation is more expensive. When a school orders 100 mousepads, they don't want to spend big money on sublimation. This is the type of order I have.
I'm just asking about some suggestions on what brands of inkjet transfer paper others have tried. So nobody's used any inkjet transfers on mousepads???
Best Transfer Paper for Mousepads? 
Everything tastes better on a stick 
