Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Hi Chani! This is the post I've been waiting for and asking for! If I wasn't so darn tired tonight, I'm pretty sure the anticipation of your post tomorrow would keep me up all night! Please don't wait until the wash tests are done to start posting on your experience cutting with the plotter and pressing! I just don't know if I can wait that long! LOL...

OK, now that you know that I'm so eagerly anticipating this post, the pressure is REALLY on for you to follow through tomorrow!

Melissa

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Yes, it is!

I also need to do my plotter vs IronAll for Darks test, but one thing at a time. I still need to come up with a suitable image for that test.

The test I'll do tomorrow will be a VERY complex cut and press. I'll be cutting a contour around letters and shapes to give as LITTLE blank transfer as possible, and using Magic Mask (which is necessary for transfers for lights anyway). We'll see how this paper handles those cuts. If it's going to flake, this is where it will do it.

Don't worry, I'll take pics and post them as soon as I'm done transferring, then post wash tests as I do them.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

And now the moment several of you have been waiting for!

(Rodney and mods, I guess I put this in the wrong forum...maybe it should be in the Vinyl Cutters forum, not Heat Transfers...up to you. )

I just got done printing, cutting, weeding, and pressing my test shirt.

This is the design I transfered using Jet-Pro SofStretch:

Notice that I created this design the right way, then IN MY SOFTWARE I mirrored it. The reason for this is mirroring your contour lines in your plotter software can have unexpected results, especially for a design that's cut in landscape.

The I printed this design (again, DON'T mirror in your printer setup...mirror it IN YOUR SOFTAWARE) with my C88+ with DURABrite pigment inks, then placed it on Magic Mask from Stahls.

Notice the space at the top of this page. I actually didn't need it for this one because of the Magic Mask, but for opaque transfers where you don't use a carrier sheet, it's necessary because of the space between your pinch rollers and your blade.

Then I loaded it in my plotter, putting the pinch rollers on the Magic Mask, not on the transfer. When loading your transfer, MAKE SURE you put your pinch rollers OUTSIDE of your registration marks, or you will get an error.

I cut at 25 cm/s and 140 gm downforce with a 60 degree blade.

Here are the contour curves:

Here's the cut and weeded design:

Then I pressed.

Something slightly unexpected happened when I pressed this shirt. I pressed it with the Magic Mask in place to hold all the individual elements of this transfer in their proper places. Well, when I lifted my heat press' upper platten and peeled the Magic Mask (remember to PEEL HOT), the backing paper of the JPSS styed in place! I went on a mad rush to peel all the individual elements' backing paper off. Thankfully I got it all off before it cooled too much.

Here's the pressed shirt:

And a closeup:

My overall imressions are that I'm VERY impressed with this paper! It cut with absolutely NO problems. No flaking what-so-ever. It also weeded very easily.

You CAN feel the transfer on the shirt, but it's not offensive at all. We'll see how it feels once I wash this shirt.

You can BARELY see where the polymer ends and where the shirt begins, but only when you REALLY get up close to the design.

Okay, now I need to do wash tests! Remember, I'll be washing in HOT water and drying on HIGH heat. I also WON'T be turning it inside out.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Shirt looks good, nice design concept. I also tried Magic Mask and it seems to be useless. Seems good for regular vinyl tho.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Useless??? How so?

It was just a minor miscalculation on my part. I was thinking that the Magic Mask would lift off the JPSS backing paper. It didn't. It still worked well.

Without Magic Mask, this whole shirt wouldn't have been possible without a large polymer area.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

That was a great presentation Chani, its a great testimony for the product so far and it shows the great capabilities of your Graphtec Ce5000-60!! (a lot of greats sorry)

R.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

I only use transfer mask when doing dark transfer paper (that needs to be laid down face up) and I need to keep the spacing. Since your design is mirrored, I am assuming you are using a light transfer paper. If so, I am not sure if you even need to use the transfer mask. The paper backing of the paper should keep the paper of the transfer paper with your graphic on it in placed and spaced out.

Of course, I might be missing something completely. I have heard that the SubliDark paper you print mirror image and the graphic actually goes through the polymer and faces forwarded after you press. But that is the only paper I have heard done this way.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

I only use transfer mask when doing dark transfer paper (that needs to be laid down face up) and I need to keep the spacing. Since your design is mirrored, I am assuming you are using a light transfer paper. If so, I am not sure if you even need to use the transfer mask. The paper backing of the paper should keep the paper of the transfer paper with your graphic on it in placed and spaced out.

Of course, I might be missing something completely. I have heard that the SubliDark paper you print mirror image and the graphic actually goes through the polymer and faces forwarded after you press. But that is the only paper I have heard done this way.

Huh. Well, I wasn't aware that the JPSS was able to weed like this. The IronAll for lights CANNOT be weeded without cutting through the backer.

Even I learned something with this!

But...using the Magic Mask also allowed me to have a larger design on the 8.5x11 sheet, because your design needs to be completely within the reg marks and your pinch rollers need to be outside of your reg marks.

I still prefer to do it this way for this paper, but it's good to know that you CAN weed this paper. Just another advantage of Jet-Pro SofStretch!

