Discuss the various aspects of heat pressed vinyl transfers. Popular and new types of vinyl media, suppliers, vinyl cutters /plotters, press times, quality, how to instructions and more can be found in this heat press sub forum.
I know several people have been asking about how to do multi-color vinyl, so I thought I'd share this job I just finished. It's 3 colors and I took a picture after each layer.
This one was pretty difficult to register because of the design with the thin black line around inside the gold. So when the bottom layer shrinks and warps, it was difficult to get the black to register.
I used ThermoFlex for the gold and white and SpectraCut II for the black.
Ever thought of using some registration dots to keep everything aligned between pressings. I do a lot of multi-piece boat transom graphics in vinyl and registration is always tricky, but there are some great tricks out there.
NICE JOB, how long did it it take you to do that shirt? If, I can ask, what did you sell it for ? ... JB
That's a good question. This shirt also had a 1-color name and # on the back. The first shirt always takes the longest. It probably took me an hour to convert the design into one usable for 3-layers of vinyl. Then it probably took me about 30 minutes to cut and weed everything. Then another 10-15 minutes to press both front and back.
I sold the first single shirt for $17. Then they ordered a dozen more, each one with custom name & # on the back and I sold them for $16. Of course the dozen didn't take as long because I did them all assembly line style, and I already had the cutting file ready to go.
Ever thought of using some registration dots to keep everything aligned between pressings. I do a lot of multi-piece boat transom graphics in vinyl and registration is always tricky, but there are some great tricks out there.
The registration problem is due to the 1st layer of vinyl shrinking and warping. When vinyl is heating to 350 degrees and cooled down again, it shrinks. And the gold ThermoFlex has especially sticky backing which causes it to stretch out of shape when you peel the backing off after pressing. So you can register the top part and the bottom might be 1/4" off. I tried peeling both hot and cold, and it still warped both ways, but the warping didn't seem to be as bad when I peeled it cold. Fortunately, the ThermoFlex can be stretched out afterward to try to get it back into a shape that you can register the next layer.
I don't think SpectraCut II stretches as easily, but then I don't think it warps as much as ThermoFlex either.
I know several people have been asking about how to do multi-color vinyl, so I thought I'd share this job I just finished. It's 3 colors and I took a picture after each layer.
This one was pretty difficult to register because of the design with the thin black line around inside the gold. So when the bottom layer shrinks and warps, it was difficult to get the black to register.
I used ThermoFlex for the gold and white and SpectraCut II for the black.
WOW! AMAZING JOB!
VERY DETAILED- ESPECIALLY WITH YOUR DIFFERENT LAYERS!
I USE THERMOFLEX TOO! AND I LOVE IT!
The registration problem is due to the 1st layer of vinyl shrinking and warping. When vinyl is heating to 350 degrees and cooled down again, it shrinks. And the gold ThermoFlex has especially sticky backing which causes it to stretch out of shape when you peel the backing off after pressing. So you can register the top part and the bottom might be 1/4" off. I tried peeling both hot and cold, and it still warped both ways, but the warping didn't seem to be as bad when I peeled it cold. Fortunately, the ThermoFlex can be stretched out afterward to try to get it back into a shape that you can register the next layer.
I don't think SpectraCut II stretches as easily, but then I don't think it warps as much as ThermoFlex either.
I hear you with the elasticity of ThermoFlex. It's tough sometimes. Great job!
Sample Multi-Color Vinyl Pics 
