I was wondering, i got some transfer paper the other week and i've done 4 t-shirts so far, ironed them on etc....they all came out really good. i worked out that i have to 'mirror' the image etc...for the text to come out right etc......but my question is after a few washes and i've heard this alot as many here will know, my images on the t-shirts start to fade, crack etc.....i use a epson printer and my images are great, no trouble there at all.
is there a glue/adhesive i could coat the image with that will maintain the image longer, a clear glue i could paint or spray over the image that will wash in the washing machine and still keep the image as good as ever? any glues , makes etc.... would be really helpful, thanks .
u don't say what ink u have in the Epson u need a pigment ink i use Dura Brite when using my epson.also it sounds a bit as if your transfer paper are not very good have u tried other's? there is a lot of diff ones talked about in this forum, I personally liked Duracotton but u can only use that with a laser printer, I think a lot of people go for Soft touch there is a thread about heat trans and I think there is also 1 on using a home iron which it sounds like u r using gl
yes i'm using a home iron, epson D92 printer, ink cartridges. what is good transfrer paper for this?
a lot of people use ironall but if u go to "search by polular keyword tabs" which is on the list to the left of your screen <------- then u will get a list of searches come up hit the 1 that says Transfer paper's and read what they say there is also a link to watch Rodney's vidio on transfer prints and i think there also 1 from Lou of Coastal.
I don't use epson anymore I went with a laser printer after reading all the threads about it I have an OKI 5600 and never looked back but i know there r a lot of people using Epson and get very good results, gl i think Lou has a vidio on home iron transfers if u look or PM him to ask
I have never got a home iron-on transfer to not crack. Thats why i finally got a heat press!! I f you wash it inside out and use no heat it may last a bit longer.
I think ironall (which i hear is the best) is not for irons.
I have never got a home iron-on transfer to not crack. Thats why i finally got a heat press!! I f you wash it inside out and use no heat it may last a bit longer.
I think ironall (which i hear is the best) is not for irons.
Good luck!!
so does a heat press still use transfer paper? and is this the way forward for long lasting t-shirts? when you go into town to get a t-shirt pressed with whatever image you want what do they use? i'm new to this, totally have'nt a clue
Ironall can be used for Hand Irons. I have the directions in front of me. Tubbs, Ironall for lights will solve your cracking issues as Ironall 'stretches' with the shirt, therefore eliminating the 'cracking' you are getting with your current paper. The paper you are using is 'fixed' in place on the shirt and it does not stretch in any way. When the shirt stretches, it 'rips' the image. Even if you coated it, which I don't even know if such a thing exists, you would still encounter the same problem.
Ironall can be applied with an iron, but has fade issues. Jetprosofstretch is another paper that has 'stretching' capabilities, so it also does not crack, and this paper was produced to address the fading issues experienced with Ironall. My Jetprosofstretch does not include directions for application with an Iron. The best thing to do would be to contact Coastal Supply to ask them directly if it can be applied successfully with an iron. You can find their contact info in the prefered vendor list on this forum. If you follow through with this, will you please update the thread to let us know what Coastal says.
I know many will say heat transfers cannot be successfully applied with an iron, but I have had success, and some are 6 months old. Lou (badalou) wrote a post describing in detail how to successfully apply heat transfer paper with an iron. It is here somewhere - I read it a while back. If you are a man, that is alot in your favor. I did it successfully, but I used my husbands big guns and 225 lbs to do it. , I could not get them to adhere as well as he did. After we got our press, our product was identical, just took 30 seconds instead of a full 3 minutes each 6x8 transfer.
Tubbs, one more thing. If it turns out you cannot use a hand iron for Jetprosofstretch, Ironall can be used with certain tee shirts and experience minimal color loss. I tested a variety of 8 tee shirts using the same: ink, press, washing machine, water temp and dryer. Out of 8, there were just as many varied results. I washed one time in cold and dryed on low. I washed the second time in warm and dried 25 minutes on med high heat (big no no, but that's what the customer will do, so I wanted to see what they would see.)
