Making t-shirts on your computer

[Tiggeroo]

Can anybody tell me how to do this. I used to know how and completely forgot. I know I need to get decal paper. Also, how do you switch your printer so it's not mirror image. I want to make some shirts for my little nephew and niece for their birthday.

 

[jfulcer]

When I use Microsoft Word to print these out, there is a paper choice called something like "Iron on transfer" or something like that. When I print with that option, it reverses the image without me having to do anything. Do you have Word? This may work for you...

 

[browneyes]

If you click print, go to advanced and there should be a place there to tell it to not print mirror image. I bought the iron on decals at Walmart, I don't know if it's the quality of the iron ons, or my printer quality, but mine didn't turn out too well (I'm thinking it's my printer that was the problem). The colors ran too easily. I don't know if there's special ink to buy just for that. Good luck.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'd like to know what you all use for ironing surfaces. You're not supposed to use anything porous, and I'm stumped.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I am trying to make T-shirts for our cruise... and I am stumped too! I created a nice image using a Mickey Mouse image, and Corelle Word Perfect 'Text Art'. The image I can flip using Word Perfect, but NOT the text that is under the image. (our name and cruise date....)

We have a HP printer, and apparantly this silly thing does not have an option for 'mirror image' or 'iron on transfer' !!! Ugghhhh!

DH is going to take it to work tomorrow and see if his printer there will print it in mirror image. ????

Anyhow, I too could us ANY tips on making these shirts. Never done it before, and I want them to look decent!

What transfer paper works well? We just bought the Avery regular iron on paper from Walmart.

Any tips for actually ironing the image onto the shirt?

Thanks!

 

[damo]

When we made t-shirts last year, we just had the graphics program do the mirror image, most programs like Adobe will have that feature. For ironing, I just put my teflon baking sheet on the ironing board and under the t-shirt and it worked very well. I bought my transfers at Office Depot and they worked fine. The trick is in when to pull off the transfer, some transfers needed to cool a bit and others needed to be hot, make sure you read the instructions carefully.

You also need to make sure that if you are using colored t-shirts that you buy the transfers for colored t-shirts since most transfers have a white background, not clear. Clip very close to the image but leave about 1/4 inch around.

 

[DMRick]

You need to buy transfer paper not decal..they are not the same. Here is where I buy mine..and she has instructions on line:

http://edps-nj.websiteorder.com/cart/product_info.php?cPath=100&products_id=478

Although Elissa isn't on this board often, she is a member. I prefer using white shirts, as I don't care for the opaque that has white as part of it, and I haven't tried the new opaque for colored shirts. Just keep in mind, if you use a colored shirt, that printers don't print white..they count on the background for white. So if you print onto a colored shirt, anything that should be white, will be the color of the shirt.

Also, do not press on an ironing board. You need a firm surface. I use a towel on my counter.

For the person not able to "mirror" the name and the graphic..you have to "group" the items together first, in some programs..and then mirror, or flip.

 

[Keli]

Someone else said it but I just wanted to mention it too but be sure and clip close to the edges of your transfer especially on colored items. The transfer will make the colored fabric appear darker than the rest of the shirt where the printing ends. Ashli made some tinkerbell transfers on the computer and ironed them on a jean skirt and didn't trim around them well and she's got tinkerbell on her skirt with a two inch dark area all around it. Where the actual ink is you don't notice but you sure can see the dark area where there isn't any ink. I hope I'm explaining this well enough.

 

[Tiggeroo]

What I specifically am trying to do is create a POTC shirt for my little nephew. There are very few available and he is a huge fan. Has seen the movie 4 times. I really wish I could find something with the monkey as a skeleton.