But...other than the Magic Mask, everything else remains the same.

Now I need to do a test with IronAll for Darks.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Thanks, Roger.

I just hope it helps someone.

You DO NOT need that large polymer window on your transfers, and cutting a design like this would have been very time-consuming with scissors or an Xacto knife.

I hope it's everything you were hoping for, Melissa!

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Maybe we are talking about two different things. I know some distributors call two different things Magic Mask. If it is a hard carrier sheet that goes under the piece of transfer paper (not on top of it), then your way is correct. If you are using a transfer mask that goes on top of the printed transfer, than you should only need to put the mask on for dark papers. It is also hard because there are so many types of transfer paper that are private labeled under different names.

The best way to determine if a paper is weedable is to take a scrap piece and try to tear it very slowly. If you are able to separate the polymer from the backing, then it is weedable and you should not need a carrier sheet (unless you want to expand your cuttable area as mentioned above). If you can't separate them, then you can use the carrier sheet. I have seen one non-weedable paper that the backing came off with the carrier sheet. Did you use a new sheet of carrier or was it one that some of the tack was wearing down on?

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Here is a good thought I came up with while doing laundry. I have one of the fancy high speed, energy efficient washers and I have to use detergent with the little "HE" logo on the bottle. How cool would it be to have a logo for weedable transfer paper that you don't need carrier mask for? Then the manufacturers / distributors could put that logo on the papers that it would apply. That would make life so much easier for everyone. Might need a company like Roland with some real power to help push this through. But I like the concept.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

It seems Magic Mask works good as a carrier sheet, or a backing sheet for cutting through a whole piece of paper, where the paper isnt 2 ply, or weedable. But for an actual transfer mask, I cant seem to get it to "stick" to any of my opaque papers, and in the past 3 weeks I have tried about 5 different brands. The masking tape material, transfer mask, seems to work much better, for this purpose.

And if the paper is weedable, 2 ply, you can cut some strips of construction paper, tape them to the edges, and that would work too.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Yup, the tape method would work, too, for extending your sheet size for your pinch rollers, but it's much easier to just slap your transfer down on a carrier sheet like Magic Mask.

And, yes, Mark, this Magic Mask is a carrier sheet that goes UNDER your transfer when you're cutting it. It also works as transfer tape for opaques, too. I've used it both ways.

amv101, what I did for the opaque transfer I did a while back was to cut the transfer, then apply the Magic Mask to the whole sheet before weeding. Then I peeled the backing sheet off, then weeded the design areas, and that seemed to work well for me. You don't use it like sign vinyl transfer tape where it lifts just your design off. It's similar, but not exact.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Yup, the tape method would work, too, for extending your sheet size for your pinch rollers, but it's much easier to just slap your transfer down on a carrier sheet like Magic Mask.

And, yes, Mark, this Magic Mask is a carrier sheet that goes UNDER your transfer when you're cutting it. It also works as transfer tape for opaques, too. I've used it both ways.

amv101, what I did for the opaque transfer I did a while back was to cut the transfer, then apply the Magic Mask to the whole sheet before weeding. Then I peeled the backing sheet off, then weeded the design areas, and that seemed to work well for me. You don't use it like sign vinyl transfer tape where it lifts just your design off. It's similar, but not exact.

Yah I tried to do the same thing, like a reverse weed, but the paper i used left white specs on the magic mask, where the weeded areas are. And those spots transfered to the garment. Not to mention the transfer mask is cheaper and seems to work. I also switched the brand of transfer paper and it seems all good now

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Great post Chani! This was helpful, and you get a good job of explaining it. Maybe this might put you in the running for M.H.M or at least the title "Female Lou" (without the gotee I hope )

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Hahaha!

Yeah, I think I'll shave my gotee if I win that title.

And thanks! I just hope it was informative. A few people have been asking me for this for a while, and I just needed to get it done.

I'm contracting my dad to do the wash tests. I don't want to have to pay $2.75 to wash and dry this shirt for 15 washes.

Next is my IronAll for Darks test. Hopefully I'll get to that in the next week or so. I'd use this design, but you can't have the drop shadow effect on a black shirt. At least, not like this one is. I'll come up with something.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Chani, my friend, EXCELLENT JOB!!! It was everything and more that I've been waiting for! Good to know that the plotter will work with JPSS paper!

As far as the wash tests, I'm interested to see how it goes. I have done a few shirts with JPSS, but apparently, they're so cherished, that they don't get worn/washed often! LOL... One was for my brother-in-law whom I saw this afternoon. He said he completely forgot that it was a "man-made shirt" and just threw it right-side-out in their commercial washers with hot water and then in the commercial dryer, also on hot. (Those machines are responsible for ruining a lot of his clothes because of the intense heat) He said he realized what he had done after his wash was finished, and checked it in a panic -- but the shirt was in perfect condition! Said the colors were still great too! It was good to know.

So, since the whole plotter thing is new to me, it was interesting to read about the Magic Mask and the transfer tape. Long story short, would you HAVE to use the Magic Mask with the JPSS or can you just cut and weed it (although the print would have to be smaller from what I understand, right?) without using MM or the tape?

