We use printed heat press in our shop all the time. We use solvent based inks in our Roland VP-300 with DarkSol transfer material. We print the design, cut it, mask it and press it. We have done many designs this way.
printing on vinyl
Hi.
The vinyl that is used to put letters and stuff onto shirts, can you print on top of that vinyl? Would pigment ink work?
Like If I wanted a glow in the dark skull with some text printed on top of it. That sort of thing. I was just wondering how versatile the stuff was.
Thanks.
The vinyl that is used to put letters and stuff onto shirts, can you print on top of that vinyl? Would pigment ink work?
Like If I wanted a glow in the dark skull with some text printed on top of it. That sort of thing. I was just wondering how versatile the stuff was.
Thanks.
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
I mean more of a low budget way to do it. I'm just starting out and can't manage any expensive equipment just yet. No desktop versions as yet?We use printed heat press in our shop all the time. We use solvent based inks in our Roland VP-300 with DarkSol transfer material. We print the design, cut it, mask it and press it. We have done many designs this way.
Thanks.
no you can't print on that type of vinyl.
they make special printable vinyl for what you're talking about.
they make glow in the dark vinyl for apparel deco though. so if you had a cutter you could cut and heat press the skull and letters and do the design that way.
check out the tshirt design contest that is being held as i type.
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/graphics-design-help/t182102.html
deadline is june something. but one of the first place prizes is the roland bn 20 a desktop vinyl printer and cutter. retails for around $9k.
they make special printable vinyl for what you're talking about.
they make glow in the dark vinyl for apparel deco though. so if you had a cutter you could cut and heat press the skull and letters and do the design that way.
check out the tshirt design contest that is being held as i type.
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/graphics-design-help/t182102.html
deadline is june something. but one of the first place prizes is the roland bn 20 a desktop vinyl printer and cutter. retails for around $9k.
Thanks.no you can't print on that type of vinyl.
they make special printable vinyl for what you're talking about.
they make glow in the dark vinyl for apparel deco though. so if you had a cutter you could cut and heat press the skull and letters and do the design that way.
check out the tshirt design contest that is being held as i type.
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/graphics-design-help/t182102.html
deadline is june something. but one of the first place prizes is the roland bn 20 a desktop vinyl printer and cutter. retails for around $9k.
I know i can use a cutter, I have a small one.........just wondering if i can print on it instead of, or in addition to cutting it.
Do you know where to get that printable vinyl, or what its called?
Thanks again.
you misunderstood me. you can't print on the printable vinyl with pigment inks like the ones used in inkjet printers. most print and cut machines use eco-solvent ink and i haven't seen anything (even the smallest machines) for less than $7k
the best you can do is inkjet transfers.
the best you can do is inkjet transfers.
I'm just wondering whats available out there, In case I may be missing something. They're solvent printers, right? Even the small ones are very expensive.you misunderstood me. you can't print on the printable vinyl with pigment inks like the ones used in inkjet printers. most print and cut machines use eco-solvent ink and i haven't seen anything (even the smallest machines) for less than $7k
the best you can do is inkjet transfers.
Can I make a suggestion, as this is what I do. Get the Jet Opaque darkwear paper. Inexpensive and great paper. Print it through your pigment ink printer, and then put it through the cutter. Once it's cut, securely attach a carrier film on the printed side, and then weed out the excess material. You can then press it just as you would do vinyl.Hi.
The vinyl that is used to put letters and stuff onto shirts, can you print on top of that vinyl? Would pigment ink work?
Like If I wanted a glow in the dark skull with some text printed on top of it. That sort of thing. I was just wondering how versatile the stuff was.
Thanks.
I can't give you a name for carrier film as I save the clear backing that comes off my vinyl thermoflex to use for this, howver I'm sure other here may be able to help with carrier film.
It works well. and washes well. Cheers.
Thanks for your help, folks. I just wanna try and push the envelope as far as the materials will go in regards to artistic design. I'm trying out different methods and products to see where I want to go with the items at hand. Thanks again.Can I make a suggestion, as this is what I do. Get the Jet Opaque darkwear paper. Inexpensive and great paper. Print it through your pigment ink printer, and then put it through the cutter. Once it's cut, securely attach a carrier film on the printed side, and then weed out the excess material. You can then press it just as you would do vinyl.
I can't give you a name for carrier film as I save the clear backing that comes off my vinyl thermoflex to use for this, howver I'm sure other here may be able to help with carrier film.
It works well. and washes well. Cheers.
You are very limited to what you can print on with pigment ink. With pigment ink you need special coated materials that the pigment ink will dry to. Also the pigment ink is very UV sensetive. It does not take long before the inks fade from the sun (like under 2 weeks).Hi.
The vinyl that is used to put letters and stuff onto shirts, can you print on top of that vinyl? Would pigment ink work?
Like If I wanted a glow in the dark skull with some text printed on top of it. That sort of thing. I was just wondering how versatile the stuff was.
Thanks.
