Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I'm still working on my JPSS tests, but I'm also working on my IronAll Dark plotter tests.
So far I haven't had much luck. I decided that I was going to approach this paper like I have other opaques in the past. Well, it doesn't work that way because this is basically printed rubber on a backing sheet.
I've decided to try out the settings that someone else had luck with, which is 60 gm downforce with a 60 degree blade. I'll cut that within the next hour or so and see if it works.
Again, I'll be cutting at 60 gm downforce with a 60 degree blade, but I'll also be slowing the speed of our plotter to about 5cm/s or so. VERY slow, but when I tried faster speeds before it just skipped along the surface of these transfers. it really is like cutting bubble gum.
One other thing I'm having troubles with is because of the design I'll be cutting (essentially the same as the design in my other thread here: Jet-Pro SofStretch (inkjet heat transfer paper) vs Plotter Test - with pictures! ) is that I'll be needing to use Magic Mask as a transfer tape. The problem is that the Magic Mask isn't getting a very good grip on the surface of the IronAll Dark and when I peel the backer off it shifts a little on the Magic Mask. I'm going to use a brand-new sheet of Magic Mask for this test. I hope that works...
Again, I'll take pictures and post exactly what I did and all of the settings I use (well, I guess I just did. ).
Hope I can get it! I have this sheet that I just printed and one other. After that, I'll need to wait for the other 10 sheets that I ordered last night.
Those settings didn't work, either. I must need even more downforce. It's just punching a series of holes in the cut lines. Even with that slow of a speed it's bunching the transfer up, releasing, punching a hole, rinse and repeat.
I'm wondering if we're going about this wrong...I wonder if it would be better to use a LOWER angle blade like a 45 so it doesn't catch it as much and just slices through.
I'll wait to see if anyone else has had success with this before I cut my last sheet. I don't want to have to wait another 3-4 days before I can try this again!
For JetDark, I used 30 gm downforce and cut at normal speed. It's just not working that way with IronAll Dark.
Like I said, I think I'll switch to a 45 degree blade and more downforce. We'll see how that goes. I might go as high as 120 gm downforce with a 45 degree blade on my next try.
Those settings didn't work, either. I must need even more downforce. It's just punching a series of holes in the cut lines. Even with that slow of a speed it's bunching the transfer up, releasing, punching a hole, rinse and repeat.
I'm wondering if we're going about this wrong...I wonder if it would be better to use a LOWER angle blade like a 45 so it doesn't catch it as much and just slices through.
I'll wait to see if anyone else has had success with this before I cut my last sheet. I don't want to have to wait another 3-4 days before I can try this again!
Try sending a PM to gordo. He is the one claiming to be succesful in cutting the paper with 60 degree blade and 60 grams of down force.
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Luis CorelDRAW macro author Macro Website
It was snagging the transfer as I tried to cut it at that downforce.
I WILL get this, but I may need to wait until I get those other 10 sheets in a couple of days (they shipped today). The other problem is going to be the Magic Mask as transfer tape as the IronAll Dark doesn't like to stick to it...
The 60 degree blade is really made for tougher, thicker material. And the 45 degree blade is for thin material.
Think of it like holding an xacto-knife and cutting different materials. The best way to cut a thin piece of paper with an xacto is to almost lay it down (45 degree) and run it across the surface, this keeps the material from bunching up. Now imagine using the same blade to cut through cardboard. You would hold the blade almost straight up (60 degree). This helps cut any contours, because the tip of the blade is almost going straight through the material, and not going through at an angle.
For the printable heat transfer paper, you only need a 45 degree blade. 60 degree blades are better suited for thick sign vinyl and thick transfer materials like Flock, Glitter, and RefLite.
That's exactly what I was thinking. Just like slicing bread. You don't just put your knife on it and press down (60 degree blade), you cut slice side-to-side (45 degree blade, more or less). I know that's not an exact analogy, but that's sort of the basics of what I'm thinking.
IronAll Dark is NOT rigid. It's rubber. You slice it. So, therefore, tomorrow I'll be using a 45 degree blade with more downforce. I'm still not sure if I should keep my speed slow or speed it up. That's where I wouldn't mind some advice...
45 degrees blade sounds logical. However, Gordo the member who claimed to be successful had a tough time cutting the transfer with 45 degrees blade. I went to Specialty Graphics website and searched for cutting stretchy material. Specialty Graphics recommended to use 60 degrees blade. When I posted my findings Gordo tried using the 60 degrees blade and he said it worked for him with 60 grams down force. Haven't read any post from him after that.
Seems logical as well, but it cant be any thicker and more elastic, than standard sign vinyl, which I use 45 degree blades all the time.
Also, make sure your blade is new and sharp.
Another rule of thumb, with thin materials, your cuts should be light and quick, with a blade angled towards the material..... for thicker materials, your cuts should be heavy and slow, and blade angled above the material.
If you ever seen anyone cut through steel, vs paper... you would see this.
Not sure why its not working tho, sometimes a bad batch of paper gets out.
I forgot to mention that prior to the first post I made a suggestion using a sandwich technique. Having the opaque material sandwiched between a carrier sheet (Magic mask?) and the paper backing then cut from the paper back side through the opaque but not the carrier sheet. Not usre if he used that in addtion to 60 degree/60 grams settings.
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Luis CorelDRAW macro author Macro Website
That's an interesting technique, but I don't think it would work with IronAll Dark, only because it doesn't seem to want to stick to Magic Mask.
IronAll Dark is also pretty thick...much thicker than sign vinyl. Most sign vinyl is 2-4 mil, while IronAll Dark is 5 mil (got out my calipers yesterday). and again, it's very rubbery. It's also FAR more stretchy than any vinyl I've ever seen.
To be perfectly honest, a vinyl cutter is a vinyl cutter when you're talking about the range of cutters that the Roland and Graphtec are in. It's not NOT working for me because I use a Graphtec. The thing that Gordo never posted was his cutting speed. That's an important bit of info, and perhaps I've been going about it all wrong with the super-slow cuts. Tomorrow I'll use the 45 degree blade, more downforce, and faster cutting speeds, and see if that works.
Thanks, everyone! I can use all the advice people can give me!
IronAll Dark vs Vinyl Cutter 
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CorelDRAW macro author
