[Paradigmwg]

Here is an example of a shirt printed using the "SunAngel" Lasers with White Toner and Rhinotech two step paper.

What you see has already been washed twice.

Definitely a step forward!

 

[Lnfortun]

Here is an example of a shirt printed using the "SunAngel" Lasers with White Toner and Rhinotech two step paper.

What you see has already been washed twice.

Definitely a step forward!

What model printer are you using? Is the white toner used as under base? If it is you print single pass or multi pass to use the white under base? How is the feel?

 

[joeshaul]

Looks pretty nice, mind also giving a brief rundown of the two step process? I somewhat recall The Magic Touch's process for dark's, curious what the differences are, believe it was probably a 3 step, or more, depending on what you consider steps!

 

[Paradigmwg]

So ... it took a little bit of trial and error but here is what I've found to work for me.

It's called "two step" but actually is five steps......

The process uses two printers - both are actually Oki 331's that are rebranded as "SunAngel" with, I believe, a firmware change in the "white" printer.

I run the paper through the white printer first (assuming there is white in the image) ..... depending on the image, I either do a full undercoating with white or, in the example posted above, solely the white lettering.

After the white printing, I run the paper through the color printer.

The transfer (A paper) is then married to the adhesive (B paper) for 30 seconds at 260 degrees (heavy pressure) with an immediate hot peel.

The transfer (A paper) is then laid down on the shirt at the same 30 seconds at 260 degrees (heavy pressure) followed by a cool peel. I then re-press for 15 seconds using parchment paper.

The feel is slightly plastic though soft.

I've now run 4 completed shirts through 2 washes and drys. 3 of the 4 shirts came through like champs with no noticeable fading or cracking. For some reason, the 4th didn't fare as well with some of the white lettering showing peeling. All 4 were on the same Gildan brand shirts - all 4 were against black - and all 4 were completed in identical fashion. No clue why one hasn't held up while the other 3 seem to be just fine.

Hope that helps!!

 

[Lnfortun]

So ... it took a little bit of trial and error but here is what I've found to work for me.

It's called "two step" but actually is five steps......

The process uses two printers - both are actually Oki 331's that are rebranded as "SunAngel" with, I believe, a firmware change in the "white" printer.

I run the paper through the white printer first (assuming there is white in the image) ..... depending on the image, I either do a full undercoating with white or, in the example posted above, solely the white lettering.

After the white printing, I run the paper through the color printer.

The transfer (A paper) is then married to the adhesive (B paper) for 30 seconds at 260 degrees (heavy pressure) with an immediate hot peel.

The transfer (A paper) is then laid down on the shirt at the same 30 seconds at 260 degrees (heavy pressure) followed by a cool peel. I then re-press for 15 seconds using parchment paper.

The feel is slightly plastic though soft.

I've now run 4 completed shirts through 2 washes and drys. 3 of the 4 shirts came through like champs with no noticeable fading or cracking. For some reason, the 4th didn't fare as well with some of the white lettering showing peeling. All 4 were on the same Gildan brand shirts - all 4 were against black - and all 4 were completed in identical fashion. No clue why one hasn't held up while the other 3 seem to be just fine.

Hope that helps!!

Have you tried using the white toner as under base? Is the white printer all drums have whiter toner only?

 

[Paradigmwg]

Have you tried using the white toner as under base? Is the white printer all drums have whiter toner only?

Yes .... if the image has white in it, I use the white as an underbase. Otherwise, I use it only for lettering.

The white printer has one black toner (K) with the other toners as white only.

The only real challenge has been the "black" that prints out of the white printer - creating a bit of a greyscale that can darken the colors when moving through the color side. With that, I print "only" the white with the white printer, having eliminated all other colors from the picture.

Definitely sounds more challenging and time consuming than it really is. And given the resulting bright white and colors that come out against the darker colored shirts, given the softness and (apparent?) durability of the print, and given the relative initial cost and maintenance free use of the laser process to the DTG printer expense and maintenance ..... it seems to me to be a home run.

 

[Paradigmwg]

Quick update....

I've now run the test items thru 5 washes, cold/cold plus dryer each time. There's been no discernible reduction in image quality and the image continues to feel pretty much the same (no cracking or softening in either direction). The shirt itself has faded a bit (Gildan) but the colors on the transfer have not. If anything, they actually look a bit brighter as a result of the color fade on the shirt.

 

[marzatplay]

I am exploring purchasing these printers, ink and transfer papers because DTG seems too high maintenance. Can you do photographs as well with this? How has your experience changed over time and thoughts on this process? How much did the whole package cost you? PM me if you prefer. Thanks.

 

[Paradigmwg]

My overall experience has been good. There are some headaches from time to time but that isn't any different from other kinds of prints.

I've found that the rhinotech papers are significantly better than any I've found for printing in darks. I've tried the "Wow" line (was a disaster, couldn't get a single good print), and I've tried Magic Touch (decent results, not great, but admittedly much less expensive).

As for photos, I've not tried them. I can tell you that the headaches I've had have all circled around light pastels, particularly those in the blue and light tan range. The marry process simply won't adhere to these colors ... Has something to do with the density of that color range. Whites, though, particularly with the rhinotech paper, couldn't look any better, even screen printed.

Durability on black, again with the rhinotech paper, has been excellent.

Only wish would be that the pricing could go down a bit. It works out to be about $4 per print for the paper alone (buying 100 sheets at a time) which is about 35% higher than the other laser dark papers, so if you're in any kind of competition with someone, you've got to spend the time showing the quality difference. And that is something that many prospective customers don't want to listen to.

 

[marzatplay]

I just called them and spoke to Todd Michaels. Good guy! I do admit that the price per print being $4.00 is a bit on the high side for darks, for lights it's like $0.85 which is very managable. Todd is sending me some samples to try to print myself.