Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
Hi all, at the moment I am using a hand iron whilst I save up for a heat press (some recommendations on small, cheap ones of those would be appreciated too!) with Glacier dark transfer sheets and an ink jet printer. Some of the tshirts are fine, but others crack or peel slightly. Any tips, or recommendations for paper please? I'm in the UK
I've been reading good "iron" results with New Milford Photo paper for dark and lights (newmilfordphoto.com). They have a sample pack right now for $5.99 including shipping. I haven't had time to test yet (probably this weekend).
Also, will be testing new "Miracool" paper for lights which is spec'd for iron or heat press. Reading Miracool has nice hand. Only Cindy at personalizedsupplies.com has this very new paper.
For darks, I'm reading that Transfer Technologies one-step opaque for darks holds up to more than 18 washes. So I'm eager to try it out. Don't know if it's okay for hand iron. I do know many use Avery light or dark for hand ironing....but it's super expensive at about $2.00 per sheet.
I'll be using Magic Mix pigment ink and Durabrite ink with a heat press but because I'm a curious person...will use my hand iron too (hope my wrist doesn't start hurting).
Thanks guys, will look into all those - am gonna order the Millford sample pack after reading about the iron All stuff on here a few times. Am mostly doing dark tshirts, and when I do do lights, just using the dark transfer paper - apart from the price, is there any other reaon I should use light paper?
Think I've almost saved up enough to but my first heat press now, so hopefully that will help too!
Also....I used to use Avery for darks but didn't get on very well with it, I've found Glacier to be much longer lasting (although it does seem to crack, but I found Avery just peeled off!)
Try to stay away from the "Office Supply" stores to buy transfer paper. You are paying triple the price. Try the New Milford paper for light, be sure to get the "Iron All" not just the hot peel. It stretches and can be ironed on. Why are you staying with just darks. With heat transfers the feel and wash ability of Opaque (dark) just does not do it for me or my customers. I want the customer to come back and if they had a bad experience with a dark shirt they won't. I think the screen printers have it on the darks. I talked to John at new Milford and he said there is a new opaque paper coming out that is supposed to stretch. That may help us all that have this problem with opaques. I want to do darks but just don't like the feel of the paper.
__________________ There is a center to everything.. I found mine at.. www.heatpressessentials.com TEE SQUARE IT, LOGO IT! TEE PAD IT!www.tbiz101.com (New)Heat Transfer Education
Thanks, I've just ordered the Kitchen sink pack, so will try the light, dark, and iron all from New Milford - I didn't realise there was a difference in anything but price between the dark and light paper? Am quite new to all this! Also, I am using "normal" HP ink in a HP printer, does anyone know if that's okay?
Just ordered the kitchen sink as well! I forgot to ask you if you had trouble with Jet lite? This recommendation sounds promising! Thanks for the advice! Keeping my fingers crossed!
I talked to John at new Milford and he said there is a new opaque paper coming out that is supposed to stretch.
The stuff that tshirtpaper.com stretches. Ive tried a few other brands and tshirtpaper.com's opaque paper is by far the best Ive used.
That iron all paper looks cool, but its double the price of the competition...
Most people that I have talked to have said that transjet II paper is the best. From my experience, most of the hot peel light transfers are pretty similar though. Transjet is good because it is really thick and absorbs the ink completely, unlike some other papers where you dont get as clean lines becuase the ink sits on the paper more after printing, and spreads out as it dries.
How thick is the iron all paper?
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Also, I am using "normal" HP ink in a HP printer, does anyone know if that's okay?
Dye based ink will bleed when washed. You can get an epson C88 or C86 for like $80. Most of the epsons use pigment based inks which do not bleed when washed, and have brighter colors. Search the forum...there has been tons of posts about this, bulk ink units, magic mix inks, etc...
As a former Epson rep the thing I noticed was you said that the paper absorbs the ink. Actually durabrite ink (Pigment)stays on top of the paper. it is designed to do that. In photography if offers a better picture as the colors do not blend as in dyes they run into each other. You will get some but not like Dye inks from HP.
__________________ There is a center to everything.. I found mine at.. www.heatpressessentials.com TEE SQUARE IT, LOGO IT! TEE PAD IT!www.tbiz101.com (New)Heat Transfer Education
Thanks everyone, all really helpful! Here's my plan for the next few weeks! I'm gonna get a 15x15 heat press, and do away with the old iron for good. I'm gonna get an Epson printer and switch to a pigment based ink (question - will I be able to print other stuff, ie letters onto normal paper with this ink, or is it just for tshirts?), and am ordering transfer samples from the companies recomended on here (well, the ones that ship to the UK anyway!). I'm also gonna start using the light paper on my light tshirts, instead of using the dark on them all. In the mean time, I'm following the advice from other threads, and pre ironing the tshirts (they're 100% cotton), and stretching the print slightly after ironing. Any more advice really welcome and thanks again everyone, I've got lots of new ideas from you all!
As a former Epson rep the thing I noticed was you said that the paper absorbs the ink. Actually durabrite ink (Pigment)stays on top of the paper. it is designed to do that. In photography if offers a better picture as the colors do not blend as in dyes they run into each other. You will get some but not like Dye inks from HP.
yea, but for heat transfer it works best if the inks absorb into the paper, and dont run into each other. If you are doing thin text for inance, you want the paper to absorb the ink so that the lines on the text dont run and become fatter than they are supposed to be.
Not sure about the tshirtpaper.com one, as it says on the website cool wash only....I'd really like something that can go up to 30 degrees at least. Does anyone know if the New Milford does? Or the Transjet/Magicjet? I'm having enough of a hard time trying to get shipping to the Uk sorted!
Okay, you will make mistakes. I call those shirts my sleep shirts. I have many. I use New Milford iron All paper and I wash in warm, hot and cold water. The shirts still look great after many, many washes. By the way I am an ex product rep for epson. The great thing about pigment ink and why photographers use it is because it DOES STAY ABOVE THE PAPER AND IS NOT ABSORBED INTO THE PAPER LIKE DYE INKS. When you transfer your design to shirt it is put on the shirt from the papar and not left on the paper like dye inks. Dye inks when absorbed into the paper actually bleed into each other. Pigment inks do not. If you were to magnify the photos using each ink you will see finer lines between each color than HP inks.
__________________ There is a center to everything.. I found mine at.. www.heatpressessentials.com TEE SQUARE IT, LOGO IT! TEE PAD IT!www.tbiz101.com (New)Heat Transfer Education
If I understand correctly, you can use the Milford press all paper on dark shirts??. So there is no need to get plastisol transfers or vinyl ones??, you can just print on the paper and heat press and is good to go??. sorry for the silly questions but it will save me a bunch on not getting a plotter/cutter for dark shirts.
Recommended heat transfer papers? 
