[Scassidy77]

Can any plastisol transfer gurus help me?

Hi guys, I'm feeling really flustered here. I just want to get started but I keep wasting money on these transfers and shirts not working out.
My plastisol heat transfers are not working correctly and I don't know why?
A couple months ago, I received some transfer sample packs from pro world and transfer express. All of them went on very easily and I had no real problems. I recently made my first large purchase of stock plastisol transfers. I got them from Thompsons Transfers, the selection was good and so were the prices. After I received them I was eager to get started pressing some shirts [Anvil 980 shirt blanks]. I pressed about 6 transfers using the suggested temp and time setting and then had to stop cause I was having issues. Half of them had issues with the ink not all coming off in various spots. I was puzzled as I had no problems with the samples I had tried previously from pro world and transfer express??
I called Thompsons transfers the next day and talked to the owner [Great guy] and he explained that everyone's machines are different and sometimes you have to adjust the time or temp to find what works for you. I don't really understand this though... It seems that if my platen is 390 degrees then it shouldn't be different from another machines that has a platen temp of 390 degrees. It seems to me that 390 degrees is 390 degrees. but I'm obviously a rookie at this and what I'm doing isn't working so I'm open to any suggestions anyone has.
Ive read that some people use the same temp and time for all their transfers so I tried that also. 390 degrees for 25 seconds. that still didn't work. Some of my transfers will go on perfectly and other won't work right. I didn't realize when I purchased these transfers that they were all made by different companies, so there is not really any consistency between them. and there is no way to know who made which ones, except for a few of them say Wildside for example.
here is a prime example of what is happening. this is a stock transfer that was made by "the Wildside" I put up a picture of the original transfer and then a photo of how it came out on the shirt. The last photo is on the shirt where the bricks didn't fill in and the swirling lines are not fully colored.

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=253145&stc=1&d=1522311913
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=253153&stc=1&d=1522311913
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=253161&stc=1&d=1522311913
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=253169&stc=1&d=1522311913
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=253177&stc=1&d=1522311913

This is just one example, but this is pretty much exactly what is happening with all of the ones that don't work. When I go to pull the transfers off, I can tell immediately when this is going to happen. Cause the transfer will be stuck to the shirt, and not want to pull off easy. It's as if it is stuck like glue to the shirt. The opposite happens on all of the transfers that do work out properly. I can tell right away because they pull off nice and easy. Then they look great.
So basically they are stuck like glue to the shirt. I have to peel them off, and parts of the transfer stay on the sheet. This particular transfer called for 390 10-12 seconds. I did that and paper wouldn't pull off easy and I could see the print wasn't sticking to the shirt, so closed then clam for another 10 seconds still wouldn't peel off so closed it again for another 12 seconds and same thing, so I just peeled it off knowing it wasn't going to work.
I pretty sure my platen is at the right temp. I checked it with against the built in thermometer, and 2 different infared thermometers at the same time and all are reading the same. I have an older stahls hotronix 16 x 20 clam style "Mighty Press". The platen reads within 4 degrees all the way across and up and down when checked with infared temp gun. I'm using medium heavy pressure. Takes 2 arms to close the clam. I've tried more and less pressure.
It's not really top part or bottom bottom part of transfers that I'm consistently having problems with. It's just various parts of the design all through out the transfers. Please tell me how to fix this issue. I'm just wasting transfers and tshirts at this point. Thank you!

 

[webtrekker]

Why get samples from two different suppliers that apparently work faultlessly, then place your order with an untested supplier?

 

[socceronly]

Cut a couple of them up into say quarters. That way you can use less transfers/shirts when testing.

Go through a range of pressure.

What kind of heat press do you have? Depending on the surface you can check your temperature with a heat gun or you might need a pyrometer.

There are bad batches of transfers, this definitely happens. It isn't always you but good to eliminate stuff on your end first.

There are not a lot of variables here. Temp, Time, Pressure, Pre Heat, Garment, Transfer.

With plastisol, it shouldn't take a too much tweaking. They are generally pretty robust.

Perhaps someone else can chime in on such transfers wrt to time and how they have been stored if that is an issue when buying pre made transfers. I have never bought anything like that before.

