Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
so my vinyl cutter and heat press finally came...i haven't started printing because ive run into minor problems...but am lookin 2 do heat transfers also and i have a few questions.
Where kind of printer do i use?
where can i buy it?
What is the largest transfer paper i can buy??
where can i get them?
My designs are mostly all over the shirt. so ill need a larger printer and transfer paper.
The printer you use depends on what you are doing and what paper. If you are using an inkjet I would look at Epson..the largest entry level printer is the 1400 or 1800.. the 1400 is six inks and the 1800 is 8 inks. The 1800 comes with pigment ink. The 1400 has claria ink. Some forum members report that even though the claria ink is dye based but water resistant, that they have had good results with transfers These prints take 13x19 paper
Most common large size is 11x17 paper
There is also color laser paper for transfers. I think the Okidata C8800 is the largest format at 11x17
If you want to print 'all over' I don't think any of these will fill your wish..
where to get them.... go to our vendors or check out google..
Jetpro sofstretch paper is good if you are going to do light shirts with the epson printers Charles mentions. There are other papers that folks like, but this is a big fav here.
It can be found at a few suppliers, one of them being "tshirtsupplies.com". I hear you can call them and ask for the 11x17 size, even tho it wasn't on the website as of a few weeks ago. Maybe it's listed now. The price is awesome there, I would price other suppliers against them.
If you are going to do dark shirts, Ironall dark is a good paper. It has other names depending on who's suppling it. I believe Coastal Business now carries it (forum sponsor, see links on left, and they give a discount, find that code in preferred vendor link), also New milford photo carries it.
If transfer papers can fill your requirements, these are two good papers out there for inkjet.
If you print enough, you may want to get out of the epson carts and into refill carts or bulk inks/cis. Here's a link to a thread on ink. Well done post: Ink for Epson?
Dye sub is kinda costly to get set up but asCharles and a few other subbers here can attest to ,is that no other way of transfers can you get the color and quality that can be done with sublimation,, only draw back is no darks and no cotton or 50/50.
to expand a bit on what Kelly said...you cannot use any epson for sublimation ink as it is only made for certain Epson printers.
Thanks, Charles. Please help me out. I hadn't seen this info before, and I just went and did my thread searches to do as much "self teaching" as I can, but I can't find too much out there on which printers work for dyesub. I just picked up a cx9400, and I have a c88+. I was thinking I could figure out which one would take a bulk ink system better and make one of them a dyesub printer. I was thinking probably the c88+, but I'll have to get the pigment ink out of there first. What do you think I should do, would my cx9400 even work? I don't know the list of printers for dyesub, would you be able to let me know which printers to use for that process? I didn't know some won't work, I thought I could pick up any for a second printer, and now I have, so maybe I don't have a choice anymore. And, I don't want to bring it up in a post for the wrong printer in the future.
Thanks, Charles. Looks like you are my mentor the last day or so, haha, sorry for all the sudden questions, again! Thanks a million!
dye sub ink is more expensive. dyesub (sublimination dye) is only for 100 polyester, not cotton or cotton blends. dyesub ink, on a shirt, only transfers the ink, nothing else. The ink turns to gas under the heat press, and literally dyes the fabric. dye sub ink let you transfer onto mugs, tiles, plates, that sort of thing. Not sure if I left something out, but that's a good gist of it.
Let me see if I can answer a couple of the questions. Bear in mind these answers are from my experience and not the end all ...know all...as I don't
First to Kelly...I am not aware of a source for sublimation ink for the CX9400. Isn't this an 'all in one' printer? if so, then you will not find a CIS for it. as the bulk system sits outside the printer and tubes with the ink have to have room to move with the print head..which it can't do with the top down. So the C88+ is the choice for you. It is a tried, true printer and there are CIS for it. FYI this printer like the 1280 is being phased out and the C88+ is being replaced by the C120 and the 1280 is being replaced by the 1400. Printers that I know that have sublimation ink available are the C80 seriees, 1280, 1400, R800, 1800, 3000, 4800 and 4880. I am told sublimation ink is coming out for the C120. again FYI, the C120 has two black carts rather than one and comes with pigment inks (the 1400 has claria ink...not a pigment)
For Tonero...yes there are bulk systems for the 1400. I have one with artainium inks. I would suggest that you get the system/inks from the same source in case you need tech assist. The difference between sublimation ink and other inks..pigment or dye based.. is that sublimation ink is a special formulation that reacts to heat pressure differently than normal ink. and only works on white/light 100% polyester fabrics or polymer coated hard surfaces. The process is that by using the special ink AND special paper, the heat turns the ink into a gas and the pressure forces it into the garment where the gas actually bonds on the fiber of the polyester. It will not bond to cotton/blends. Because of this chemical action, you cannot feel the image as it is now a part of the garment and not just pasted on top.
Heat Transfer - What do i need to know? 
