[FLEXYOURFAITH]

Hi, hello, and how to you do?

It's AA-ron here with a question about heat transfer onto athletic mesh uniforms... PLEASE SEE BELOW

• What's the best MESH application-specific brand/material for this use [or, can regular material be used if the mesh isn't too exaggerated]?
• Please share some application tips and best-practices [temp, pressure, ad whether or not to double-press for better substrate bonding]
• By looking at our current design [ATTACHED below] how can we accurately calculate the amount of both colors we'll need to complete the client's order, without overpaying for excessive white + Vegas gold [about 50-70 jerseys front and back as pictured]
• Lastly...where's a dependable affordable suppliers for lacrosse pinnies and team jerseys? Augusta, Holloway, High-5, etc etc all fell short this time around

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! Image we presented to client is below...

 

[Industryps]

You can use Stahl's yardage calculator for figuring out how much material you'll need based on your design size.
They also have a pretty good selection of materials for athletic wear.
Not sure about your garment sourcing issue though...

 

[splathead]

You should consider screenprinting. For 70 pieces it will be faster, cheaper, and much, much easier.

 

[into the T]

check out this thread

should it not be 'glenoak eagles' on the front and number/name on the back?
that would save you material

as far as material needed that depends on sizes,
if you design it right you may be able to fit xs/s/med number outlines inside the l/xl ones
that would save you material

 

[FLEXYOURFAITH]

You should consider screenprinting. For 70 pieces it will be faster, cheaper, and much, much easier.

Thanks Splathead! We've ordered Plastisol transfers from a couple providers in the past, and really liked them - if the final order exceeds 50 units we always do! In the future we're going to invest into an embroidery machine and a cutter/plotter/printer combo machine to add to the shop. Screen printing is probably down the road as far as in-house.

The one thing we don't like is how the price goes up by 1,000% or even MORE when ordering Plastisol screen-print transfers with more than one color/layer

 

[FLEXYOURFAITH]

check out this thread

should it not be 'glenoak eagles' on the front and number/name on the back? that would save you material

The client was very specific with their creative guidance on our two consultation phone calls. The team, coaches, and booster club leaders all wanted it that way (in the digital rendering). I know what you mean though!

as far as material needed that depends on sizes, if you design it right you may be able to fit xs/s/med number outlines inside the l/xl ones that would save you material

That's such a good idea! We may end up going the plastisol screen-print transfer route though to save time, the small profit margin loss is well worth the time savings. We'll see what the ultimate order ends up being, but even at their minimum of 40...we'll probably still go with a plastisol transfer.

In general though, what's a great mesh heat transfer material option for future use on one-offs and smaller orders? I know Stahl's has a specific material they advertise for that, but although Stahl's is well known in the industry, we were so underwhelmed with their fashion film, we've avoided them since that experience going through a huge 50 yard roll over the past couple months! Haha.

 

[into the T]

i realized afterward that your design was already probably set,
but left it there just in case
at least they are pretty easy weeds, but material might be wasted
if it is not too much on your time,
you could do a quick full through-cut on the gold number outline interiors wuth an x-acto before weeding and save it for later use
also add your smaller logos inside the white number outlines, and it looks like 'lacrosse' will fit in there as well

did you check that linked thread above for a possible vinyl option, or did i put the wrong link there?

we just picked up a contract because all the plastisol transfers on the gym wear cracked within a few months of use/washes,
and we will be using the above vinyl (i'm only in for 13 wash/dry cycles on my test tee, but so far, so good)

hoping for a blessed new year for you and yours,
now get back to lifting!

edit: if you do get a eco-solvent printer/cutter, maybe get samples from joto/thermoflex, chemica and sef for your testing

 

[FLEXYOURFAITH]

did you check that linked thread above for a possible vinyl option, or did i put the wrong link there?

The TurboFLEX (I like that name better haha!) Thrmoflex Turbo sounds amazing. Actually, Thermoflex was THE VERY FIRST product we used when just starting the company and producing prototype designs. Just realized earlier this week that it's the ONE OF ONLY 2 PRODUCTS we've ever used that we've actually been 100% happy with (that, and Top Dog Films, with a close 3rd place to Perform Cut); yet we ventured over time to Stahl's and Siser for 100% of our raw supply needs.

I just realized I'm off subject officially now lol, but we are really....really...REALLY looking for a change in material for casual, cotton, tri-blend type apparel. ALL of the Siser material wrinkles and looks pretty horrible after 3-4 washes (it looks amazing after production while it's still on the hanger). We have our performance wear down pat 100%, but the casual type apparel needs a face-lift and we're all about refining!

we just picked up a contract because all the plastisol transfers on the gym wear cracked within a few months of use/washes,
and we will be using the above vinyl (i'm only in for 13 wash/dry cycles on my test tee, but so far, so good)

Yeah...what's the deal with that? We noticed cracking on some left-overs from several large orders last year after some slight wear (maybe 5-10 washes) which blew our minds. Plastosol was supposed to be "better" but it became flaky from both providers (Stahl's and F&M Digital Marketplace)

Please let me know how your new Thermoflex Turbo does compared to the Plastisol transfers!

hoping for a blessed new year for you and yours,
now get back to lifting!

HAHA, awe yeah, been 100% this year so far. I started a group workout with our FLEX YOUR FAITH Team, we've been CRUSHING IT! Working out with insane intensity, CrossFit style workouts. THANKS!

edit: if you do get a eco-solvent printer/cutter, maybe get samples from joto/thermoflex, chemica and sef for your testing

I'm wondering if we can outfit the company with an embroidery machine and a printer/cutter combo for under $10,000 - to be continued......

Thanks as always for your help and insight! You're this forum's GURU! Please see above for replies......