Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I am starting my business and i have decided to go with blue grid paper for darks and iron all paper for lights. When i print a design on the paper am i going to have to manually cut around the image before i press it in order to only get the image on the shirt? if so, can this be fixed by using a cutting software such as Cocut? or is self weeding paper also required to do this?
after doing some searches this topic is still fuzzy to me. can anyone shed light on this fo me?
I am starting my business and i have decided to go with blue grid paper for darks and iron all paper for lights. When i print a design on the paper am i going to have to manually cut around the image before i press it in order to only get the image on the shirt? if so, can this be fixed by using a cutting software such as Cocut? or is self weeding paper also required to do this?
after doing some searches this topic is still fuzzy to me. can anyone shed light on this fo me?
Thanks in advance!
Typically you contour cut the transfer paper with a vinyl cutter with optic registration reader.
There is a self weeding opaque transfer paper for laser printer. It is called WOW 7.1. It is vey expensive.
There is a self weeding laser printer for lights called Imageclip.
There is a self weeding inkjet transfer paper for lights that is being evaluated by some members.
The cutting software allows you to take an image and create cut lines for the cutter. Do a search on youtube for Josh Ellsworth, he posted a video showing the printing and cutting of a transfer using a Roland GX-24 cutter.
Cutting software will not do you any good if you do not have a vinyl cutter. It also have to be compatible with the cutting machine. What it does is create a cutting vector file that the machine can understand to cut a material.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssbriones87
so in other words, the two transfer papers i want to go with are going to need manual cutting before pressing?
It depends if transfer paper for light has polymer window that is objectionable to you or your customer. The polymer window really stands out on light color fabric other than white or ash.To get a good image with opaque transfer with complex shape is to cut out the unprinted area.
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Luis CorelDRAW macro author Macro Website
Last edited by Lnfortun; June 19th, 2008 at 09:14 PM.
Sam, if later on you find the Ironall fading and the Blue Grid cracking after repeated wash tests, JPSS (jetprosofstretch) is the paper I replaced my Ironall with bc it doesn't fade, yet stretches and no cracking. You can find it at tshirtsupplies.com for a great price. Ironall Dark seems to have issues right now, but folks that are having any issues with Blue Grid are going over the Alpha Gold for Darks from Alpha supply, so if you have trouble in the future with the papers you've selected, I just wanted to name drop some alternatives for you.
Also, for cutters to trim the transfer paper "for" you, the cutter will need to have an optical eye. The lower priced models don't, but a cutter cannot do contour cuts without one, and contour cutting is what you would be looking for.
Hmmm, so in addition to the scanner and printer i am going to need a vinyl cutter with an optical eye and cutting software correct?
so for example, lets say i wanted to put a paint splatter design on a shirt, without a vinyl cutter i would have to manually cut around the tricky design and lay all the cut out pieces on the shirt then heat press it down?
Hmmm, so in addition to the scanner and printer i am going to need a vinyl cutter with an optical eye and cutting software correct?
so for example, lets say i wanted to put a paint splatter design on a shirt, without a vinyl cutter i would have to manually cut around the tricky design and lay all the cut out pieces on the shirt then heat press it down?
Based on my (limited) understanding of the entire process, I think you are correct.
I agree with Ted. What you said is excatly what you need to do.
I was thinking instead of cutting the transfer paper itself. Why not cut out a standard bond paper with a contour slightly larger than the image. Lay the bond paper over the transfer paper on the image side exposing the image. Secure it with a tape so it will not move when it is pressed with the transfer paper. Press the set with bond paper underneath the transfer paper. The bond paper will then serve as a mask to prevent the polymer of unprinted area from bonding on the shirt. Doing so will also make it easier for designs that have several objects that are apart. Like a graphics object with text above, below or around the object. The alignment and placement will not become a problem then. Another thing is it will minimize the risk of damaging the transfer paper during the cutting process. Cutting a bond paper will eliminate the need for optic registration. Heck one can probably just print a slightly larger contour outline on a bond paper cut it out with exacto knife. Cut out can be sloppy. Just make sure the outline ink is cut out completey so that it will not transfer on the shirt. One could probably stack 3 or 4 bond paper and cut out the contour with excato knife for multiple order of shirts.
I think I will try that and if it works I will post the pictures of how it is done. I have a one shirt order that I can try it with.
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Luis CorelDRAW macro author Macro Website
BTW the band paper mask will only be meant for light transfer paper. The opaque transfer paper still need to be trimmed around the image. Either manually or with vinyl cutter with optic registration.
__________________
Luis CorelDRAW macro author Macro Website
I have a similar question about the cutter. I am wondering this, can the cutter with the eye read a stock transfer?? Or is it only for ones made through a software program? Could I take a stock transfer and somehow copy and convert it? I am not exactly how that would work. I have watched the video, but it I am not sure if that was an image they made themselves thru there own program.
I am just getting ready to start my at home biz and like everyone else, I am trying to find the easiest way to get a nice looking T shirt without having to cut out by hand....
If anyone can help me that would be great- Thanks!!
I think it can be done, but it would be painstaking to get it perfect...
The 'normal' process, at least as far as I've seen so far, is to take your image into the cut program, add the registration marks and then print from the cut program. You can use the cut program find-outlines function to create your cut lines or you can create them by hand. You then feed the sheet with the design and registration marks into the cutter and send your cut file to the cutter, it does the rest.
In your case Deegirl, I would probably try to scan the image and bring it into the cut program, then try to match up the image size as exact as you can. Add the registration marks, then print just the registration marks onto the page and then do a test cut. It might take you a couple of tries to get everything lined up perfectly but I think it could be done.
Transfer Paper Cutting question 
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