Heat Transfer Process

[splizaat]

Hey all...

First time at Heat Transfer material here so go easy! A friend of mine owns a tshirt screen printing business but also owns a heat press. I was asked to buy some heat transfer material and plot it for them if they provide the artwork and heat press it to the hoody sweatshirts for a basketball team..

What Heat transfer material works best??

Do i just plot, weed and mask with NORMAL cut vinyl masking tape?? I don't know what else to use??

Can someone explain what I need to do?!

Also -- can the heat transfer material be LAYERED?? If so, how does that process work? Do I layer before they put on the tshirt or do they heat press one color then the next?


-Matt

[gvgraphics]

Thermal Flex is what most use. You cut it in reverse with a 60 degree blade then weed. No transfer tape is used. It has a thick plastic liner that holds it down like backing paper. Just flip it over so the graphic is on bottom and press away. Yes you can layer them but I wouldn't do more than maybe three layers. And you do it one layer at a time.

[njsigns]

Rather than try to explain it, here is a video of the process:

Heat Press Transfer Vinyl Tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub5c65vcP-o)

The guy in the video is Josh Ellsworth, he has some more helpful videos on youtube that explain the process, materials and equipment used. You can visit his websites here (http://joshellsworth.com/) and here (http://www.garmentua.com/). He is very knowledgeable and quite helpful, I suggest visiting his sites - they will help you get on your way.

As far as materials, I think it comes down to preference. I don't claim to be an expert, but I'll tell you what I have learned from my experimentation. I have used many of the brands of heat press vinyls / printable transfer media that you will find available, and there are things I liked about all of them, as well as things I didn't like.

Some materials have an adhesive backed mylar sheet which might make weeding the design harder or more time consuming. This will generally be harder without using the proper cutting depth and/or downforce. You can generally do test cuts with any cutter to get an accurate feel for where you should be when the test cut weeds easily.

Some materials don't have the adhesive backing, and if you aren't careful you'll pull the image up off the carrier sheet when weeding. This can also have to do with the above mentioned settings, or more intricate designs which might come to sharp points or really small pieces "floating" away from the rest of the design.

I find that I can layer most, if not all that I've tried, just like vinyl. I have run into situations where I felt confused doing this because of press times. There are generally some directions given with the material or information on the suppliers /the manufacturers website telling you what to do.

Some are hot peel, some are cold peel, many will need accurate temperatures, press times and pressure to get the desired results. I have found some to be a little more forgiving. I like the feeling (hand) of some while I find other to feel too "plastic-y" for the application at hand. It's really going to boil down to experimentation and then knowing what you like and dislike about the different possibilities. I personally don't think there is a "best material", but I will let you know if I find it. In the meantime, there really are some great options out there, and you'll be able to get by with most of them.

Gene

[splizaat]

WHat do you mean by cut in reverse?? As in mirror cut it and put it on the inside of the tshirt?? I am a little lost with the term.

[ALTEREDIMAGEDESIGNS]

spizzat yes cutting in reverse or mirror image is what you do, this is because when you are cutting on the plotter the actual heat transfer material is facing you, the release liner is on the backside like usual, but when you put it on the shirt you put the heat transfer side to the shirt, so the release liner is now facing you, so if you didnt cut in reverse the image would be backwards on the shirt once transfered, get it now?!

[ALTEREDIMAGEDESIGNS]

and no you do not put it on the inside of the shirt!

[Air Art Girl]

make sure you purchase Thermal Flex PLUS if you are applying to cotton/poly blend. I press at 347 degrees for 20 seconds, peel the clear release, repress it with a teflon sheet for 5 more seconds. This stuff stays on the garment really well. If you are pressing onto nylon, get the Thermal Flex EXTRA. I have washed my son's nylon wind shirt many many times and have had no lifting of the Thermal Flex at all. Different process for the Extra then the Plus. I go thru tons of this stuff.