 | Quote: |  | | |  |
Originally Posted by Girlzndollz |  | | | | | | | | | Inkjet heat transfers | |  | |  | |
Inkjet heat transfers. I'm using an Epson C88+, Durabrite OEM Pigment ink, Jetprosofstretch paper for light shirts, and I like the 50/50 cotton/poly blend preshrunk shirts. Preshrunk 100 cotton shirts can still have a slight bit of shrink in the wash, the 50/50's don't seem to do this.
PHOTO transfers/ One Off's: Can print photo like images onto shirts. If you can print it on your inkjet printer, you can press it. You can do one shirt only if you like.
COST: You don't need much: A printer, paper, the right ink, and some shirts, and the equipment isn't expensive either. This is outside of a press, but you'll need that for most of the other methods as well.
PAPER for light shirts: Using
JPSS (Jetprosofstretch) I get fabulous transfers. Superior color retention, the paper stretches with the shirt, no cracking or peeling, very little hand (soft feel) and - I've bleached
JPSS shirts with no fade.
I might add more later to the good things about heat transfer, but for now, this is where I'm at.
QUALITY PERCEPTION HURTS: There is an assumption out there that today's heat transfers are like the iron on transfers of yesterday. There have been alot of advances in this process over time, and the new papers are nice, namely
JPSS 
, but people don't forget easy. If someone is not told these are heat transfer shirts, alot of times, they can't even tell (referring to
JPSS). I like to call these Digital Image Transfers, or Digital Transfers as David/Motoskin likes to call them, which I also like as well -- they are both good ways to differentiate this process from an iron on transfer of yesterday.
Also, for high end or boutique stores, while nothing is impossible, it's not as likely to sell many high end retailers on inkjet heat transfers. Knowing your market will help when selling this product. Folks are carving out a nice bottomline with inkjet heat transfers, but sometimes, they do have retail limitations.
OPAQUES/Paper for darks: Dark papers have a heavier hand, and alot of folks don't like it. Because of it, alot of folks simply won't use it, because they don't think like the feel and/or the quality. There are folks that will sell heat transfers for lights, but are still waiting for something they like in darks. Many use some other process for dark shirts, or choose not sell dark shirts at all. Then there are the folks who like and sell shirts using papers for darks. It really seem to be each persons preference, but there really is a split in opinion on the dark papers.
TRIMMING/CUTTING THE WINDOW: Transferring the POLYMER WINDOW on light papers to the shirt, or the unprinted areas of the design with dark papers onto shirts, is an issue to deal with. With inkjet heat transfers for lights, the paper is coated with a polymer that carries the ink to the shirt. Whereever there is no ink, the coating still transfers to the shirt, and can be seen as well as felt. With papers for darks it is the same, except since the paper for darks has a white background, whereever there is no ink, it will be white. These areas need to be cut away either by hand or with a machine called a cutter/plotter, or add a color box to the back of the design, or take a chance and leave it, either way, it'll have to be deal with somehow. And heat pressing will not make the window/box go away.
For light shirts, it is possible sometimes to get away without trimming the transfer when you use a paper and shirt combination that really super reduces the noticability of the window. It will still be there, but I find with
JPSS, and especially the Jerzees HW 5050's I have, I have a very hard time seeing the window from the start. I'd say to experiment with your own stock to see if you like it or not, to figure out if you want to leave it or not.
There's quite a bit to list, and it's alot when giving explanations, too. I have to post this for now, but will come back to it if there's something major to add that I'm completely forgetting. Lunchtime!
Best regards,
Kelly
PS: other INKJET users: please help add to the list of things to consider when using the process if you have some time. Thanks so much!