F&M 4 color process plastisol tranfers

I would do a search on that at the top of the page. There have been a lot of posts about the feel of them. Also check out Rodney's plastisol transfer comparison thread. He did tests with this transfer and reported on it.

hamlettsigns said:

Anyone use the F&M 4 color process plastisol tranfers?

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Yes.

hamlettsigns said:

If so did you like them?

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Yes.

But they do have a plastic feel that some people don't like. You might want to contact F&M for some samples.

Their process transfers do have a heavy hand, because of the white underbase I assume.
Plastisol is plastic, that is why it feels that way.

would you compare the hand to something like alpa dark?

Very similar. more of a " rubbery " feel to the F & M.

Has anyone had any dealings as of late? The reason for asking is on their site it says - "Online ordering is currently unavailable" - does that mean you can call? I have read where some had longer times than 3 days to get their order because they were moving. Does that mean they have stopped doing orders while they move so orderes will not be delayed? Just wondering.... need some made and was going to try them.

Thanks
Mark

Mark, I think they mean they do not have a web interface for accepting orders but you can just email the file along with what you want. I had no issues during the move.

I send the vector art, a jpeg proof and instructions (e.g. 150 each, 12x9, white ink, fashion formula). They will respond with a confirmation, your total and ship date. So far all my work has been excellent. It's seven days from submission until I have it back in my hands (submission day it goes to the art department, up to three days in production and two days shipping which because of the weekend always pushes it a day.

thanks for the replies. This is the first time trying the custom plastisol transfers and i do have one question. When submitting the artwork - i would send an eps file from Adobe Illy and would it be best to send it in layers breaking it down in each color or is that needed? Just trying to get it right the first time.

Thanks
Mark

Rainey said:

Has anyone had any dealings as of late? The reason for asking is on their site it says - "Online ordering is currently unavailable" - does that mean you can call? I have read where some had longer times than 3 days to get their order because they were moving. Does that mean they have stopped doing orders while they move so orderes will not be delayed? Just wondering.... need some made and was going to try them.

Thanks
Mark

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I haven't used the F&M Freedom transfers, but have done two fairly large orders of the Spot transfers, and was pleased with the quality. Delivery was about 7 days total, from placing order to receipt, allowing for UPS transit to my location, 3 days. They did short me on one of the orders (someone in shipping miscounted), but they found them and sent them next day first AM air, so I have had good service from them also.

Rainey said:

...send it in layers breaking it down in each color ...

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That is how I send my files except I send native CorelDraw files and they haven't complained.

wormil said:

Plastisol is plastic, that is why it feels that way.

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Hey Wormil...

Gotta disagree with you on this comment. There are many other plastisol transfers out that that do not feel like plastic. Same can be said with plastisol ink used in screenprinting.

Just wanted to say my $.02...

If there is a product similiar to Freedom without the similar hand.. please inform us!!!

stix said:

If there is a product similiar to Freedom without the similar hand.. please inform us!!!

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I have samples from Dowling that I haven't pressed yet but I'm guessing they will have a softer hand than Freedom. There are several vendors offing digital transfers which do have a hand but probably not as heavy as Freedom, they won't be anywhere near as durable.

treadhead said:

Hey Wormil...

Gotta disagree with you on this comment. There are many other plastisol transfers out that that do not feel like plastic. Same can be said with plastisol ink used in screenprinting.

Just wanted to say my $.02...

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Its a combination of ink thickness, ink smoothness and some additives can change the feel. One thing I notice about F&M transfers are they are very smooth which gives them a slight sheen. I actually like that and have received many complements about how great they look. They also seem to show and hold detail exceptionally well. However the sheen wears off after the first wash. I work mostly with businesses and its a good choice but like all things it may not be ideal for everyone.

I was using them for a while and loved working with them and loved the idea of being able to do photo realistic images at a reasonable price.

The ONLY down side I had with them was comments from people who didn't like the "plasticy" feel. That is why I stopped using them. But, they were great to work with and were reasonably priced and I'm hoping that at some point they can find a way to "soften up" the feel.

But..there are tradeoffs to everything and they certainly have their place in the arsenal!

Has anyone had problems with misregistration of color/images with Freedom transfers? Just received a gang sheet where several images are slightly off at some color transitions. They are reprinting the order for me after sending some photos. Customer service has been good.

g harry said:

Has anyone had problems with misregistration of color/images with Freedom transfers? Just received a gang sheet where several images are slightly off at some color transitions. They are reprinting the order for me after sending some photos. Customer service has been good.

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There have been some slight mis-registrations, but nothing only I would notice. The good thing about F&M is their customer service is excellent. I received a batch of transfers with a weird blotch once and they replaced it with no questions ... sent the new batch out overnight the very next day.