Custom T Shirts...Iron on Transfer Brand?

[YEKCIM]

Heading to The World in July and am going to be making some "custom" T Shirts for our family to wear while there. Does anyone have any experience with the different brands (HP, Avery, Epson, other?) of Inkjet iron on transfer sheets? I'll probably use white or light colored 100% cotton shirts; the designs will be mainly text and line art graphics; no color photos.

Any tips or suggestions muchly appreciated!

Thanks,

~YEKCIM

 

[SaintLouie]

I don't have a lot of experience with the different brands of "light t-shirt" iron-ons because I stopped using them a long time ago.

I switched over to the Avery "dark t-shirt" iron-ons and haven't looked back... even when using light t-shirts and simple designs. They can be a little more expensive, but I think they look a lot better.

With the light transfers, you print the image backward onto the paper, cut it out, and then iron it on. The ink of the image is released from the paper and is fixed into the shirt. If not ironed on correctly, the image can be uneven and a little murky.

With the dark transfers, you print the image normally, cut it out, then peel the backing off and iron it on kind of like a patch. The result is an image that is much more crisp and vivid and more readable. The only real downside that I've found is that the transfers tend to crack after a few dozen trips through the dryer.

I'm sure others have different opinions, but that has been my experience. Hope that helps.

 

[kat3668]

This is the best transfer paper I have ever used.http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=nw0133
Walmart also carries this brand. Stay away from Avery it is junk. (unless you use the dark transfer paper and even that does not hold up IMHO.

Alot of people on these boards also swear by this Ebay seller and his prices are good too! I have never used his stuff so I cant comment on the quality but have heard good things!
http://stores.ebay.com/Heat-Transfer-Supplies

Good Luck!

 

[Mr_Prat]

Hello,
I plan on making some T-shirts too for our upcomming trip to DW.
As I've never done this before I have a couple questions.
Can someone tell me if a quality Photo printer is neccessary, or would a
regular ink jet printer work just as well?
Also, Can someone point me to a thread or FAQ that contians detailed
instructions on transferring a design to a tshirt?
Thanks

 

[dsnymomof4]

I was a first-time t-shirt maker last month and used our regular ink-jet printer and my shirts turned out great! It was so easy - especially with the fantastic designs of some talented Disers! Good luck!

 

[KristineN]

A couple of things to remember.....

try to use a printer that uses a pigment based ink...such as Epson durabrite ink. Dye based inks to not have the durability

do not print your designs at the highest quality...I know this is hard to do. but it throws way to much ink onto the transfer...and it will not hold up in the wash. you will start seeing the colors bleed. The pros tend to use a "normal" print setting, or draft.

Use the iron at the highest setting. If doing dark transfers...iron the shirt itself right before you apply the transfer.

 

[KBerly]

I just ordered the dark transfers from the Ebay seller and followed the directions which said to iron them for 90 seconds (or something like that). Well...I followed directions and it ironed them too much and now the red shirt bleeds into the transfer. KWIM? I just ironed another transfer over top of that one and it fixed it but didn't do it for nearly as long.

Also, I printed a transfer on normal setting and it came out a little streaky. When I printed it on best, there were no streaks. I have an HP all-in-one. I'm going to wash them in a few days and make sure that they don't bleed. I'd rather find out now than in a rainstorm at Disney.

 

[KristineN]

They won't bleed in a rainstorm....just in the wash. Clean your print heads...it should not show streaks on normal mode

every single shirt I did on an HP printer on a higher setting bled in the wash...

 

[KBerly]

Thanks, Kristen. How do I clean the print heads? Stupid question but I really have no idea.

I did a test shirt with the Avery Dark Label. It was fine and didn't bleed in the wash. I didn't have any problem ironing it on either. With these new transfers (from the Ebayer), they don't seem as thick and I definitely didn't need to iron them as longas the directions said or as long as the Avery ones. Maybe it's because I was using a sweatshirt instead of a tshirt? I am going to wash them in a few days and see what happens. Wish me luck.

Oh, and I did one shirt in the normal mode (colors weren't as good but it's my husbands so... and one in the better quality. I'll wash them separately and see if they bleed. Wow. Who knew I was going to do a science experiment?

I'm not going until Christmas so I have plenty of time to work it out.

 

[KristineN]

go to the properties tab of your printer...it should have the option of cleaning the print head there.

