[GWFAMI]

Hi,
Just started pressing some test shirts, everything is working fine. The only problem is I'm getting these little colored squiggles, look like lint, on the shirt where I'm not transfering too. I've wiped down the teflon sheets, but have no idea where they are coming from. They are not ghosts, as they are very distinct. Could they be coming from the shirt itself? I haven't washed the shirts before I press them.

Thanks

 

[torodesigns]

Make sure the platen if free from debris that build up over time . . also make sure that the inside of the shirt does not have lint.

 

[selzler]

Take a lint roller and roll the shirt what is happening is the shirts have lint on them and that turns in to your colored squiggles when you put heat to the shirt also store your shirt away from carpet. The carpet dust fibers will cling to the polyester shirts.

 

[R2DS]

Selzler is absolutely correct - lint-rolling the shirts (or any fabric item) is an essential step - the only time those pesky squiggles show up is when you have lint on the item .. takes only a second or two to do, a good habit to get into!!

 

[Forry]

That's good to know, I often wondered what the squiggles were. I'll have to get the guys to lint roll the shirts first.

Thanks

 

[CUSTOM UK]

The 'squiggles' are tiny pieces of lint, or even dust, that carry sublimation ink to unwanted parts of the garment.

When the press is being closed, there is sufficient heat to activate the ink and these tiny particles of loose cloth 'blow out' from under the transfer paper, before a full seal can be achieved, depositing tiny areas of ink outside of the main print area.

The other main cause of unwanted ink deposits, is transfer from flecks on teflon sheets, or from an upper platen. Blue ink in particlar is very difficult to spot.

 

[GWFAMI]

So the best method of preventing these is to make sure that the shirt has been lint rolled first?

Thanks for all the replies.

GWFAMI