Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I recently purchased a Stahl's Mighty Press Lite 11x15. I was so excited when my press arrived yet have not had much pressing success. I purchased a sample pack of heat tranfer paper from Coastal and also the clearsoft paper from ProWorld. I print my own transfers on an inkjet printer. All of the graphics have printed clearly with vibrant colors on all of the papers. However, when i have pressed the images onto the t-shirts (all 100% cotton), the colors have applied unevenly. Some of the images have shown cracking and bubbling and on some, the color has not come off the transfer paper. At first I thought it was the type of paper I was using but then i tried with the other papers I had and I had the same poor results. Am I doing something wrong? Also, when it says to use medium or heavy pressure, what exactly does that mean and how do you measure the level of pressure? Please help!!!
Hi, I am a newbie at heat transfers, but thought maybe my own experience might be helpful.
I just recently purchased the Everlast paper (which I believe is the same as the Clear Soft paper you mentioned), and I too had a problem the first time I pressed a shirt. Half of it adhered to the shirt -- the other half didn't adhere too well and was patchy and scratchy. I wasn't sure why it happened, but then realized I hadn't preheated the lower platen before pressing this shirt, and also upped the pressing pressure. The instructions say to press on Medium pressure, but since there's no markings on the pressure control knob... I guess I had it too light. Anyway, the next shirt came out fabulous! Perhaps my problem was a combination of the two factors? Don't know but will always remember to preheat the lower platen before doing the first shirt of the day! I'm also not touching the pressure control knob again!
thanks for your reply. this probably seems like a very stupid question but aside from the pressure control knob, when you close the press, do you actually put pressure on the handle in order to apply medium (or high) pressure?
Sounds like a pressure problem. I press shirts, regardless of the paper used, with so much pressure I have to struggle to get the press closed. More pressure = better outcome. If more pressure doesn't do it, bump the temp and/or dwell time up a little.
i have tried everything. i changed the pressure to the point where i can barely turn the knob anymore. i even tried to up the pressing time and temp a bit when the pressure alone made no difference. still - i cannot get an even image. some of the image presses perfectly and the transfer paper peels off clean, where the rest of the paper peels off with bits of color remaining on it (leaving "holes" in the transferred image). does anyone know what the problem could be? i even tried to reposition the shirts thinking maybe the platen has a cool spot but had the same issues.
Are you trying too turn the pressure knob with the press down? You should open the press and turn the knob until the press is quite difficult to close. Open press, tighten knob, close press. If press closes and locks down easily, open the press and repeat until you can barely get the press closed and locked down. I'm 240lbs and I really have to lean on mine to close it.
I think you are definitely right that my problem has something to do with the pressure. I was adjusting the pressure with the press closed which I now realize is wrong. I just tried to open the press, tighten knob and close the press and i ended up with the back of the platen and pad touching and the front part of the press open (like a clam), almost unaligned. is that what it is supposed to be like? there was no way to get the front to lock closed unless maybe i leaned on it during the entire pressing time. that just doesn't seem right to me. or is it?
The press should lock in the down position and it should take some effort to lock it. Are you locking it down or just holding it down? When it's locked down, it should be compressing the lower silicon platen pad evenly all the way around.
The press definitely is not locking down. Is there an actual locking mechanism that I am unaware of? Once the pressure knob is adjusted to the higher pressure, I can literally sit on the handle and it still won't "lock" into place, although while I am sitting on it, it appears even all around. The only thing that keeps it down is my weight. Once I move, it pops back to a semi-open position.
The press definitely is not locking down. Is there an actual locking mechanism that I am unaware of? Once the pressure knob is adjusted to the higher pressure, I can literally sit on the handle and it still won't "lock" into place,
It locks by means of an over-center type of mechanism. When it locks, you'll know it. If you push as hard as you can and it's not locking, loosen the knob little by little until you can get it locked down. That's why your paper is not pressing. By holding the press down, you don't have anywhere near the amount or pressure you need.
I'm sorry to be a bother but the issue is that when I had the knob in the loosened position and the plates were aligned and i am pretty sure locking by your definition, the paper was not pressing well. Then when I opened the press and tightened the pressure knob, that was when I ended up with that gap in the front (i did not try to press any shirts in that position). So maybe I don't know how to properly set the pressure. Is it possible for there to be too much pressure and that is what is causing that front gap? The only thing that concerns me is that when it is loosened but aligned properly, it is not difficult to close as you had initially suggested. Are all presses difficult to close when set at heavy pressure?
Just a quick update - i fixed the pressure and i think i almost fixed the problem. half of the transfer pressed perfectly but the other half did not. on the half that printed bad, the color is fine but it is all cracking. is it possible that the pressure is uneven? do you know how to fix this? or is the heat uneven?
Last edited by pinktshirt; October 12th, 2007 at 05:03 PM.
I don't know without looking at your press. The pressure thing can be deceiving. A 240 lb person will be able to lock the press down with a lot more pressure than a 110 lb person, so a lot of pressure to you, may be light pressure to me...and if I set your press for heavy pressure, you may not even be able to close it. Just set it for as much pressure as you can and still get it closed.
To check the temp across the platen, you have to measure it with surface probe. Geo knight sells them for $80, which is a good deal. There is not real way to measure pressure. When you drop the upper platen and just let it sit on on the lower platen with no pressure, it should sit flush. If it's not, I would call the dealer you bought it from or Hix.
Last edited by rrc62; October 13th, 2007 at 05:54 AM.
heat transfers - why uneven?? 
