Garment decoration is a high margin business. As businesses adopt the technology of thermal transfer from vinyl graphics, it is seen that pressure poses the main problem in the process. This is paramount when spot color graphics are applied to fabric through the use of any adhesive-backed film.
Thermal transfer films are of different kinds and thus the temperature and dwell time could vary for each kind of film. Harm causing factors Other than temperature and time, the pressure needs to vary as well. Too little pressure makes a bad product. The graphic will peel off quickly or after some time. It is thus important to make a nice job of it.
For a majority of the thermal transfer products, there is a certain formula consisting of temperature, pressure, and dwell time. When it comes to CAD films, the need for pressure takes the form of a standard guideline, heavy, medium or light. On a few print applications like dye sublimation, the recommended pressure is printed in pounds. To give an example, a ChromoBlast pressure setting is 60lbs. Correct pressure is important for a quality product. Thermal film adhesives get activated by both pressure and heat. Insufficient amount of any of these two will result in the film not sticking to the garment.
A few film manufacturers have claimed that the output stated by heat press is wrong, and the operator needs a digital thermometer to get the needed application temperature. Importance of pressure Heat is only a small component of the equation. Inadequate pressure will make a weak bond between fabric and film. Too light a pressure means the adhesive will not bond with the garment fibers. The latter will be overwhelmed by the stress generated by liner removal. The turbulence, water, and heat of laundering may also cause the applique to move away in case it has not sealed in a proper manner. Thus there is a possibility that there can be sufficient pressure for the first transfer to be held, and insufficient to be a wash-fast.
It is apparent that correct pressure is extremely important. A thumb rule is to put a little more pressure than recommended. Excessive pressure is perfectly okay for most films. An effective technique to make sure that the print remains fast is to repress that transfer post liner removal. You should peel the liner, and reduce time setting to approximately five seconds, and then press again. This process will assist the film to recover from the weakening effect generated by the liner pulling at the fresh bond between fabric and film.
We Nanjing Fei Yue Digital is a company specializing in thermal transfer printing equipment. We provide the best quality product in a affordable price. If you are looking for a partner and are interested in our products, please feel free to contact us.
More info:
Company Name: Fei Yue Digital Technology Co., Ltd
Web: www.feiyuepaper.com
www.sublicalender.com
E-mail: hannah@feiyuepaper.com
Tel: 86-025-86628894
Whatsapp: +86 18351865850
Address: No.323 Central Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
The key to successful heat transferred images using transfer paper and vinyl is heat and pressure. Heat presses can affect heat and pressure when doing transfers. As a result, one of the most important big ticket items you buy for your digital decoration business will be your heat press. When you first start out or are looking to upgrade, make sure to ask the right question when purchasing a heat press.
1.Sizes of Heat Press
One of the main differences is the size of the heat platen. Most standard heat presses come in 16×16 or 16×20 platen sizes. The platen size determines the maximum image size you can press onto your fabric. The standard size heat presses are sufficient for the majority of businesses as your desktop printer or cutter probably cannot produce images bigger than that. Ensure you have the right size for your type of images.
2.Types of Heat Press
There are also two main types of heat presses. One is the clamshell model and the other is the swing away model. The Insta 138 is an example of your standard clamshell model and the Insta 228 is an example of your standard swing away model. There really isn’t a right type here, it is just personal preference.
3.Operation Ways of Heat Press
Another major difference in a heat press is how it is operated. There are heat presses that are Air Automatic, Auto Release and Manual Heat Presses. An air automatic press (Insta 728) is basically a heat press that is automatic in almost every way. It automatically closes and opens the press using air pressure. You simply dial the pressure in and press a button and it will close and open after the pressing is done. An Auto Release Press (STX AutoClam) is one that requires the user to set the pressure and manually close the press, but when the pressing is done, the heat press will automatically open. This is handy because there is no risk of it overcooking your items. The last one is a manual heat press (Insta 138) which require the user to manually close and manually open the press when it is done.
4.Other Heat Press Functions
Modern day heat presses are normally digital ones which display temperature and time on a LED screen. There are older models that will display temperature on a gauge and some require the user to use a separate stop watch for the press time. We recommend using a digital press because it is much more accurate and consistent in measuring temperature and time.
5.Quality of Heat Press
Aside from the differences of a heat press, you should also consider the quality of the heat press. Ensure the heat press is well built and that it gives you consistent pressure and temperature. Your vendor should be able to give you a recommendation for a good heat press. Also quality brands will have warranties which will ensure that if it breaks during the period of the warranty, that the manufacturer will fix the problem for you.
Not only should you ensure the heat press is in good working order at the time of purchase, you should consistently check that the heat press is in good order over time. It is recommended that you buy a heat gun to check for cold spots that may occur over time.
