Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
Hello all I'm new to the business,i just purchased a heat press,and i wanted to start out by using an ink jet printer,what's the best printer for the price and can i make a quality product using this method?
I have Epson 88+ printers. One for inkjet, one for sublimation, and one for chromablast. You can make a quality product, however, plain old inkjet prints feel like vinyl on the shirts.
__________________ - Loretta - "In all thy ways acknowledge the Lord and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6 www.DistinctiveImprinting.com
oooh...Loretta. I have to disagree with that statement about 'feeling like vinyl'. The high grade inkjet papers leave a very soft surface and the print is very vivid and durable.
__________________ www.proworldinc.com - AMAZING $99 15x15 Heat Press Special. Exclusive 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee.1000's of Stock Transfer designs. Custom Transfers...plastisol and rhinestone.
Epsom printers is what lot people here use most have the 120 Epsom. Now when it comes to transfer paper JPSS is the best for light shirts, but you still can feel the print until you start to wash then it will go Away and you can wash with Bleach with this paper..
Now for dark shirts I do not use the transfer paper out there dont like the feel {BUT THAT IS JUST ME}
__________________ Never say "no I can't" when you can just takes time and patience!!!!
I will have to disagree with Loretta as well on two counts.
1. Vinyl feels very smooth...smoother than inkjet transfers before the wash.
2. JPSS inkjet transfers are super soft after the wash and get softer as the cycles continue.
I use an Epson C-120 and 1400 as well as cad cut vinyl, plastisol transfers and waterbased screen printing.
oooh...Loretta. I have to disagree with that statement about 'feeling like vinyl'. The high grade inkjet papers leave a very soft surface and the print is very vivid and durable.
Really??? I have 3 different inkjet printers. My sublimation prints have no hand and feel soft on the material. My chromablast prints have a barely noticable hand until after a washing or two and then no hand and have a soft feel. My inkjet prints feel stiff, not even a tiny bit soft or pliable until after several washes and even then you can tell where the transfer is at with your eyes closed and just going by touch. I'm referring to t-shirt prints here. All of them provide vivid prints.
What kind of paper are you referring to? I got my inkjet transfer paper, sublimate paper, and chromablast paper from bestblanks and I just ordered two more sublimate papers from Conde. I just don't care for the stiffness of regular inkjet transfers on t-shirts. So if you are able to get a nice soft feel on a regular 65/35 or 100% cotton t-shirt without the chromablast or sublimate paper, what brand of paper are you using? I'm willing to try it out.
__________________ - Loretta - "In all thy ways acknowledge the Lord and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6 www.DistinctiveImprinting.com
I agree with Ed on This.... A lot of people buy one paper and then believe that is the standard. there are so many papers out there and if you follow the post you will find the ones most recommended are usually the best. JPSS is high on the list. Ed also offers Clearsoft which I believe is the Iron All for lights reformulated. Ed told me it has been doing well for them and has great customer response. Lou
Sublimation prints have no hand and feel soft on the material. {This is ture but you can not use cotton shirts with Sublimation ink} and it cost lot more then pigment ink the only thing cheaper is laser printer and there is some very nice paper for that to.
__________________ Never say "no I can't" when you can just takes time and patience!!!!
I agree with Ed on This. ..... A lot of people buy one paper and then believe that is the standard. there are so many papers out there and if you follow the post you will find the ones most recommended are usually the best. JPSS is high on the list. Ed also offers Clearsoft which I believe is the Iron All for lights reformulated. Ed told me it has been doing well for them and has great customer response. Lou
Do you need any special inks with these and what kind of material can you print on with these?
__________________ - Loretta - "In all thy ways acknowledge the Lord and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6 www.DistinctiveImprinting.com
Last edited by Girlzndollz; December 19th, 2008 at 02:50 PM.
Reason: Removed information related to a moderated post.
I also agree that for light shirts, there have been advances in the paper. I have just started to re-press my JPSS (Jetprosofstretch) shirts with parchment paper instead of re-pressing with teflon, and the finish is silky smooth.
JPSS peels with a fine gritty feeling on the finish, and when I re-press with teflon, it still feels that way until it is washed. I have to say, I just re-pressed a shirt I did a few months ago, it was sitting unused on a hanger this whole time, and using the parchment paper, it made the finish silky smooth, even smoother than the washings do.
I used Reynolds parchment paper, JPSS, Durabrite ink, and the finish is smooth on 80/20 Hanes sweatshirts and the Jerzees HW 5050 (29). I haven't tried my Hanes beefy tee or Gildan's yet, but I expect more of the same results.
Kelly, I've never heard of re-pressing a garment. Is this something that you do just for the JPSS? Or do you have to do that on every kind of paper and process (sublimation & chromablast)? What is the purpose of re-pressing? Is it just to shine up or soften the image?
__________________ - Loretta - "In all thy ways acknowledge the Lord and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6 www.DistinctiveImprinting.com
I only do inkjet heat transfer as far as the heat press papers, and I follow up the main press, after peeling, with a stretch in the image area while the ink is hot, to open the weave below the image. Then I re-press the shirt with parchment on top, and it resets the ink, imo, further into the weave and reduces the risk of cracking. I just think it makes the finished product overall a better product. There are some others that also feel the same way.
Some people have reported cracking with the JPSS and when we advise them to peel hot, stretch and repress, it seems to always solve the problem... (which is a rare problem anyway)...
But now the parchment solved the ghosting problem, and a whole lot more with that silky smooth wonderful finish it leaves on the JPSS.. I am a happy camper.
Have a nice night, Loretta... Hope you find a better solution to what you have now.
question about heat presses 