In the end, the Jerzee heavyweight 50/50 held Ironalls color the best, and the shirts are still holding up very very well. I don't prefer the feel and texture of the jerzee, but if it means I can use the Ironall, I am happy with it. I prefer the Gildans feel and thickness, tho, and am hoping now that there is Jetpro, I don't have to worry about color retention and can use the shirt I most prefer.
Again, best wishes. If you want to or have to use Ironall, just order shirts from someone like Alpha Shirt who will let you order shirts without a minimum so you can perform your tests.
I found 50/50 blends held the color the best with ironall. I have no idea why, but it did. GL.
so does a heat press still use transfer paper? and is this the way forward for long lasting t-shirts? when you go into town to get a t-shirt pressed with whatever image you want what do they use? i'm new to this, totally have'nt a clue
Yes, a heat press still uses heat transfer paper. A heat press provides the high temp and pressure needed for a professional product. The added benefit a heat press provides is you can also apply plastisol transfers which are transfers that are screen printed onto the paper - so you can get screen print quality and results without screen printing them your self, or ordering a big run from a screenprinter.
I applied my heat transfers with a hand iron at first (my husband was my heat press.) When I made enough money from my sales this way, I bought my heat press with the proceeds, so it cost me nothing up front. It was paid for by past sales.
A shop in town would be using a heat press, and there are folks who pay per shirt to have their images applied at shops that agree to do that.
Hope this helps. What have you been doing so far, applying office supply store or Avery paper with an iron? Just curious so I have an idea how far along you are.
Yes, a heat press still uses heat transfer paper. A heat press provides the high temp and pressure needed for a professional product. The added benefit a heat press provides is you can also apply plastisol transfers which are transfers that are screen printed onto the paper - so you can get screen print quality and results without screen printing them your self, or ordering a big run from a screenprinter.
I applied my heat transfers with a hand iron at first (my husband was my heat press.) When I made enough money from my sales this way, I bought my heat press with the proceeds, so it cost me nothing up front. It was paid for by past sales.
A shop in town would be using a heat press, and there are folks who pay per shirt to have their images applied at shops that agree to do that.
Hope this helps. What have you been doing so far, applying office supply store or Avery paper with an iron? Just curious so I have an idea how far along you are.
i'm really new to this, i'm not sure what paper is best/or what the names are i just bought t-shirt transfer paper, most likely not the best too. i've only done about 5-6 prints, i bought the paper on ebay and i used a hand iron at home.
the transfer paper i dont even know what make it was i just bought it.
all the prints came out good but after a couple of washes they cracked or faded.
i was happy with the results first off but i realised they dont last really but i enjoyed doing it and am intrested in buying a heat press now. i'm a single dad , i have an 8 year old son. i found it great/fun that i could go into say tesco and buy a t-shirt for £1.50 and print whatever my son wanted on it and it saves alot of money. and it's quite enjoyable when you see the results but disappointing for him and me when they dont last. i'd like to be able to print long lasting images and buying a heat press sounds like thats the way forward. all i have to do then is find out what paper to use etc......and find a few web sites to order from. i'm living in the uk.
i'm really new to this, i'm not sure what paper is best/or what the names are i just bought t-shirt transfer paper, most likely not the best too. i've only done about 5-6 prints, i bought the paper on ebay and i used a hand iron at home.
the transfer paper i dont even know what make it was i just bought it.
all the prints came out good but after a couple of washes they cracked or faded.
i was happy with the results first off but i realised they dont last really but i enjoyed doing it and am intrested in buying a heat press now. i'm a single dad , i have an 8 year old son. i found it great/fun that i could go into say tesco and buy a t-shirt for £1.50 and print whatever my son wanted on it and it saves alot of money. and it's quite enjoyable when you see the results but disappointing for him and me when they dont last. i'd like to be able to print long lasting images and buying a heat press sounds like thats the way forward. all i have to do then is find out what paper to use etc......and find a few web sites to order from. i'm living in the uk.
by the way thanks for your help.