We Nanjing Fei Yue Digital is a company specializing in thermal transfer printing equipment. We provide the best quality product in a affordable price. If you are looking for a partner and are interested in our products, please feel free to contact us.
According to functions, we can divide heat press machines into two types – basic and professional. But whether you’re using the basic or professional heat press machines, they are basically operated the same way.
The basic heat press machines are good for small jobs and home use. They’re much more affordable. The professional heat press machines are geared for making bulk orders. They have a much bigger platen (metal board) for a bigger working area to cater large garments. The professional heat press is also complete with more sophisticated time, temperature, and pressure settings.
Here’s a brief step-by-step guide on how to operate heat press machines:
1.Turn on the power by flipping the on/off switch
2.Turn the thermostat knob to the right until you see the red heating light
3.When the thermometer indicates the desired temperature for your transfer, turn the knob back to the left until the heating light turns off. The heating light will go on and off to regulate your desired temperature
4.If your machine has a digital timer, press it to start the timer and when you hear the alarm, press stop to reset
5.Lift up the handle to open the press
6.Lay out t-shirt and lay Transfer Paper onto shirt facing down
7.Bring the handle down. The handle should lock firmly in place
8.Set the timer based on the instructions on your Transfer Paper
9.Lift the handle to open the press
10.Peel the Transfer Paper from the shirt
11.Allow at least 24 hours for the print to “lock” before washing the t-shirts
These all above are my share about the steps of operating heat press machines. Hope my article can be useful to you. If you have any other needs or questions welcome to contact us at any time. We will provide you the best quality product and service. Thanks for your reading.
More info:
Company Name: FeiYue Digital Technology Co., Ltd
Address: No.323 Central Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Tel: 86-025-86628894
Fax: 86-025-86628894
E-mail: sales@subli-star.com
In order to start your heat transfer printing, there are few things you need to acquire. They are affordable and come in different types depending on your purpose.
1. Heat press machine
These comes in different sizes and with different prices. Also, some are unique for some kind of designs. So get the one that matches your need.
Also, check the temperature at the edges and the middle of the plate to be sure that the temperature is uniform. This is to make sure that the designs don’t peel off due to inefficient transfer.
Heat press machine is different in sizes and affordability. If you are starting out newly, go for the simple and cheaper ones. When the business starts growing, get the professional machines that have bigger platen for heat transfers on a large material.
These professional heat transfer machines also have unique features like temperature and time settings, pressure and bigger platen for bulk printing.
2. Inkjet printer
A printer is used to print out your designs, artwork or logo on the paper you will use for the heat transfer. There is a reason why I prefer the inkjet printer to Laser printers.
Don’t forget to buy your Printer inks/t-shirt ink depending on your choice.
3. Carrier paper
This is the paper you will use for the heat transfer on the t-shirt. It usually has a film on one side where your design will be printed on. Be sure to buy the professional carrier grade type instead of the regular paper you see everywhere.
Remember, your choice of transfer paper will also affect your output. However, there are some things you need to check before you purchase a heat transfer paper.
Believe me, you don’t want to use opaque paper on white and clear paper on dark materials. That will certainly create confusion.
Make sure that your garment is straightened when loading it onto the heat press machine. If you carelessly load a wrinkled fabric onto the heat press machine, you will surely get a crooked design as your output.
So unless you want to chase your clients away, take proper care when loading your garments. You may ask, how can I achieve that?
1. First of all, properly align the tag of your garment to the back of your heat press machine.
2. Go to the section that will direct a laser onto to your garment.
3. Make sure to Test the Print: It is advisable to first do a test on a regular paper or an unused garment before applying it to your transfer paper. Making a preview of your printing on an ordinary paper allows you to experiment.
You will get the idea of the outcome of your artwork. Another important thing to do is to properly stretch every garment you want to print on to make sure that your prints do not have cracks in them.
4. Get hold of the Perfect Transfer Paper vinyl: this is the first thing you should do before going ahead to print your Tees. Make sure that the transfer paper you got is the perfect match for the design of your printer.
When you go into the market, you will be surprised to find out that there are assorted brands of transfer papers. Some transfer papers are made for inkjet printers while others are made for laser printers.
Therefore, carry out a thorough research to make sure that the transfer paper you are acquiring is the proper one for your printer. Also, bear in mind that the transfer paper for a white T-shirt is quite different from the one you will use to print on a black T-shirt.
So you see, in your research for transfer papers, many things are involved than just buying the transfer paper that will match your heat press machine.
5. Another important factor to consider is taking Proper care of your Heat-pressed Garment. It is important to take very good care of our already heat-pressed T-shirts if you want them to last very long.