[FatHamsterGirl]

I've been looking into what I would need in the ways of heat transfer tees. I am looking to get an epson printer with inks and a hix heat press.

What is the most recommended transfer paper? (that isn't too pricey)

Do I need anything else other than the heat press, printer. and inks (and tees of course)?

I've read about a protective cover for the heat press...is this a necesssity or someone trying to get my money?

Thank you!
~B

 

[Adam]

>What is the most recommended transfer paper? (that isn't too pricey)

I'll leave that to the Americans Over here it isn't that pricey at all when you buy in bulk.

>Do I need anything else other than the heat press, printer. and inks (and tees of >course)?

Greese Proof Paper, Guillotine, Scissors, you can get little pick things that help you tease the backing paper from the transfer (sorry I forget what they call them).

You might want to decide where you are going to put your press. I made myself a little cabinent and put some wheels on it.

>I've read about a protective cover for the heat press...is this a necesssity or >someone trying to get my money?

No need for one of those.

 

[Twinge]

I've been looking into what I would need in the ways of heat transfer tees. I am looking to get an epson printer with inks and a hix heat press.

Epson printers are generally best, and Hix is a great press brand. You'll want a pigmented ink -- either OEM Durabrite ink or Magic Mix inks.

What is the most recommended transfer paper? (that isn't too pricey)

Transjet II (a.k.a. MagicJet). 95% of everyone I've talked to (online and offline) finds this paper to be the best. There are cheaper papers, but it's not too bad; less than $1.00 a page and dropping futhur as you get a larger bulk.

Do I need anything else other than the heat press, printer. and inks (and tees of course)?

Greese Proof Paper, Guillotine, Scissors, you can get little pick things that help you tease the backing paper from the transfer (sorry I forget what they call them).

Adam said grease proof paper -- another item which serves the same purpose (and seems to be used more) is a teflon sheet. These aren't too expensive and they're useful for several things; you'll want one if you do any 2-sided prints, vinyl/flock pressing, etc.

By Guillotine I assume he means a paper cutter -- I haven't had any need for one myself yet. You will need some scissors anyway, to trim around the edges of your designs.

The little pick thingys (I dunno what they're called either) are probably not nessicary either - and if you do need something like that, you should be able to find something around the house that'll do the job jsut as well.

I'd recommend Gildan Ultra T-shirts for Men's/Unisex and probably American Apparel for girl's styles (still looking into that more myself).

I've read about a protective cover for the heat press...is this a necesssity or someone trying to get my money?

Depends on the price and your house condition. We just put a spare sheet over our press, because we have a ton of dust and cat hair ambient around it.

 

[Adam]

>The little pick thingys (I dunno what they're called either) are probably not nessicary >either -

hehe yeah I haven't got one of those myself. People use razor blades but I just use my nails tbh.

>By Guillotine I assume he means a paper cutter -- I haven't had any need for one >myself yet.

Gosh get one If you are doing a lot of prints a day it saves a lot of time and sore fingers from the scissors.

 

[Twinge]

>> The little pick thingys (I dunno what they're called either) are probably not nessicary either -

hehe yeah I haven't got one of those myself. People use razor blades but I just use my nails tbh.

Ditto. It's not that hard to pull off -- but do make sure you peel it off QUICKLY

Although, when I was trying to use the hat press I got cheaply with my heat press, they were much harder to peel off and were also much hotter, so something to help pop it up was useful there. (Though, this could also be due to the hats we used which weren't really good for pressing; they kind of had an air pocket that made them akward to press. If anyone had a good recommendation for hat brands/types that are good for pressing, let me know =)

>> By Guillotine I assume he means a paper cutter -- I haven't had any need for one myself yet.

Gosh get one If you are doing a lot of prints a day it saves a lot of time and sore fingers from the scissors.

Well, we have one or two that we've used for other things in the past, but most of our designs are curvy enough that a straight cut wouldn't help much.

 

[photodiver]

Twinge,

I see here you talk a lot about Transjet II (a.k.a. MagicJet) transfer paper.