 

[BadZebedee]

I've had similar problems with stock transfers. Some worked flawlessly and others just wouldn't work for me and gave me results similar to what you're experiencing with a lot of the transfer remaining on the sheet. I found that using less pressure on the heat press yielded better results.

 

[proworlded]

We've been selling 1000's of stock designs for over 40 years and very occasionally a design, for some unknown reason, does not apply properly for one customer but others have no problem with the same design from the same production run. As stated in another post, there are so many variables. When a design does not apply properly we recommend taking another of the same design, cut it into 3 pieces, and apply each to the back of the damaged shirt with tweaking the time, temperature, and/or pressure. That usually solves the problem.

 

[Scassidy77]

Why get samples from two different suppliers that apparently work faultlessly, then place your order with an untested supplier?[/QUOTE
Well, I am new to this, but the sample packs we're basically samples of things you would have custom made or custom ordered. I am not in the market for custom made transfers, but did want to get my feet wet with applying heat transfers and figured this would be a good way to see what it is like to apply them. I just wanted to use stock transfer designs.
After searching around on the internet I realized that a lot of the stock transfers are the exact same designs sold at wildside vs pro world vs Thompson's transfers etc. So they should all be made by the same place and figured there shouldn't really be any difference between them in my mind except for the prices. And Thompson's transfers is by far cheaper then the other options I looked at for the same stock transfer designs. So that's why I went to them instead.

 

[webtrekker]

Ok. Sorry, I'm in the UK. So, are you saying that all these plastisol transfer suppliers don't actually print the transfers themselves, unlike most of the UK suppliers I know?

 

[soul08]

I don't have experience with stock transfers, but I often use Plastisol transfers printed by our silkscreen guys. I found it s quite important to feel the moment when to peel of transfer paper. If it's to hot or too cold, it goes bad.

 

[Scassidy77]

Ok. Sorry, I'm in the UK. So, are you saying that all these plastisol transfer suppliers don't actually print the transfers themselves, unlike most of the UK suppliers I know?

From what I have been able to figure out at this point and I am no expert. There are a lot of companies make their own plastisol heat transfers. These companies will typically have a small supply of stock transfers to offer, but not a great selection over all. They seem to be primarily focused on creating custom order transfers for people who already have a design in mind that they want made into a heat transfer. They will take your design and create the transfer for you.
Then there are other companies such as Pro World and Thompsons transfers etc. that have an abundant selection of stock plastisol heat transfers for sale, but they are supplied to them from all of these smaller companies [as listed above] who are actually making them in large quantities for distribution. By carrying all of these other companies stock transfers, they can offer a huge selection of transfers over all to choose from that can all be purchased in one place instead of having to spend hours searching different companies to find 1 or 2 transfers here and there that will suit your needs. This is why you will find the same transfer designs being sold on different sites. Because they are all coming from the same suppliers. It's wonderful to have the big selection, but the problem that I think I have run into is that you don't really know who is making the transfers you are getting. Therefore you will have inconsistent results when using these transfers. And if you are having problems with transfers made by a certain company, there doesn't seem to be any way to avoid buying their transfers again. Since you don't know who made which design to start with or who made the next one you order. At least I don't know how to tell the difference.
I'm not sure if "The Wildside" makes all there own stock transfers or not? but they have a good selection. I know some of the transfers I got say The Wildside on them, so I would assume that they had to have made them themselves. And also Pro World may make some of there own Stock heat transfers as well. but I do not know this to be fact. I do believe they do custom orders though.
The fact remains that there is a lot of people that have been successfully using stock transfers from these companies for a long time. Sure there is probably a bad batch now and then, but the fact that I am having 50 percent of my transfers not working properly is probably something on my end that I need to figure out how to do better. If everyone was having these problems then nobody would be using them. There is definitely a learning curve for something that in theory seems so simple to do. Although its very upsetting when your new to this like me, and follow the directions for application and they are not working. And then your left with trying to unravel the mystery of why.
I'm very grateful for all the wonderful members on this site who are willing to unselfishly to go out of their way to help someone like me who is struggling to get started. And for companies like Pro World who always seems willing to offer their advice and support as well. I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you. I will definitely be paying it forward when I get things figured out better on my end and have something to offer.

 

[webtrekker]

Ah, I see. That's interesting. I am only interested in custom transfers so didn't understand about the stock transfers possibly being produced by different companies.

Thanks for that. You live and learn!