[Waiting]

Hi,

I'm here to help a friend understand what she needs to do to start decorating t-shirts with her own designs using a heat press. I've been lurking for a couple of days and if I understand correctly you use a regular ink jet printer, one that uses pigment ink, which is what Epson printers use by default, and some magic paper, to create the transfers.

Beyond that I think she would want to have plastisol transfers printed, which will require a more sophisticated skill with a graphics program, such as CorelDraw, than she has at this point.

Actually. she's more than just a friend, she's my ex-wife and, along with my mother, the person I care most about in this world. She's been dealing with a rare cancer for over 18 years and still manages to be upbeat, positive, and future oriented.

gary

 

[webtrekker]

Hi Gary.

Three key points when considering a transfer system, apart from cost, are -

1. Durability. This includes washability. It's no good selling beautiful t-shirts that fade after the first 2 or 3 washes.

2. 'Hand.' This is the feel of the finished print once applied to the shirt. Dyesub has no feel but is restricted to white 100% polyester material. Other systems which use screen printing, htv special papers or plastisol transfers all have a 'hand' which may, or may not, be acceptable to a customer.

3. Colour. Dark tees have less printing options available than white or very light tees,the problem being that darks need a white 'underbase' to the transfer. This limits you to htv, special papers, and plastisol. DTG is a much more expensive option, usually only considered by businesses selling large amounts as they need to be kept busy and are expensive to repair and maintain.