 | Quote: |  | | |  |
Originally Posted by belancergolf7 |  | | | | | | | | | Hi Kelly,
Your replys to me are ALWAYS very helpful! =) Thanks a lot. | |  | |  | |
You're welcome, Tena. Thanks for the kind words. =)
| | Quote: | | | | | | | | | | |
I have been reading a lot on here about epson printers. Are they really that important to use when it comes to printing transfers? | | | | | | |
Only if your current printer doesn't work with your paper. And by that I mean, as long as your shirt isn't fading in the wash.
Most printers will print a beautiful transfer, regardless of what ink is in the printer. The problem comes in when the shirt comes out of the wash, after multiple washes.
If you are getting fading in your wash test earlier than you like, a switch to pigment ink is probably a good call for you.
| | Quote: | | | | | | | | | | |
Which one do you recommend, | | | | | | |
That is a toughy. First question would probably be, what size image would you like to be able to print. If it's 8.5x11, there is no real need to look higher than the base models. C88+ and C120's.
I buy mine refurb'd from epson.com. The c120 can go for $31.20 at it's lowest. That is cheaper than a full set of 4 new ink carts from Epson, and the printer comes with that full set of ink.
If you want to print larger than 8.5x11, than you'll have to move up to one of the larger size printers, called large format. I have the 1400. (I also have the c88+, a few c120's - for the ink - and a cx9400.) So I am not partial to one model as you can see.
The 1400 can handle prints up to 13x19.
| | Quote: | | | | | | | | | | |
and how much will pigment ink cost me? How are they sold? | | | | | | |
Depends on where you buy ink and which printer you get. Some printers have 4 carts, some 5, some 6 and some 8. More ink is better for photographers, but not so much for heat transfer. Being as the surface we are transferring to has a weave surface, details are lost in it anyway, unlike photo paper.
So, pick a printer that uses 8 carts and ink costs go up.
There are a few ways to get ink:
*Epson (or the mfg - if not epson) carts aka "OEM carts" = most expensive way to buy ink
*"re-fill carts" = buy empty carts and ink in bottles and refill the carts yourself. This saves money over OEM carts, alot, and there is not too much issue with clogs from not printing everyday. Re-fill carts don't save as much money as bulk ink systems/CIS (continuous ink systems.)
*"bulk ink/cis" - these systems continually feed ink to the printer thru tubes that are attached to the bottles that sit beside the printer. They save the most money over time on ink, but are the most expensive to start up. If not printed with on a regular basis, the printer can run into clog issues. It gets bothersome to some, some printer regularly and don't have issues, or many issues.
Some suppliers for ink that I hear on the boards are inkjetcarts.us, inkjetfly.com, and shopdyesub.com. If you search any of these suppliers, or terms I've mentioned, you'll find user feedback on them, that'll help you learn alot more about each.
| | Quote: | | | | | | | | | | |
So far I have been using my ironall with my hp printer with great success. | | | | | | |
Great, if that's the case, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
| | Quote: | | | | | | | | | | |
I am still working on my jpss. The first time I used it, my shirt bled, so I did what you told me Kelly and tried printing with different settings. I printed out multiple images, each on different print settings onto a tee (spaced them out enough) and I'm going to see which one will wash without bleeding. | | | | | | |
Good luck with this, I hope it works out. There's no definite answers with this process, and sometimes what works for one person, just doesn't seem to want to work out for another. If you end up with continued problems with the HP and
JPSS, I might just pick up one of the c120's if you still want to use the
JPSS (in the 8.5x11 size).
But I hope it works out for you.
| | Quote: | | | | | | | | | | |
So what do you think about ironall dark Kelly? | | | | | | |
I like it. This is the paper I use. I didn't get any noticable fading, not like I sometimes read on the forum, and I've never gotten a bad batch, so my opinion of Ironall Dark could understandably be higher than some others.
I haven't tried the JetWear Dark (Alpha Gold for Darks) personally yet. I have heard that it holds color better, but the trade off is the heavier hand (thicker feel), and a lack of stretch, which is what I really love about the Ironall Dark.
I'd say a sample pack with both would set you right for a side by side comparison so you can see them both in person. Good luck to you, Tena. Nice talking to you.
What is the best DARK transfer paper to use? 
CorelDRAW macro author