With eco solvent inks and solvent inks you are able to print on a much wider material base. You are able to print on uncoated material as well as coated materials. We use a eco solvent printer and print on colored vinyl all the time (mainly reflective vinyl to give it a cool glow effect). As long as the eco-solvent ink can bond or grab the material then it be printed on, but the duarbility of the print will be in question. About the only thing that we have found that would not print using eco solvent inks was some smooth plastics like styrene.
I have used aftermarket pigment inks on Epson 4-star matte paper, laminated with non-UV protective lamination sheets (GBC), and had them sit in a window for several years. There was fading, but not extreme. I have seen solvent printed banners fade faster than that. If you printed a new one you would see the old one was duller, but it was still perfectly legible. Now I print on Sihl 3988 and laminate with Oraguard 210 which blocks UV and have little worry that there will be any fading anytime soon. Now dyebased inks will fade pretty fast. Claria is supposed to be UV resistant but I think that goes more for a photo under glass in a frame than a window sign.
But no, I don't think there's any way to use a pigment printer on your fabric vinyl. They would have to create a vinyl with an inkjet receptive coating. Sihl 3988 is the only "waterproof" adhesive inkjet material that I've found that is actually super-durable. For your t-shirt vinyl, if you're doing runs of the same design, maybe you could send it out for printing and either have them cut it or cut it yourself (definitely weed it yourself). I'm sure someone here could do it for you.
But no, I don't think there's any way to use a pigment printer on your fabric vinyl. They would have to create a vinyl with an inkjet receptive coating. Sihl 3988 is the only "waterproof" adhesive inkjet material that I've found that is actually super-durable. For your t-shirt vinyl, if you're doing runs of the same design, maybe you could send it out for printing and either have them cut it or cut it yourself (definitely weed it yourself). I'm sure someone here could do it for you.
I know that I can cut the vinyl and weed it and all of that, but, my question is is there any inexpensive way to also print ONTO that very same vinyl that is used for shirts and fabrics? I understand that there are solvent printers, but, they cost as much as a small, used car!!! Are there any inks which can be applied more economically, like as felt tip markers or special pens or any such thing as that? Maybe, a type of ink that could be stenciled on or screenprinted on with a small screen. That sort of thing.I have used aftermarket pigment inks on Epson 4-star matte paper, laminated with non-UV protective lamination sheets (GBC), and had them sit in a window for several years. There was fading, but not extreme. I have seen solvent printed banners fade faster than that. If you printed a new one you would see the old one was duller, but it was still perfectly legible. Now I print on Sihl 3988 and laminate with Oraguard 210 which blocks UV and have little worry that there will be any fading anytime soon. Now dyebased inks will fade pretty fast. Claria is supposed to be UV resistant but I think that goes more for a photo under glass in a frame than a window sign.
But no, I don't think there's any way to use a pigment printer on your fabric vinyl. They would have to create a vinyl with an inkjet receptive coating. Sihl 3988 is the only "waterproof" adhesive inkjet material that I've found that is actually super-durable. For your t-shirt vinyl, if you're doing runs of the same design, maybe you could send it out for printing and either have them cut it or cut it yourself (definitely weed it yourself). I'm sure someone here could do it for you.
I can always weed a shirt, but, what if the shirt color doesn't go along with what I'm weeding?
For example. I have a glow in the dark vinyl design in the shape of a ghost or a skull. If the shirt is black..........then weeding would work. But, what if the shirt were a light color or if I wanted the ghost or the skull to have some text or other design ON TOP of it? Is there any expedient way to print on THAT vinyl that won't send me to the poorhouse?
If I were to make up a thousand shirts, it might pay for me to send it out to be done. But, right now, I am barely getting started with this so I really can't buy a device, or send out hundreds of these things to be done just yet. I must do everything in house for now. Literally.................in a small room in my house! I just wanted to know if there were a low budget, DIY sort of way to go about this. I could screenprint it on there instead, but, I thought that going the plastisol route was too much mess and bother in the tiny space in which I have to operate.
I like screenprinting............but, I'm trying to avoid it because it's too much trouble in the space that I have to work in. I am making up my own line of shirts with designs on them and I just wanted to know what I could get away with estetically to make my designs look the way that I want them to. I like transfers, but, what if I wanted something more interesting looking like glow, glitter. foil etc? I am especially intrigued by the glow stuff.
Thanks for all of your help and your patience. I just want to keep it as simple as I can for now. Thanks.
but you couldn't use it for an outside application such as a sign or banner could you? if so would you need the overlaminate?Sihl 3988 is the only "waterproof" adhesive inkjet material that I've found that is actually super-durable.
a lot of materials claim to be waterproof only to find out you need to buy an extra product to ensure that claim.
the simple answer to your first question is no. unless you want to hand paint shirts.I know that I can cut the vinyl and weed it and all of that, but, my question is is there any inexpensive way to also print ONTO that very same vinyl that is used for shirts and fabrics? I understand that there are solvent printers, but, they cost as much as a small, used car!!! Are there any inks which can be applied more economically, like as felt tip markers or special pens or any such thing as that? Maybe, a type of ink that could be stenciled on or screenprinted on with a small screen. That sort of thing.
I can always weed a shirt, but, what if the shirt color doesn't go along with what I'm weeding?
