[chris24net]

I'm the brand new owner of a Hix HT400D 15x15 press. Got a great deal on a lightly used one so now just waiting for it to show up.

In the interim, I just wanted to make sure I got my ducks in a row. I'm planning on doing plastisol transfers, but I was gonna get a Epson C88 for one-offs and design tests. I was going to get Mira-Cool or Iron-All for light shirts, but what opaque transfer should I get? I didn't seem to find a consensus when I did a search.

Anything else I'm not thinking of? Or recommendations for things rather than the ones listed above? Thanks.

 

[Rodney]

I was going to get Mira-Cool or Iron-All for light shirts, but what opaque transfer should I get? I didn't seem to find a consensus when I did a search.

Why not test a few and see which you prefer? Sometimes it's hard to get a consensus

 

[StitchShoppe]

My consensus is they are all crap. I've tried about 20 different "brands" and they are all pretty much the same. The least crappy I've tried and the one that emulates screenprinting/plastisol transfer the best is IW inkjet for darks. One point I might mention is that they all seem to work better on 100% cotton as opposed to 50/50 blends.
I use a Roland cutter to remove the parts I dont want to show on the shirt. If you just print and press you will end up with a white "box" with a design printed on it.

 

[badalou]

I agree they are all bad. if I can stay away from Opaque I will . I do use them a lot on my totes though. I am presently using the blue grid opaque paper.

 

[66shirts]

aaahhhhhh, Maybe that's why the guy at the carshow only uses white shirts. He takes pictures of your car and makes a shirt with a little pic on the front and a big one on the back. He charged $20 per shirt.

 

[DFras]

aaahhhhhh, Maybe that's why the guy at the carshow only uses white shirts. He takes pictures of your car and makes a shirt with a little pic on the front and a big one on the back. He charged $20 per shirt.

Probably, that and the white blanks are less expensive.

 

[chris24net]

Since opaque seems to not be that great, how light do light shirts for Iron-All/Mira-Cool have to be? And can you go a little darker with the shirt if what you printing is only black or another dark ink color? Thanks.

 

[toonsign]

Hi Chris,

Rule of thumb is: if the ink is darker than the shirt, then it will show (EX: black ink on a red shirt). If some ink colors are lighter than the shirt, they will not show (EX: skin tones on a green shirt).

If you have color in your image and heat transfer it to a light pastel shirt, then certain colors from the ink will 'mix' with the dye in the shirt, giving you a tint - EX: Yellow ink in your image, heat pressed to a light blue shirt will give your 'yellow' ink a 'green' tint.

As I am not familiar with Iron All, I can't really say but I've been using Transjet II for the past 3 years and love it. I use an Epson C86 with the Epson brand Durabrite inks and love it.

I used to sell the opaque papers but discontinued it as most opaque papers do not hold up for garments. I tried them on messenger bags and other hard type fabrics and they work OK, but I do not use them for garments.

I have a Roland PC-12 that I make decals and signs with but I haven't tried to print and cut onto the opaque material made for it for dark shirts. Someday I will....maybe.

Hope this helps.

Fred