I use RPLs transfer paper and have for 7 years now. Been very happy with it but am curious about this Transjet II paper. Can you give me an idea of costs, and what you like about it? Thanks for your time.

 

[Twinge]

Twinge,

I see here you talk a lot about Transjet II (a.k.a. MagicJet) transfer paper.

I use RPLs transfer paper and have for 7 years now. Been very happy with it but am curious about this Transjet II paper. Can you give me an idea of costs, and what you like about it? Thanks for your time.

I really haven't been working with this business very long; I mean, we don't even have our website quite finished yet =). Basically, the Transjet II was just very highly recommended to me by everyone I asked and all the research I've done (the guy I bought the press from also said he had tried about 5 different papers and found this to be the best). It washes up well -- barely leaves any hand at all, keeps the colors nice and vibrant, and is supposed to last a looonnng time without cracking and such. Also, the colors will not run if you use a pigmented ink (Durabrite / Magic Mix).

The only other paper I have personally tried is the Avery paper that I used with an iron back in the day just for some personal stuff - which is pretty good for iron-on, but not up to the same quality as the Tranasjet II for heat press.

I'm buying the paper from here: http://www.personalizedsupplies.com/transferpaper.htm
About 72 cents a sheet (including shipping) when you get 100. She ships the paper out very quickly after you order it too. You can also get it here -- http://www.coastalbusiness.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=290 (about 78 cents a sheet for 100 there, including shipping; I think this is where the guy I bought the press from used to buy his paper).

If you want some more in-depth testimonials from people who have done hundreds (or thousands) of prints with this paper, ask over at the HTFDP Yahoo Group -- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Heat_Transfers_For_Desktop_Printers/ and they'll probably be able to go into better detail than I.

 

[photodiver]

Thanks Twinge,
I might judt out of interest have a look. I am very happy with the transfer paper I use now and I pay about the same. But it is always a good thing to keep an open mind.

Thanks again..

 

[Twinge]

Sure. I haven't really heard anyhting good nor bad about about the paper you're using, so I really can't say for sure.

 

[FatHamsterGirl]

Depends on the price and your house condition. We just put a spare sheet over our press, because we have a ton of dust and cat hair ambient around it.

haha. Yup, that's my house.

 

[FatHamsterGirl]

Thanks guys for all your wonderful info! I just purchased a hobby lite heat press from ebay. I figured I could get a more expensive one later. Myy biggest problem was how I would get it from the post office to my apartment. I don't have a car and I'm quite a tiny thing. I can't imagine carrying a 50 lb heat press half a mile. heh!

I was thinking about purchasing an epson c86 printer which I found on amazon new for $50.00. Is this a good printer?

Thanks for everything else!

 

[Twinge]

The Hobby Lite should only be about 35 pounds; heavy, but possible manageable. You might try getting a frined to help, or borrow someone's dolly to help cart it around.

That printer would probably work -- but I don't really know printers. You might try asking the HTFDP Yahoo board for some info on the printer.

 

[FatHamsterGirl]

I really haven't been working with this business very long; I mean, we don't even have our website quite finished yet =). Basically, the Transjet II was just very highly recommended to me by everyone I asked and all the research I've done (the guy I bought the press from also said he had tried about 5 different papers and found this to be the best). It washes up well -- barely leaves any hand at all, keeps the colors nice and vibrant, and is supposed to last a looonnng time without cracking and such. Also, the colors will not run if you use a pigmented ink (Durabrite / Magic Mix).

What is the difference between opaque and transparent paper? (Besides the fact that it sounds obvious) Does opaque actually leave white areas on non-inked parts?

 

[Twinge]

Sure does. I missed that somewhere when I got my sample, so I've got a dark brown shirt with som text surrounded by a white blob that I made a few months ago

Also, the opaque paper is usually a little more expensive, AND it doesn't last as well (starts cracking/peeling a lot sooner).

 

[FatHamsterGirl]

AND it doesn't last as well (starts cracking/peeling a lot sooner).

That's too bad I could have a use for that.