For example. I have a glow in the dark vinyl design in the shape of a ghost or a skull. If the shirt is black..........then weeding would work. But, what if the shirt were a light color or if I wanted the ghost or the skull to have some text or other design ON TOP of it? Is there any expedient way to print on THAT vinyl that won't send me to the poorhouse?
If I were to make up a thousand shirts, it might pay for me to send it out to be done. But, right now, I am barely getting started with this so I really can't buy a device, or send out hundreds of these things to be done just yet. I must do everything in house for now. Literally.................in a small room in my house! I just wanted to know if there were a low budget, DIY sort of way to go about this. I could screenprint it on there instead, but, I thought that going the plastisol route was too much mess and bother in the tiny space in which I have to operate.
I like transfers, but, what if I wanted something more interesting looking like glow, glitter. foil etc? I am especially intrigued by the glow stuff.
Thanks for all of your help and your patience. I just want to keep it as simple as I can for now. Thanks.
the good thing about vinyl is you can offer customers one of a kind custom shirts with a couple of colors that they couldn't get anywhere else at low minimums. say a customer only needs five shirts for a family reunion? by the time you made the screens for screen printing you'd have them done. it's a niche market. it allows you to do shirts signage (with sign vinyl) vehicle graphics, banners and more.
i'm with you on the screen printing thing. i work out of an extension of another room in an apartment. i've got a 42" hp designjet 500, a roland gx-24, a drafting board, a desk, an epson 2200 and 2 computer systems with 2 different scanners all crammed in to one half of 20'x40' room. and trying to find affordable commercial space 15 miles north of NYC is impossible. so i farm things out that i can't do myself.
there are always plastisol transfers you should look into. i think some vendors are now offering glow in the dark inks. some of these vendors have low minimums. i'd start another thread and ask if anyone knows of any vendors that do.
here's one:
[media]http://www.versatranz.com/_documents/Brochure/Small%202012%20Brochure.pdf[/media]read the section about custom transfers.
and here's where i order my vinyl:
http://www.imprintables.com/catalog...rch=&type=q&keywordoption=all&cid=2&fltrdesc=
-good luck.
From what I've read if you're going to put it on something like a lawn truck, you should overlaminate it no matter what your printer is (solvent, dye-sub, aqueous inkjet pigment, screen printing, or fingerpaints). If you have acid rain in your area, you should edge seal it too.but you couldn't use it for an outside application such as a sign or banner could you? if so would you need the overlaminate?
a lot of materials claim to be waterproof only to find out you need to buy an extra product to ensure that claim.
I've left Sihl soaking in a cup of water overnight with no running. The abrasion resistance goes down a little bit, if you rub hard enough it will scratch off. It's back to full strength when dry again. I tried "waterproof" Labels from an Online company that sells all different types. The laser ones were fine, but the inkjet ones would flake off if you breathed on them. The ink didn't run, the print surface fell off. I have heard better reviews about Papilio, but have not tried it myself, it's far too expensive for non-hobby use. For personal use I only overlaminate the Sihl on my vehicle, for the signs I did at work I didn't bother and they're holding up fine. A friend's yard truck got laminated.
As far as the original poster's question goes, the answer is almost definitely no. Until Sihl came out with this aqueous vinyl the answer for sign vinyl was no as well.
Yeah. I'm close to NY city too......but in the other direction.the simple answer to your first question is no. unless you want to hand paint shirts.
the good thing about vinyl is you can offer customers one of a kind custom shirts with a couple of colors that they couldn't get anywhere else at low minimums. say a customer only needs five shirts for a family reunion? by the time you made the screens for screen printing you'd have them done. it's a niche market. it allows you to do shirts signage (with sign vinyl) vehicle graphics, banners and more.
i'm with you on the screen printing thing. i work out of an extension of another room in an apartment. i've got a 42" hp designjet 500, a roland gx-24, a drafting board, a desk, an epson 2200 and 2 computer systems with 2 different scanners all crammed in to one half of 20'x40' room. and trying to find affordable commercial space 15 miles north of NYC is impossible. so i farm things out that i can't do myself.
there are always plastisol transfers you should look into. i think some vendors are now offering glow in the dark inks. some of these vendors have low minimums. i'd start another thread and ask if anyone knows of any vendors that do.
here's one:
[media]http://www.versatranz.com/_documents/Brochure/Small%202012%20Brochure.pdf[/media]read the section about custom transfers.
and here's where i order my vinyl:
http://www.imprintables.com/catalog...rch=&type=q&keywordoption=all&cid=2&fltrdesc=
-good luck.
I'm in NJ and space is at a premium.
I live in a 200 year old house, and the basement looks like a medieval dungeon. I know, cuz, I've been to England and I've seen medieval dungeons! If I could fix that upI could have a great space. But the ceiling is only 5' high and must've been used by Munchkins or Oompa-Loompas.
I guess I could screenprint sitting down!
Nobody in this area has an attached garage either. Nobody had those back in the 1800s. Nobody wanted their house to smell like horses, I guess?
Anyway, thanks for the help and I'll see ya around.
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