[ncsevensprings]

I am so confused. I'm brand new to heat presses. Tonight I made a design in InDesign and printed it on an Epson 1400 and used a JetWear Hot peel from tshirtsupplies.com. The first one that I pressed on a white shirt came out okay. The second one that I pressed, some of the color didn't come off on the shirt. The only thing that I can think of that I did differently was not let the second one that I printed, sit up for a few minutes before I pressed it. Is it possible that the printer ink might have caused the second one to not come out the same as the first? At this rate, I'm going to be broke before I start. I have ruined so many shirts. Can someone recommend heat transfers that I can print on to use on dark colors? I don't want anything to show up but the design. The ones that I tried yesterday, the shirt was hard feeling around the extra space between the design and the edge of the transfer. I need HELP....

 

[AustinJeff]

What kind of press are you using? What settings?

You can do a search of the forums here (use search box at the top of the page) for info on inkjet transfers for darks. But generally they are going to feel thick, will require trimming, and are not particularly durable. I have yet to find any that I would consider "professional" quality.

 

[ncsevensprings]

I can't find the name of the press on the machine. That figures. I'm not impressed with heat transfers at this point. I know that screen printing is a lot more work, but to me it is a lot more reliable.

 

[monkeymoon]

Hi Karen
Don't panic, we all go through this, and we all come out the other side o.k and so will you.
It does sound like the transfer that didn't release its' ink was a little "raw" it needed to dry for about 15 minutes or so before pressing.
The best advice I can give is Test Test Test. If you have a problem, set up a test with variable peramiters I.E heat, time and pressure. Make sure that you keep a note of each set of tests and how they turn out. This will give you the optmum settings for consistant results. This is also a good and productive use of your messed-up shirts.

 

[ncsevensprings]

Thanks. I have a bunch of messed up shirts. I had no idea to let the transfer set up before using. That explains my problem maybe. What kind of transfer do I need to purchase in order to be able to print on darks?

 

[monkeymoon]

Thanks. I have a bunch of messed up shirts. I had no idea to let the transfer set up before using. That explains my problem maybe. What kind of transfer do I need to purchase in order to be able to print on darks?

For darks I use coastal opaque from coastal business. Yeah, it has a "hand" to it, but as long as your customer knows what they are getting and you are doing a good price, then they generally are happy to proceed.
I'm from the UK so to order from the states is a hassel, but it is worth it for the selection and quality.
60% of my business is done using opaque on darks, so don't rule it out as an option.
Good luck

 

[COEDS]

I suggest jetwear dark for the dark shirt transfers. This seems to the paper on the market according to the people who use it. ... JB

 

[DTFuqua]

Hi Karen. You found the same problem I found. I personally don't like the feel of the dark transfers but its all there is short of very high dollar machines or screen printing. My daughter in law and others told me that most of the decorated shirts they find in stores has that plastic feel. I am waiting to get the funds to buy a cutter/plotter so I can do a good job of trimming the excess paper to get only the image(s) I want to transfer to the shirts without a white outline around any detail to small for hand trimming. There are other advantages to a cutter as in heat press vinyl. There are some vinyls that are so cool, like the reflectives and the foils (looks like printed in foil) as well as adding sign and stickers to my list of things to sell. Good luck.

 

[Masterkoin]

I use JPSS for lower quantities on lights. Haven't found any dark transfers that I care for yet so I got a cutter and I use it for small number of darks. If I have a large enough quantity to get the price down, I just order plastisol transfers.

 

[ncsevensprings]

What does JPSS stand for?

 

[ncsevensprings]

Do you have to trim it out or does it have white that shows up around the edges?

 

[COEDS]

What does JPSS stand for?

JPSS = Jet pro soft stretch. ... JB

 

[DTFuqua]

Do you have to trim it out or does it have white that shows up around the edges?

You don't have to, but there will be coating outside the image area I don't see any traces of it after washing though. I also do trim mine but not as close as you'd need to trim a dark transfer