You use the Craft Robo PRO, right? Could I do the same type of thing with just the Craft Robo? I'm running into a slight lack-of-funds problem since my husband was just laid off, but my birthday IS coming next month!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS!! I would nominate you for the MHM designation when it comes to your expertise with cutters/plotters, that's for sure! I'm looking forward to hearing about your IronAll for Darks test next! It's just a shame we don't have all this on video! Guess this is something else for you to consider!

Melissa

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Thank you, Melissa.

I did do one wash today. I added this shirt to a load with five old pairs of bluejeans.

The color faded a little, but it's still pretty acceptable.

It lost almost all of it's texture on the shirt. I can't feel the transition from the design to shirt, and I can BARELY feel a difference between the center of the design and the t-shirt itself.

Like I said, it faded some, but I have a feeling that the color that IS there now is locked in and won't wash out anymore in subsequent washes. At least, not substantially.

One problem. I could barely see the edge of the transfer at the edges of the dropshadow before I washed this shirt, but now it's pretty apparent. I'm not sure if some of the ink migrated or what, but I think I'll avoid dropshadows from now on.

I'll take pics tomorrow when the lighting conditions are the same.

As for IronAll for Darks...I'm on my third sheet with no luck so far, but I'm not giving up!

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

'migrated' huh? Wow, I'll be interested to see the photos. I'm actually impressed that your gray shadow actually STAYED gray -- with the Epson ink carts, mine turned GREEN after pressing! Had a lot of problems with the yellow pervading everything in sight too! Just switched to refillable carts with heat transfer ink, but having problems getting them to work... ugggh! I think I've run into every problem possible in this industry, and I'm still a newbie! The learning curve is quite steep...

Thanks again Chani! Sorry to hear about the IronAll for Darks, but if ANYONE can figure it out, you can!

Melissa

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Thanks, Melissa!

Actually, the grey DID turn green, but it didn't come through in the pics all that well. But that cleared up in the wash, too. It's grey now.

I need to look back at the IronAll for Darks thread to see what someone else used for their plotter settings, but I'm not going to follow those particular settings...well, not at first, anyway.

I'll keep everyone updated on that, and if I get it I'll post a thread.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Thanks, Melissa!

Actually, the grey DID turn green, but it didn't come through in the pics all that well. But that cleared up in the wash, too. It's grey now.

I need to look back at the IronAll for Darks thread to see what someone else used for their plotter settings, but I'm not going to follow those particular settings...well, not at first, anyway.

I'll keep everyone updated on that, and if I get it I'll post a thread.

If I remember correctly (and I doubt I will because I don't know too much about plotters), they said 45 degree blade, cutting at 50 or 60 pounds? Does that sound even remotely close? Like I said, I don't know ANYTHING about cutting...

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Chani -- just thought of something. Maybe you had a little fading because you printed, cut, pressed and washed right away instead of waiting 24 hours? I read that some where -- not to wash for 24 hours after...

Melissa

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

That IS a problem...you don't want to sell something to a customer and tell them that "it will look right when you wash it." Not good business.

So before I offer any shirts for sale I'll be buying a bulk ink system with inkjet transfer inks meant to withstand the high temperatures of pressing.

And you got me there. I washed well before a full 24 hours, so I won't post a picture of that shirt. I'll make another one, let it sit for 24 hours, and wash that. Thank you. I'm not perfect, y'know. Maybe there won't be as much fading, either.

And after second thought, I'll start where that other person did with their plotter settings and work from there. The thing that I don't think ever got answered there was if anyone had done a COMPLEX cut with IronAll instead of just a box or circle. I could be wrong, tho.

Anyway, I can't do those tests today. I'm too busy today.

I also forgot one thing in my original post here, and I'll go back and edit it: I used a 60 degree blade on the JPSS.

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Hi Chani I wait 24 hours before washing and I have no problem with fading I have shirt that I will post it has been washed now 25 times

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

Yeah, wasn't it you that posted your 15-wash test? I was very impressed! I just want to see it for myself. It's not that I don't trust others. I just need to do my own tests.

If you could post your 25-wash test, I'd be greatful!

Thanks!

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

yes it was me when Lou frist talk about it I got some and liked it after checking other papers this was the one I stay with now ok I will do later I am going to show the original pic and the shirt as will

 

Re: Jet-Pro SofStretch vs Plotter Test

That would be great! If I didn't live in an apartment building with expensive wash and dry cycles I'd do the same thing. As it is I need to have my dad do it at his house (with MY old washer and dryer from when I did own a home, no less ).

 

I noticed something with the transfer I did today...

The last one I did, when I pressed it, the grey areas turned a little green (known problem with DURABrite inks), but with the one that I PRINTED yesterday and PRESSED today, the ink didn't turn...

When I washed the other one the grey areas went grey again, but it's pretty hard to tell a customer that the colors will correct themselves when you wash it.

Has anyone else come up with this result?

BTW, is it more important to wait 24 hours after you PRINT your transfer before you wash it, or 24 hours after you PRESS it?