Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this post, I'm new here and have been searching these forums for a few weeks in search of answers to my questions. While some of them have been answered there are a few that haven't.
Here is where I am today.
1. What CIS ink system is best for the Epson 1400? Dye Inks? Pigment Inks? What innk works for both photographs and heat transfers?
I have searched and searched this forum for the truth... I have found many post from members who post up about this but fail to respond back after there system was ordered to tel us the results.
I know there are many cheap ink systems out there and I'm a believer that you get what you pay for.
2. What paper is best for dark shirts? Well I thought I found the answer to this question when everyone was saying how good Ironall for darks is. So then the next step was where to buy it and under what name?
It's very confusing for the new guy to see the same paper being sold with as many as 8 different names. Why not call it what it is? What's the purpose of calling a chevy something other then what it is? It's a Chevy damit... call it a chevy!
I orderd the hyatt paper (ironall, everylast etc...) and did some test prints. The results were a big FAIL! The texture on the paper would not create a nice image and you could still see the lines or texture on the paper. I reutrned it this morning and will be getting a full credit.
After some more searching and being that IM now behind the gun here... I decided to call Alpha Supply Company. I spent 15 minutes on the phone with him and I must say I have a lot of respect for the straight shooter that he is. Let's hope that the performance of his products stands up to what he says. I trust that it will.
I ended up ordering his CIS system for the Epson 1400 along with his Alpha Dark paper. This is a dye ink system and unlike what others have posted is said to be a great ink for heat transfers and photos too. (time will tell)
Unlike others I will post up a full review here when these supplies arrive tomorrow.
Stay tuned for the information I and many others out there need to know.
Ok, the results are in......... The CIS system is working great and this Alpha Gold for Darks is awesome paper. Here are some pics of a test shirt on black. It's a little thinner material then the ironall and has a very smooth surface unlike the ironall did. This is what I will be using for the long haul.
Someone asked if I cut the letters out, I used a black background for the letters and then used the Roland gx-24 to cut a box around them. You can see this a little on the upper right side.
Someone asked if I cut the letters out, I used a black background for the letters and then used the Roland gx-24 to cut a box around them. You can see this a little on the upper right side.
...was there a reason for not "cutting" around each letter and then using a transfer mask??
what settings & blade did you use to cut this paper?(I have alpha Gold paper too)
(I also have a Graphtec CE-5000-60...24" cutter)(......that is still in the box!!! LOL!!!)
thanks for all of your post updates!!!
will you be doing a wash test update??
__________________ For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Psalm 116:8
...was there a reason for not "cutting" around each letter and then using a transfer mask??
what settings & blade did you use to cut this paper?(I have alpha Gold paper too)
(I also have a Graphtec CE-5000-60...24" cutter)(......that is still in the box!!! LOL!!!)
thanks for all of your post updates!!!
will you be doing a wash test update??
It would be cleaner to use a transfer mask and cut each letter, but they are so small it might be too much trouble. I don't have any transfer mask that can be heat pressed or I would try it.
Can you recommend a good mask that I can press with that won't harm the ink?
I will be doing a wash update as well. The instructions said to wait at least 24 hours before washing... so I will do that tomorrow and then post up some pictures side by side.
And your very welcome on the updates, that is one thing that drove me nuts on this site.. I found what I was looking for, but never the results and final outcome... lol
It would be cleaner to use a transfer mask and cut each letter, but they are so small it might be too much trouble. I don't have any transfer mask that can be heat pressed or I would try it.
Can you recommend a good mask that I can press with that won't harm the ink?
I do not know much about "mask" ....I am a newbie cutter/plotter person!lol...it is STILL in it's box!!! BUT I would call imprintables and speak to Josh....he has two kinds on the site.... see what temp each can take.
I ordered some a while back but I think that it can only take 310°....so...I can't use it.....but I do need to call and ask.
whoever calls first can post...K?
[/quote]I will be doing a wash update as well. The instructions said to wait at least 24 hours before washing... so I will do that tomorrow and then post up some pictures side by side.
And your very welcome on the updates, that is one thing that drove me nuts on this site.. I found what I was looking for, but never the results and final outcome... lol[/quote]
OOPS.... I have been guilty of this at times.....but I do try to update most of the time.....
__________________ For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Psalm 116:8
I know in order to compare you need side by side pics... and I will take some tonight when I make more shirts, but here is a pic of the Aplha for Darks after washing twice now... as you can see it still looks awesome. The flash in this photo made it shine a bit... but I will take some more later today.
I changed the design a little to make for a better looking shirt, rather then trying to contour around the letters I gave it a different background color and outlined it with black, this way I can use these on all the different colors and they will look the same. Due to the great effectivness of teh Alpha for Darks I'm also going to use this on the lights as well. People will be ordering these shirts and getting multiple colors so this will ensure they all look the same. I will get some pics of the back tomorrow.
Would you mind telling me the settings that you use for Alpha Gold? The first try I made the parchment paper was stock to the transfer paper and the transfer is not sticking on the shirt.
Here is the setting that came with Alpha Gold that I am using:
Prepress to remove moisture.
Cover with parchment paper
Temp: 360F
Time: 22s
Pressure: Heavy pressure - Alpha supply did not provide the pressure
Shirt: 50/50 Jerzees Navy blue.
Wait 10-15 seconds after opening the press then peel.
I tried letting the shirt cool down completely then peel the parchment paper and the finish is really rough and almost translucent. Repressing it with parchment paper did not help. It even made the peeling of the opaque from the shirt worse.
Thank you in advance.
__________________
Luis MAD Scientist JR. AKA MS2 Digital Artist. My canvas is t-shirt and my paintbrush is heat press.
Would you mind telling me the settings that you use for Alpha Gold? The first try I made the parchment paper was stock to the transfer paper and the transfer is not sticking on the shirt.
Here is the setting that came with Alpha Gold that I am using:
Prepress to remove moisture.
Cover with parchment paper
Temp: 360F
Time: 22s
Pressure: Heavy pressure - Alpha supply did not provide the pressure
Shirt: 50/50 Jerzees Navy blue.
Wait 10-15 seconds after opening the press then peel.
I tried letting the shirt cool down completely then peel the parchment paper and the finish is really rough and almost translucent. Repressing it with parchment paper did not help. It even made the peeling of the opaque from the shirt worse.
Thank you in advance.
Sorry I missed this..
Press Temp 370-380
Pre- Press for a few seconds
Press Alpha gold for Darks for 20 seconds
Let cool on press for about 10-15 seconds, then move away and leave paper intact.
Start the next shirt and press it, while then pulling the paper off of the previous one.
It say to let cool only 15 seconds then remove paper, I have found it's better to wait a little longer and the paper almost falls off.
Epson 1400 CIS, Dark Paper and more 
BUT I would call imprintables and speak to Josh....he has two kinds on the site.... see what temp each can take.
