knox harrington

I'm looking to move from outsourcing custom plastisol transfers to printing in-house transfers using an Epson R1800. Would I have to cut out the designs? My artwork is too intricate for this business model to succeed if I have to worry about issues with the paper. I love plastisol transfers, but I hate the cost, turnaround, and minimums.

If my situation resonates with you, please share your thoughts..

 

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Lnfortun

Quote: Originally Posted by knox harrington I'm looking to move from outsourcing custom plastisol transfers to printing in-house transfers using an Epson R1800. Would I have to cut out the designs? My artwork is too intricate for this business model to succeed if I have to worry about issues with the paper. I love plastisol transfers, but I hate the cost, turnaround, and minimums. If my situation resonates with you, please share your thoughts..

Even the inkjet transfer paper (Ironall for lights or Jet-Pro SofStretch) that are considered the best that exist to date leave polymer window. Therefore it needs trimming or tell the customer that the polymer will wash off.

The options you have if you stick with inkjet printer are:

a) Use a vinyl cutter to trim the transfer paper. There are 2 models that are reasonably priced which have optical registration (a must for contour cutting). These are Graphtec RoboCraft ($299.00) for 8/12 X 11 and Graphtec RoboCraft Pro ($950.00) larger size. The vinyl cutter(s) are sold with free shipping plus 5% member discount.

b) Use sublimation ink (No cutting required). Disadvantage with sublimation are:
1) Works only with 100% polyester or very high polyester content poly-blend material. Polyester garments costs a lot more than poly-blend and 100% cotton.
2) Inks cost a lot more than archival, pigmented and special mix inks for heat transfer.
3) Inks will expire.

Disadvantage with inkjet printer is clogging and also Epson has put a stop legally for refillable cartridges except Epson brand.

I would suggest to look into using Color Laser printer. You don't have to worry about clogging. There is a Laser transfer paper (Imageclip) that is self weeding. No contour cutting required since the polymer is only applied to the toner area and practically none in the unprinted area. It looks and feel like screen-printed. The paper works very well with light color garments. The paper comes in two sizes 8/12 X 11 and 11x17. Laser toner costs less per print. The disadvantage with Imageclip are it is a two step process and it does not work very well with very light color design. The price with rebate of the Okidata laser printers (Majorities choice) are reasonably low depending on the model.

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Luis MAD Scientist JR. AKA MS2
Digital Artist. My canvas is t-shirt and my paintbrush is heat press.

 

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knox harrington

Luis, thank you very much for taking the time to share your knowledge. I love this place. I will look into laser options.. Is the hand similar to screenprinting? What about color fastness with washing? It would be great to be able to print in-house.. but I want to make sure the quality is comparable to plastisol transfers before I invest in a system...

 

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charles95405

There are some other laser transfers that work. Also there are sublimation laser toners...again both are for lights...there is not really a top notch paper for darks...Ironall is used by a lot of forum members, but there is a hand- not as much as others though

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Charles
http://www.bydesignadvertising.com

 

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knox harrington

Thanks Charles. Most of my garments are white cotton. What printer/paper combination do most people use?

 

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karlking85

If you want to take the inkjet route, most folks are either using the Epson C88+ or C120 with Durabrite pigment inks. As for papers, as Charles mentioned the best on the market right now are Ironall and Jet-Pro SofStretch. You can get set up with a fairly decent budget, but keep in mind, NOTHING is going to truly compare to screenprinting, but plastisol transfers.

(I am starting to come to the conclusion that, with the possible exception of 4-color process, plastisols are actually more efficient in the long run, because you can command higher sale prices than with inkjets or lasers. But of course, it always depens on minimums. Inkjets are great for one-offs. )

 

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Lnfortun

Quote: Originally Posted by knox harrington Luis, thank you very much for taking the time to share your knowledge. I love this place. I will look into laser options.. Is the hand similar to screenprinting? What about color fastness with washing? It would be great to be able to print in-house.. but I want to make sure the quality is comparable to plastisol transfers before I invest in a system...

Since there is not polymer in the unprinted area the end result is soft hand. Unlike some polymer transfers that leaves a polymer window the feel is stiff. The shirt does not have to be washed to the get the soft hand feel. I have shirts that have been cold water washed and thrown in the dryer with low heat over a dozen times and the color is still as vibrant as the day they were pressed. Very little fade.

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Luis MAD Scientist JR. AKA MS2
Digital Artist. My canvas is t-shirt and my paintbrush is heat press.

 

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