Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
has anyone heard/used this before? i was talking to a screenprinting company and telling them i wanted plastisol transfers however i have around 13 colours in my design, they then recommended vinyl transfers which apparently you print out in the same way you would do with inkjet transfers such as jpss and press on, i hear that the design lasts upto ATLEAST 40 washes, has anyone got any experience with this? is this just another form of inkjet transfers or is this seriously different? would it require a contour cutter for awkward designs or can it be weeded? im totally confused at the minute, any help would be appreciated
has anyone heard/used this before? i was talking to a screenprinting company and telling them i wanted plastisol transfers however i have around 13 colours in my design, they then recommended vinyl transfers which apparently you print out in the same way you would do with inkjet transfers such as jpss and press on, i hear that the design lasts upto ATLEAST 40 washes, has anyone got any experience with this? is this just another form of inkjet transfers or is this seriously different? would it require a contour cutter for awkward designs or can it be weeded? im totally confused at the minute, any help would be appreciated
thanks in advance guys
With 13 colors the design would not look good layering that many colors. Vinyls are OK with 2 two 3 layers. Beyond that the image will be very thick. You can print and cut printable vinyl just like inkjet opaque transfer but you have to contour cut it or you can contour cut regular inkjet opaque like JetWear dark, Jetwear IYA dark, Alpha Gold, Blue Grid Opaque etc. Some may last longer after several wash/dryer cycles. Some may fade, wear and crack.
Some printable vinyl requires Eco solvent ink. Eco solvent ink printers are very expensive.
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Luis MAD Scientist JR. AKA MS2 Digital Artist. My canvas is t-shirt and my paintbrush is heat press.
I think maybe the screen printer was referring to the heat press vinyl that you print on.
This type on heat press media is designed for use with UV, Eco-Solvent Ink and Solvent Inks just as the above poster said.
You will need an Eco-Solvent Printer such as the:
Roland SP-300 VersaCamm
Mimaki JV-3
Mutoh
Coastal Business carries this type of Media and I believe Imprintables does as well.
The VP540 pints these and you can choose which type of material and finish you want. They make materials like Stretch Print and Color Print Evolution that look very much like silkscreen with a matte type of finish and a very thin hand. They also make thicker and glossier materials. If you just need to order them, you can try places like transferexpress.com. I don't do silkcreen and just learned about plastisol transfers, so I have been using the versacamm for about a year doing shirts & uniforms and it does a good job.
vinyl transfers? 
MAD Scientist JR. AKA MS2
