Do i need a cutter/plotter for a heat press business?

Euan,
Most likely you will be cutting around all of those, unless you use image clip, and that takes some getting used to. If you have not used it before.
Also depending on the bag color, you may have to use the transfer paper for dark colors.

It can be done , but if you want professional awesome results,, I think I would consider a cutter, My opionion is that it will look clean,,,and awesome,,
I do alot of transfers myself,, but unless you are working on white bags,, there will be product left behind unless you cut it off.

2nd option would be to have ace or first edition make you transfers where only the print comes off, if i was doing 500, I would do that,, it should be the least expensive of everything also,
Let us know how it goes,,,

vinyl will work if only one color...but I would outsource for the transfer...make sure the bag will take the heat...you might also look at digiprint from transfer express...ordering 500 would get you a good discount

The image is a 3 color water ripple effect so vinyl wont be an option, looks like ill need a cutter.

the bags are going to be white, what will be left aroun the outside of the design if the paper is also white?

From what people have said so far it seams that a cutter is essential for a transfer business?

Havent heard of image clip before, is that software??

I would order plastisol transfers for this job. A lot less time and work. The time saved will be worth ordering transfers. ... JB

yes, i agree , about the transfers, if you havent worked with ace of first edition, there are others but this will be your best, least expensive way, and with a cutter, you need to know how to run these things, Not something i would want to order when i have a order that needs to be done, soon, I would want time to work with the soft ware and the programs.
Just my opionon.

If you can spend the money on A cutter it will open other doors so you can make more money just A thought.

500 bags. Wouldn,t it be easier to just sub it out to a screen printer?

I would Use plastisol transfers as well. Then after making a good profit after a couple other jobs i would buy the cutter. Also just to let you know that for a cutter with good contour cutting features expect to pay over $1500 dollars. Goodluck.

I think for this job as I stated earlier plastisol would be best. I think as MrDavid said a cutter would be a great addition and open other doors of production. The cutter will allow you to be so much more versatile. ... JB

Yes i will definatly be getting a cutter in the future as a hope to be doing my own designs onto hoodys and would prefer to do vinyl instead of transfer.

If i got plastisol, the plastisol transfers would come back to me either on sheets with say 6 images on one sheet, or as 500 individual small squres. i could then press the square piece of paper onto the bag and only the design would transfer to the bag, i guess my question was would that be the same if they were printed with a inkjet printer onto transfer paper? Why do i need a cutter to cut EXACTLY around the spiral? What else will show if i just cut a big square around the design?


Sorry im trying to be as clear as i can i hope you understand what i mean

The ink jet will print the design and anything around or in that design will transfer too( like space inside the design). You can trim with scissors or a cutter with a optical eye. You can order plastisol too. There are many choices and the cost are much different with each( both labor and monetary). .... JB

Unless you are planning on doing large signage, a small desktop vinyl cutter can save you lots of time in the future. Craft Robo from Graphtec is a very popular model.

DREAMGLASS said:

Unless you are planning on doing large signage, a small desktop vinyl cutter can save you lots of time in the future. Craft Robo from Graphtec is a very popular model.

Click to expand...

I agree with Will,I think a cutter is a good addition. I think for the money a larger cutter from Uscuuter could be attained and be more veratile for futhure products. Good luck. ... JB

I am still pretty new to this. However, I have a Roland GX-24, which I thought would end my cutting transfer issues. However, when I import art work from a customer and try to outline and extract lines for cutting I usually get jagged lines, which cannot work for cutting. Is there something I am missing??? Thanks...this site is a life-saver.
Cynthia
CynSationally Yours

Cynthia have you checked out the videos from Josh Elsworth on the Imprintables website? They have helped me a whole lot. ... JB

Hotwheels. The difference between the plastisol and inkjet transfers is the inkjet has a polymer coating all over the sheet it is used on and the plastisol has no polymer to transfer, just the image so with the inkjet transfers, you will either trim the paper to not get the polymer ghosting or it will be visable after heat pressing it to the "bags". The plastisol transfers is a better process and has no polymer to be transfer so needs no trimming.
Cynthia. You need to use your art work program ( I use corel) and clean up the image an make sure the cut lines are closed( complete the circle or whatever shape it happens to be) and smooth any lines that aren't supposed to be jagged. I know this doesn't sound "claer" but I'm not good at explaining things very good. Sorry and good luck.

yes, thanks...I have looked at everything on Utube. Perhaps the art work I am working with does not have smooth lines??? I am going to the SGIA show in Atlanta in October, maybe I will learn something there.
Cynthia

There is a ezine worth looking into, I think this should get you there through google, acdrp. They have FREE siminars at different times and locations around the country about corel draw (assoc. corel draw profesionals) and I'm signed up for the one in Mobile Al at the end of Oct. But check it ouYou can downlaod all the old issues and keep up on corel things in the future.

I'm Having the same problem as Cynthia, I'm forced to brake the poly line and clean up the vector lines one at a time. Which is not to profitable. I wish after you create your art work you can import it into cutstudio and keep the vector art work as it was in corelx3, but it only will import as a jpeg file which just does not work. All roland tells me is there looking into it.