[karmicdesigns]

Anyone knowledgeable,

I am using a tjet blazer express with dupont ink and pretreat. i am trying to print a bright yellow design on a navy shirt and it keeps coming out dull.
Im using two coats of heavy underbase and two coats of color.
If theres any suggestions id appreciate it. I want to think its me not using the software properly, but i also dont know the full limitations of the printer,

Help ASAP!

Colin Emerson

 

[Rodney]

:: edited thread TITLE to be more descriptive and moved to a more appropriate section of the forum ::
​

 

[equipmentzone]

Anyone knowledgeable,

I am using a tjet blazer express with dupont ink and pretreat. i am trying to print a bright yellow design on a navy shirt and it keeps coming out dull.
Im using two coats of heavy underbase and two coats of color.
If theres any suggestions id appreciate it. I want to think its me not using the software properly, but i also dont know the full limitations of the printer,

Help ASAP!

Colin Emerson

From J in our Support Department:

What print modes are in use? For both the underbase pass as well as the CMYK?

How is the pretreatment being applied? What type of fabric is being used?


Harry
_

 

[karmicdesigns]

fabric ranges from 100 % cotton to 100% with foreseen drop as cotton percent decreases.
I uses dupont pretreat for dark shirts with a wagner power sprayer and then heat press for 5-10 seconds.
i use 1440x720 hs for both cmyk and underbase.

The white comes out almost silver and i think as a result the colors dont really pop, but even on white the color is not as vibrant as id like it to be.
Also when i import pdf to fastartist theres the halftone print mode box open in the right hand column where colors are selected.

 

[equipmentzone]

fabric ranges from 100 % cotton to 100% with foreseen drop as cotton percent decreases.
I uses dupont pretreat for dark shirts with a wagner power sprayer and then heat press for 5-10 seconds.
i use 1440x720 hs for both cmyk and underbase.

The white comes out almost silver and i think as a result the colors dont really pop, but even on white the color is not as vibrant as id like it to be.
Also when i import pdf to fastartist theres the halftone print mode box open in the right hand column where colors are selected.

Are you heat pressing the pretreatment with a cover sheet? If yes, what kind of cover sheet?

Also, have you done a nozzle check? Are all the lines printing?

 

[karmicdesigns]

im using a teflon sheet and my nozzles all check out.
im wondering if i can do something else, im just trying to eliminate as many factors as possible.

Thank you for the help so far

 

[equipmentzone]

im using a teflon sheet and my nozzles all check out.
im wondering if i can do something else, im just trying to eliminate as many factors as possible.

Thank you for the help so far

Use parchment paper as a cover sheet. Do not use a teflon sheet. You need to dry the pretreatment for a longer period of time - at least 15 seconds or more. When you pull the cover sheet off you should feel no resistance. It should almost float off. If you feel resistance as you're pulling it off then you're pulling off a layer of pretreatment.

Harry
_

 

[equipmentzone1]

Your instincts are right that if you do not have a bright white underbase, you will not have a bright print. There are a variety of different factors to look at.

As stated before, you must make sure that your pretreated shirt is completely dry before you print on it. Printing on a wet t-shirt will cause the white ink to be dull. If you are only putting the shirt under the heat press for 5 to 10 seconds, it is probably not dry enough. Try 15 to 25 seconds.

Another question -- are you sure you're putting on enough pretreatment? A good experiment is to give a shirt a really heavy coat of pretreatment. After drying it, try printing. If you get much, much better results, you need to adjust how you pretreat shirts normally.

-Alex

 

[ssgainey]

Hi Collin. I've been printing beautifully now for quite some time with a T-JET Blazer Express. First - with your pre-treat... cure it for at least 30 to 45 seconds with a parchment sheet over the tee. Second... your heat unit needs to be around 320 to 335 degrees, at about 40 to 55 psi on pressure.

The pretreat is the first important issue. Secondly... the profiles you're printing with are the next most important. If it's not a full color (as in a photograph) picture... I'd be running it 1440x720 cartoon mode. Single pass Underbase and usually only 1 color pass is necessary to get bright vibrant color prints on ANY color shirt - light or dark. However, you'll need to put your underbase "overall strength" probably at 60% or better... and the light percentage at 35% or better. That should get it.

Just an fyi... I stopped using pre-treat for dark shirts and only use pre-treat for light shirts - ON ALL MY TEES, and I purchase from American Screen Supply out of AZ. The reason(s) I did this... #1... dark pretreat is more of a plastic and ALWAYS feels this way even after it's washed... and I'm not happy with that quality - neither were my clients. #2 Using the light pretreat only - it's more of a crystal base and once it's washed once, the crystal pretreat is gone, the tee shirt feels soft and the washability of the image is super. We've got tees we've washed (inside/out, no bleaches, no fabric softeners) well over 20 times and they still look great. I have NO complaints with my tees.

hope this helps you. If you'd like to see some of the tees we print - find us on facebook at: The Graphics Factory - Signs & Banner Service - Millbrook, AL | Facebook and you'll see photos