Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
Well, I'm thoroughly confused now as to how to get the best transfers, primarily on T's.
I used to do dye sub inks w/ SoftL'inks, but I got very tired of the prices on shirts and the clog issues on Epsons. I then decided to go dye sub toner on 50/50 (and perhaps 100% cotton with the right paper), with occasional SoftL'inks thrown in.
Just when I thought I have figured out what dye sub toners to use, people started telling me that OEM toner with the right paper would do a great job on all-cotton and 50/50. They threw various paper names around - TMT, DuraCotton, etc. - but I have NO experience with OEM laser transfer. (My recollections are from the old days when ink jet transfers left terrible hand on shirts and washed out after the first washing.)
I need a system somewhat maintenance free - hence the laser vs. the inks. But I want good quality - I need transfers that are vibrant, little or no hand, with superb washability. Can I truly get this in OEM transfers?
I will purchase whatever printer, toner, and paper will give me the best results. The results with ink on all-poly were stunning at times. I don't expect necessarily that great a look. But I need advice as to how to get as close to that as possible. Thanks.
Are you confused about the difference between dye sub and heat transfer? Dye sub can only be done on 100% polyester and poly coated surfaces. DuracottonHT is a heat transfer paper that uses OEM toner. Soft hand and very durable, but still a heat transfer.
No, I understand the processes. I did lots of dye sub with inks over the years, and was going to buy dye sub toner in order to avoid ink clogging issues in the future.
Then stumbled upon others who said that I could get great results without the dye sub toner by just using OEM toner w/ the proper papers. I'm a little incredulous about this - my built-in bias from all the years of faded, heavy-handed, ink-jet transfers. Just wanted to know if really good results can be achieved by the OEM's as opposed to dye sub toners.
the paper that ross referred to ...duracotton...does use oem toner BUT is for cotton or cotton blends...you don't need a polyester fabric to place the transfer. Why don't you go to autoart.ca and look at the distributors and call the one nearest you for a sample and see. It works for some and some are not using but...see for youself
Confused: OEM laser vs dye sub laser 