here's the instructions I use

ITEMS YOU WILL NEED:
• Dark color Cotton or Cotton / Polyester
• Blend fabric garment.
• Iron (do not use steam)
• Pillow case
• Hard smooth surface (example: Formica) (DO NOT USE AN IRONING BOARD)
• Parchment paper or baking parchment paper
STEP ONE – PRINTING YOUR IMAGE
1) Choose the image of what you would like to print on the
computer.
2) Print your image on the white side of the transfer sheet using a
print mode not to lay down too much ink. (You do not need to
reverse or mirror the image as with a regular transfer.)Also, choose
a printer setting for the amount of ink that it will lie down, to be
adequate but not excessive. All testing conditions internally and
externally have demonstrated that with the following settings you
will receive the best color density and transfer results.
For example, on the subsequent printers:
HP 990cse
Media: Plain Paper
Print Mode: Normal
HP 1100, 7350
Media: Plain Paper
Print Mode: Normal
Epson 1280 – Media: Plain Paper
Print Mode: Automatic
Canon i9100 – Media: Plain Paper
Print Mode: Standard
Lexmark Z65 – Media: Plain Paper
Print Mode: Normal
3) Do not use any printers that have a heating element in them.
Otherwise, this product works for a variety of printers.
Load the sheet into your printer so that it will print on the non-glossy
(unlined) side.
4) Cut out the printed image to your desired shape or size. Peel
apart the white film from the backing paper.
STEP TWO – TRANSFERING THE IMAGE
HAND IRON
1) Preheat your iron to the “Cotton” setting. Lay a Pillow case on the
ironing surface.
2) Place your garment on the pillowcase and pre-iron your garment
to remove wrinkles. Place your image print side up on your
garment. Place the parchment paper over the image making sure to
cover the transfer entirely with the parchment paper. The parchment
paper can be used for several transfer applications.
3) Using FIRM PRESSURE, holding iron with both hands and
applying your body weight, iron on each area of the sheet for 20
seconds making sure to lift the iron completely when moving to a
new position. Please continue this process until you have
completely ironed the entire sheet. Be sure also to cover all corners
and edges.
4) To peel HOT, wait until you are able to touch the
transfer and remove the parchment paper using a
smooth, even motion for a matte finish, or, to peel
COLD, wait for the transfer to cool for at least two minutes and then
remove the parchment paper as specified above for a gloss finish. If
you would like to transfer several images on one single sheet, it is
recommended that you wait until all images are ironed before
peeling away any of the paper so that the heat of the other ironing
applications do not affect your already transferred images.

T-SHIRT TRANSFER DARK INSTRUCTIONS
HEAT PRESS
Same instructions as STEP ONE above; then preheat press to 350º
F and press for 20 – 25 seconds.
WASHING INSTRUCTIONS
• Turn the T-shirt inside out.
• Wash in COLD water.
• Use a mild detergent for best results.
• Do not use bleach or bleach alternative detergents.
• Remove the shirt immediately as if the shirt sits wet for a
period of time, the colors may bleed.
• Dry with a LOW temperature.
• Please do not stretch the image transferred or the t-shirt
as this may cause cracking to occur.
• If cracking or wrinkling does occur, please place a sheet
of parchment paper over the transfer and heat press or
iron for a few seconds making sure to press firmly over the
entire transfer again.
• Please remember to NEVER iron directly on the transfer.

 

[cryssi]

I'm also a big fan of the dark shirt iron-ons. The colors are more vibrant, and you don't have that weird clear square around your design (unless you cut them out, of course). I just use the Office Depot or Staples brand dark shirt iron ons. I've used Avery as well, but the store brands work just fine.

From experience, however, don't do a full bleed design for a white shirt. I did black letters for a white shirt. Printed them on the dark shirt iron ons, then cut out the letters so they were solid black. The ink bled in the wash. If you want solid letters, I would go to the fabric store and buy them, or cut them out with a slight white border. I wouldn't just print out your design on the 8.5x11 sheet and then iron the whole thing on your shirt, though. Hope that made sense. Good luck!

c

 

[KristineN]

Again, bleeding should not occur in the wash...this is typically caused by using to high of a print setting on your printer. Transfer paper will only absorb so much ink...


Depending on how many shirts you are doing dictates where to buy your paper...if you are doing fewer than 10..buy Avery or June Taylor or whatever. Once you start doing more than that, it is not cost effective to buy your paper in a retail environment.

 

[cryssi]

Again, bleeding should not occur in the wash...this is typically caused by using to high of a print setting on your printer. Transfer paper will only absorb so much ink...

you're right, I may have set the printer for photo, but I'm wondering, though, since it was an all black print, if I had printed it regular, if it would still have leaked out the sides? if that made any sense...lol

 

[KristineN]

All of us want to print at a higher quality...because it looks more crisp & vibrant... the paper just can't handle all of that ink.

I am trying an experiment however...to see if I can prevent bleed on stuff I have already done....

 

[asw]

I am having a problem removing the backing paper. I tried bending the corner and all - any suggestions?

 

[cryssi]

sometimes it won't cooperate. you can try scoring it *very* lightly on the back, be careful b/c you don't want to get a mark on the front. If not, then take your fingernail and carefully pick at the corners. It will eventually come up...good luck!

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

subscribing

 

[dreamn_Disney]

I hope this doesn't sound like a dumb question. I have an Epson Stylus and I have never done a transfer. My question is if I use an dark t-shirt transfer do I need special ink? When I print pics on regular paper and they get wet the pic runs.

 

[KristineN]

you are in good shape if its a durabrite ink..

short answer is no, you do not need a special ink. just make sure you set the print quality to "normal" NOT high. The transfer paper cannot absorb all the ink. The heat of the iron will set the ink...

good luck

 

[lamcnany]

Thanks for all the good tips!. off to do some printing of the wonderful designs that have been shared. Many Thanks to all the designers for their hard work and generosity.