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What is the best heat transfer paper for my printer?

773 Views 11 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  paradigmprint, 
B
Hi,

I am fairly new to this but i would like to start printing my own designs on heat transfer paper and the ironing them on to t shirts and stuff. I've currently got the following printer below:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ricoh-2100N-Colour-Geljet-Printer/dp/B007XAVLG2

Is this printer suitable to use for this type of printing? If yes what sort of paper should i be using to get the best prints?

Any information would be greatly appreciated:)
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into the T
iron won't cut it with transfer paper, you will need a press

i'm not even sure you can use gel ink with papers
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1. The only "iron-on" transfer available is the stuff they sell in the big box stores .... very doubtful you'll have many happy customers with it.

2. To my knowledge, there is no paper available that would work with a gel-printer.

In order to get started, if you plan to do your own artwork and printing, you will need a quality heat press and make the decision whether you want to go with vinyl, laser, or sublimation.
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B
Hi,

Thanks for all the replies. I forgot to mention i already have a sublimation heat press i brought off eBay, i've attached a picture of it. I also brought this Epson printer to use with it:

https://epson.com/For-Work/Printers/Inkjet/Epson-WorkForce-WF-7110-Inkjet-Printer/p/C11CC99201

Would this heat press and printer be sufficient enough to heat press my own designs on to t shirts? What temperature should i set the press to?

Thanks

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Time and temperature depends on a lot of variables. What paper are you using? In an earlier post you'd mentioned the use of a gel printer. That is not going to work with sublimation ink.
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Sorry i wasn't being very clear from the start. I am no longer going to use the gel printer. I am going to use the Epson sublimation printer I've got which i mentioned in my last post. In terms of what paper i've got 100gsm sublimation heat transfer paper. Still not sure what settings to set my heat press on though?

Thanks
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into the T
you can use that printer and inks
search for 'jpss' in the heat press sub-forum

that will work excellent on white 50/50 blend tees, and very light tees

dark tees present problems, number one being the feel on the tee (like a piece of thick paper/rubber)

if you go with sublimation inks you can use that for white 100% poly tees,
but you open up a whole new world of product possibilities (key-chains, tiles, mugs, etc.)

there are some here who have one set of pigment ink carts,
and one set of sublimation carts and switch between the two (using the epson you have or one very similar)
again go to the heat press sub-forum or the dye-sub sub forum and search

EDIT: you posted while i was typing
the instructions for heat press settings are dependent on the paper and should have been with the paper or told to you
go back to your seller and ask for the instructions
there are many paper manufacturers and all have different settings
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Bhavick said:
Sorry i wasn't being very clear from the start. I am no longer going to use the gel printer. I am going to use the Epson sublimation printer I've got which i mentioned in my last post. In terms of what paper i've got 100gsm sublimation heat transfer paper. Still not sure what settings to set my heat press on though?

Thanks
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For dye sub you are typically going to be in the 385F-400F area on your press. I would set it at 400F and start there... get yourself some cheap dyesub metal or some polyester fabric from a fabric store. Cut either up into smaller size pieces to use for testing. Write down your settings on each piece you make so you can look back and figure out what worked best.
For fabric or cheap metal 45 seconds is a good starting point.

We mostly use beaver textprint paper, because we get a great price on it when buying cases..there are other good brands too. The above info should be a good starting point regardless of the paper your using.
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OK thanks for the reply. I've messaged the seller i brought the paper off of on eBay. Lets see what he says! Just to confirm 100% polyester tees are the best to use with sublimation inks? Sorry for asking the same question over and over.
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Bhavick said:
OK thanks for the reply. I've messaged the seller i brought the paper off of on eBay. Lets see what he says! Just to confirm 100% polyester tees are the best to use with sublimation inks? Sorry for asking the same question over and over.
Click to expand...
Polyester shirts are the "only" shirts you can print with Sublimation Ink. Remember that sublimation ink is not opaque and that the shirt color will also come through.

Sublimation colors are generally brilliant on white shirts.
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paradigmprint said:
Polyester shirts are the "only" shirts you can print with Sublimation Ink. Remember that sublimation ink is not opaque and that the shirt color will also come through.

Sublimation colors are generally brilliant on white shirts.
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In your personal opinion the 100gsm paper that I've got what is the best setting to have my heat press on?
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It depends on the paper itself. It should have come with the proper time, temperature, and pressure settings.

If not, user Amw (above) offered the best suggestion for trial and error with it.
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