[LoLox1]

I have been a little confused about this whole printer and t-shirt transfer thing. I am currently using a Lexmark X1150 inkjet printer. When I make a design and press it to a shirt it looks great but then when I wash it, almost the whole image washes right off of the shirt. I was told this is happening because the ink in my printer is dye based ink. I bought some heat press paper just for inkjet printers and the website that I bought it from said that they have no idea why this is happening but there paper is made for dye based printers. I have read on here that a lot of people get confused about dye based inks and pigmented inks and whatever else are out there. I have been trying to figure this out for a few months now but still nothing good has came out of it.

So pretty much im just asking for any one out there who can recommend me a good printer and paper and what kind of ink they are using that has been working with no problems. The whole reason for this is that I want to make heat transfers for shirts.

Thank you!

 

[lindsayanng]

It would probably help if you tell everyone what ink and what printer you are using..

 

[marcelolopez]

The standard are Epson printers, get and old C88+, a newer C120 for small format printer, or a 1400 (I have a 2200, and works perfectly ) The OEM ink should work most of the time. Some people have problem with yellow shifting to green when pressed, because of the heat.
In the other hand, OEM ink is kind of expensive. I would recommend, when you decide what printer you need, to buy a re-fillable cratridge kit ( I buy them from inkjetcarts.us) if your printing needs are modest, or a CIS if you print ( or will print ) a lot. When you buy ink for transfer, ask for the HT (heat transfer) yellow.
I can not help with your problem because I do not know your printer, and never used dye ink.
Good luck.

 

[Girlzndollz]

I've used regular dye ink with "Jetprosofstretch" paper. The printer is a Canon Pixma ip4000. It did not wash out. That is because the Jetprosofstretch (also called JPSS) paper works with dye inks.

The issues are:
* JPSS is for white/light shirts only. Can't use it with dark shirts.
* Also, for light colored shirts, the color of the shirt could interfer with the colors of the design. The design colors have to be darker than the shirt color.

If you plan on only doing white/light shirts, it might be worth testing your ink with JPSS for colorfastness. Maybe there are refill carts or bulk ink for your printer. That is easy to search, just google your printer model, like "Lexmark bulk ink" or "lexmark refill carts".

If you are going to need to use dark papers for dark shirts (also called opaque papers), you'll need to use "pigment" inks. I can get pigments for my Canon printer, so maybe you will want to check if there are pigment options for your Lexmark. I don't use Lexmarks... all of ours have been given away, or are in the attic. I like the water resistance of the pigment inks, tho I will be trying the "claria ink" in the "epson 1400" for myself soon. Many people have alot of success with it. A very few don't, but then again, the "durabrite" that comes in the c88+ and C120 works for most people, me included, but not for everyone because of the "color shift" issues that can happen.

If you search any of the terms that I've quoted for you, you will find many threads with additional info for you... Good luck and .....

 

[LoLox1]

Thanks for all the help.

I have made my decision and im going to purchase an Epson printer. Can I use the Ink that comes with the printer or will I have to buy the bulk/ refillable ink system with it?

Thank again.

 

[Girlzndollz]

Here's a post on inks that helps answer that question a little more fully than yes and/or no:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t59987.html#post356402