I get some trans papers from Targets they r in uk Doug who i talk to will send u some samples out they r very good there and will help u
Yes, I can relate to your story, it is also how I made my start. I realized the same issues with cracking and in looking for help, also found my way here. The folks here explained the how to's and answered all my questions along the way as I stumbled through learning and understanding what to do. Great fun it was. Anyway, welcome to the forum, you're off to the same start as a few folks I've found here, some were learning right along side of me.
If costs are not a worry, a heat press is a fine machine to own. A nice name brand press is a great place to start. Some folks have had luck with Ebay presses, some have not. Sunie has a good reputation on the forum. That said, I chose a Stalh's with a lifetime warranty on the heating element. If you plan to buy a press, buy according to the size you think you will need. I have an Epson printer and I only print images on 8.5"x11" so I chose the 11"x15" press, it will fit my needs.
Paper: I use Jetprosofstretch because it stretches with the shirt and holds the color nice over time. It is for very light colored shirts. Color of the shirt can come through the image if it is say pink or blue, that can affect the colors in your image. Where there is white in the design it will be the color of the shirt. With this paper, you mirror the image and apply face down, place teflon over that, press.
Ironall Dark is a transfer paper that I like to use for darker colors. It also stretches with the shirt, and holds the color well. The color of the shirt won't come through. You don't mirror this image, print it like you would a document you would read. You peel this image off the backing paper B4 you apply it to the shirt, face up. You will receive parchment paper with it. Place the image on the shirt, place the parchment paper on that, place teflon over that, press.
Teflon sheets: Buy the same size as your press pad. When doing light shirts. place this over the heat transfer paper and press. In the case of Ironall for dark, place the image on the shirt, place the parchment over that and on top of both place the teflon sheet. It will keep the upper platen clean. It will also keep the fabric in your shirts from scorching under the heat of the press.
Shirts: It is important to make sure your shirts are Preshrunk. Even with Jetpro or Ironall, if your shirt shrinks in the wash after application, your image cannot shrink. This will cause a pucker in the image area and it does not look good. When using pigment ink, buy 100 cotton or 50/50 cotton blend. This ink won't adhere to 100 poly. That is a different process.
Moisture: All material holds moisture. You must remove it b4 you press.
What I do:
I fully press the shirt to get all the wrinkles out: body, neck and sleeves. Pick up the shirt and give it a gentle stretch side to side in the image area. I place the shirt on the heat press, line it up, and close the press for about 5-10 seconds to remove moisture from the image area. I let it cool a little, line up the heat transfer, place teflon over top, press for the right amount of time. (30 seconds at 375 degrees F for JPSS). Open the press, remove the teflon, remove the back of the paper, pick up the shirt, give it a stretch, place it back down, place parchment paper down, press again for about 5 seconds. It's worked like a charm so far.
Ironall dark, I stretch prior to pressing, not after, temp is 375, and press for 6 seconds. After pressing, I remove the parchment paper and replace the teflon and repress about 5 seconds.
Outside of making sure your ink is pigment ink in your Epson, that is about it for my process.
There is a section on the forum for regional help. Folks looking for other folks from their region to discuss amoung other things, what suppliers they use. I hope that will be alot of use to you.
Best regards to you and your son. I hope you both have alot of fun with the shirts, we love them hear in our house.
Adding:
I only want to add that I have switched to parchment paper for the "re-press'' (post press) for the reasons in this thread.
Kelly, excellent post! I think you've covered it here.
Word of warning, tho: after I pressed my JPSS test shirt and peeled, I covered it with our teflon sheet and pressed again.
Mark later went to press a shirt with plastisol sheets and there was a ghost image of the transfer I'd pressed ealier on his white ink, transfered from our teflon sheet.
transfer paper tips for lasting image 
gl
, I could not get them to adhere as well as he did. After we got our press, our product was identical, just took 30 seconds instead of a full 3 minutes each 6x8 transfer. 
Re: transfer paper tips for lasting image 
