Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I searched the forum for a direct comparison of various inkjet transfers available. I didn't find one, so i ordered the sample pack that coastal sells and did my own tests.
The light transfer papers included are:
Red Grid Light (red grid on back)
Jet Pro Soft Stretch (blue grid / says jet pro soft stretch on back
Iron Man(vertical orange/brown lines on back)
Everlast(ironall i think, blue/green backing)
Cold Peel (grey vertical lines on back)
Coastal Inkjet(says coastal injkjet transfer paper on back in light green)
Printing:
I printed identical images on each paper... a color spectrum, yosemite, and me (you'll see). I used my HP Deskjet 1220c with vivera inks.
The first ranking I did was how they looked on paper.
Iron Man
Cold Peel
Jet Pro
Everlast
Coastal
Red Grid
Transferring:
I transferred them with the averaged settings provided for both time and temp. I also repressed only half the images to see if that would make a difference.
The transferred images all looked good, but here is the pre-wash orders for:
Image quality:
Iron Man
Coastal
Cold Peel
Red Grid
Jet Pro
Everlast
Feel / hand (from softest to most noticeable):
Jet Pro
Everlast
Cold Peel
Coastal
Red Light
Iron Man
No pictures, they didnt turn out.... on to washing
Washing: I washed them as per the instructions... on cold, tumble low. I used All (Free and Clear) detergent... if anyone cares.
I then washed them on hot and dried high. The results for both washing methods were the same...
Image Quality:
Iron Man
Red Grid
Jet Pro
Cold Peel
Everlast
Coastal
Feel / hand:
Jet Pro
Everlast
Cold Peel
Red Grid
Coastal
Iron Man
Regarding Repressing: Most of the transfers were helped by repressing. In these cases the unprinted edges were less noticeable on the re-pressed side.
There were, however, two exceptions: Iron Man, and Cold peel.
Both these transfers seemed to sit on top of the shirt a bit more than the others, and when pressed deeper they seemed more inclined to crack, but they ONLY cracked on that side.
Conclusion: There were only 3 transfers I would be inclined to use, and all under specific circumstances:
Iron Man (for photos with defined edges only. (no unprinted paper visible))
Red Grid (for general use (best all around paper I tested))
Jet Pro (Where feel is VERY important. Though is a very noticeable drop in image quality)
The 3 I would not use are:
Coastal (though initially impressed with the transfer I was dissapointed when the majority of the red washed out after the first wash on cold.
Everlast (though a very soft feeling transfer I think the image quality was just not good enough the colors were duller than what the coastal left behind.
Cold peel (the image quality was just below what i consider acceptable, and was quite a bit stiffer than most of the other transfers.
These are the final pictures after a wash in cold/dry low, and a wash in hot/dry high.
They are in order of appearance (not feel).
I am not familiar with vivera ink. Is that new? Is it an HP ink or 3rd party?
It's the HP ink. I'm surprised that the wash results were so good because I've used Vivera ink before and it bled all over the place after washing. Maybe they have changed it since I tried it .....
It's the HP ink. I'm surprised that the wash results were so good because I've used Vivera ink before and it bled all over the place after washing. Maybe they have changed it since I tried it .....
We have been using an HP printer with Vivera ink since May and have been extremely happy with the results. Prior to making the transition, we printed dozens of transfers and pressed them onto test shirts which we washed repeatedly (at least 10 times). The results were really good and we were pleasantly surprised. We used both light and opaque transfer paper. There was no more fading than with Epson ink, yet the colors were much more vibrant with the Vivera. We do at least two shows a month and sell our shirts in a local shop. We do include specific washing instructions on a hang tag and when pressing, take extra time to remove every bit of moisture.
I didn't have any clogs, and i have left these cartridges sitting for up to 2 weeks between uses. The one problem i did have was with the black cartridge. It drips occasionally. (had to re print the jet pro because of this problem) But I think it's this particular cartridge as I've never had that problem before.
I just purchased an HP1220c and am looking for paper to use. I have used the Jet Pro and really like the softness it leaves. However, I need a 11X17 transfer now and noticed the Jet Pro site says "SES Jet Trans is not recommended for use in HP1200C" which is why I guess you got the worst image quality?? Have you found any other "soft" transfers that may work better? Why do you think the Jet Pro is not as compatible with the 1200 series like it is with others? I have used them on an HP v series ink jet and it worked fine. I just had to turn down the ink level to keep them from bleeding.
The jet pro did not produce the worst image quality. Not even bad.
The image quality for the jet pro was not as good as two of the others, but still very acceptable, and better than 3. I wouldn't hesitate to use it with this printer if feel is important.
Note that this printer does not come with the vivera ink, and without it the pictures dont look nearly as good. They sell the standard and the vivera replacements, make a point of getting the vivera... it works waaaaaay better.
I have yet to come across a softer, or even comparably soft, paper.
Keep in mind that my pictures tend to look grainier than the actual product, and the jet pro looked very good when done. I wouldn't hesitate to use it with this printer for a customer.
If you dont mind giving up a bit of softness for a slightly better image use the red grid. Both product worked very well.
I know this is an older post, but I just came across it. Excellent testing by the way. That is exactly why we offer different papers because everyone will experience different results when testing and will have different opinions. Very good post.
Inkjet Transfer Comparison 
