Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I just got my first batch of Goof Proof one color transfers for black shirts form Transfer Express yesterday. I had gang sheets printed with 4 designs on each. And I noticed while cutting them apart that the ink had a grainy texture to it and was easily rubbed off. So I didn't touch any of the inked portions as I cut. But still I could feel all these granular particles that ended up on my cutting mat and had to brush them away with my hand every so often.
So I pressed my first shirt with the transfers yesterday. And the image came out spectacularly. However I did notice a couple of tiny white dots, where the tiny ink grains stuck to the transfer sheet and ended up getting transfered to the shirt.
Has anyone else noticed this?
And how do you deal with eliminating the granular dust so that the images press clean?
I'm not familiar with transfers from TE and haven't heard of this problem with other transfers sofar. But you could try to blow over the transfer sheet until the particles are gone. Or mayby try using a lint roller very carefully on the transfer
So what is the texture of the ink on the other transfers that you used? I'm not sure if it's normal for transfers to be able to wipe off part of the image by just rubbing a finger over it. As this was my first time using a heat transfer, custom or otherwise. I had just used vinyl previously.
Their product is supposed to have this sandy texture on the back. Thats the powder that makes the transfer easy to apply.
Touching the powder isn't a problem and the powder does normally fall off. If it is around the design and making marks on your shirt just brush away the powder before you lay it on the shirt. Those specs should melt away though. I've used this product before and the powder hasn't been a problem and isn't usually noticeable.
Oh, I think I know what you mean with grainy now. I think your design was printed in a halftone raster, like all tiny little dots of various sizes, right? That's just a printing method to achief different shades of a colour and shouldn't be a factor in adhesiveness.
I've never saw ink coming off any of my transfers after rubbing gentle but then again, I don't know TE and maybe it should be normal because it's something special. Just can't imagine that. Did you already contacted them and asked about it?
For other newbies like me in the future, a quick cut and paste about the powder...
Quote:
Adhesive Powders
Under ideal circumstances, when the plastisol ink is applied to the garment, pressure and heat combine to force the ink into the fabric and when the ink cools the transfer adheres to the fabric. However, in the real world of garment decorating, the circumstances are rarely ideal and transfer adhesion can be a problem. When applying transfers to fabrics where adhesion may be questionable, such as some nylons and polyesters, or when only light pressure can be applied to the transfer, such as when applying puff transfers, or for transfers containing fine details, or in any other case where transfer adhesion is problematical, you may want to add a hot-melt adhesive powder to the transfer.
Hot-melt adhesive powders act as a very adhesive glue when heated and can allow you to apply transfers in situations where otherwise they would not adhere. There are several methods for adding them to transfers, depending on the type of transfer and the type of powder. Finely ground adhesive powders can be mixed with the ink before printing, generally 10-15% powder by weight. This is the usual method with puff transfers and for transfers which will be foiled.
More often the adhesive powder is applied to the surface of the transfer after printing. There are several ways for doing this. The most common is to fill a box large enough to hold a transfer with adhesive powder an inch or so deep. After printing the transfer, pass the paper through the box, scooping it under the powder in such a manner that the entire printed surface of the transfer is covered with the adhesive powder. Shake the excess powder back into the box as you lift the transfer out, then gel the transfer. You can also fill a large salt shaker with adhesive powder and shake it onto the transfer, coating the ink thoroughly. Remember to shake the excess powder off the transfer back into a box for re-use before passing the transfer through the dryer.
are grainy transfers normal? 
Re: are grainy transfers normal? 
