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The image wears off after I wash it using dark transfer paper

8K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  Siena Jackson 
#1 ·
Hi. I have been using Jolee’s Easy Image and also the paper Walmart sells, for inkjet printer and a regular hand-iron for dark t-shirts. After I wash the shirt a time or two, the image seems to fade. How do I prevent that? There’s these little white specks and lines, and I got a special pic in the mail, so I copied it onto a shirt and put glitter paint over the signatures. I will attach a picture for visual aid. How do I seal the ink so it will not fade?

Thank you in advance.
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#3 ·
Hi, thanks for your reply. It is an HP Officejet 4500 series printer snd the ink cartridge number is 901. I don’t know if that helps. I am not selling these shirts as they’re just for my own personal use.

I set the iron to cotton setting bc on our iron, which it says to use, I’m not sure what the “highest setting” is. You also put the piece of waxed/parchment paper over the transfer and iron that.

I haven’t tried this pic on light fabric paper on a white shirt yet, but another pic I tried with light paper and white shirt seems ok.
 
#6 ·
It is an HP Officejet 4500 series printer snd the ink cartridge number is 901.
That printer does use pigment inks, but not all pigment are created equal.
Light transfers are more tolerant because the ink is bellow the transfer film, but some inks do cause adhesion issues.

New people come to this forum all the time with similar issues... bellow is recent example.
He went and bought an Epson Workforce printer... Problem solved.
 
#4 ·
Youll never get good, lasting prints with an inkjet and those papers. If it was that easy everyone would be printing and selling t-shirts!

As splathead has said, a printer that prints with pigment inks will produce better results, and a heat press is way better than an iron.
 
#5 ·
Years ago I messed around with similar products for personal use and got the same results as you. You are unlikely to get good results with the papers available at retail big box stores. JPSS for lights is durable, and you should be able to find it online. But if your ink isn't pigment, it probably won't last regardless of the paper used. Most people use Epson printers for this as there is a large aftermarket that supplies specialty inks for them, and some come with pigment inks to start with. Also, a heat press is likely needed to get good results. But all of that starts to get expensive if all you want to do is make yourself a shirt of three ... so might be better off going to the mall and having someone with the equipment do it for you.
 
#8 ·
I’ve made shirts with inkjet transfers and a regular iron for 20 plus years and have several that are every bit that old. Other than looking like an old transfer (which I think looks cool), they have no issues... I can recall people talking about how the heat generated by an HP printer causes problems with transfers. I can’t say that’s your problem but it might be. I’ve always used Canon printers. Nothing fancy, and I refill cartridges with whatever ink comes in those kits! I do make sure to iron the crap out of them, and I apply as much pressure as I can. I always wash them cold, inside out and unless I’m at a laundromat, I run a short wash cycle. I’ve also heard air drying is best, but I haven’t really been able to test that because I’m forgetful! When the shirt begins to age and the transfer starts getting cracks thru it I generally re-iron it to melt anything loose back into the shirt. I’ve used a lot of Avery transfers, but I’ll try any of them. To me as long as the transfer has a nice ‘hand’ to it, I’m happy. Avery is about the stiffest brand I’ll use. If you know someone with a different brand of printer, try your luck with theirs and see if it works better for you. Iron it well at high heat and always wash inside out. You should get great results. Not a product you’d go into business with, because people don’t follow directions, but one that will last and get a nice aged look to it over the years.
-bc1369
 
#9 ·
Not a product you’d go into business with, because people don’t follow directions, but one that will last and get a nice aged look to it over the years.
That's the thing though... because most people printing shirts want to either sell them, or at least give them to relatives and friends.

I’ve made shirts with inkjet transfers and a regular iron for 20 plus years and have several that are every bit that old.
The age doesn't mean much. A 20 year old shirt could have just 10 or 20 washes.

I can recall people talking about how the heat generated by an HP printer causes problems with transfers.
That for sublimation inks... not for the transfers.
 
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