# my transfer image won't stick to fabric



## chingstote (Oct 28, 2008)

I purchased Ironall Light Heat transfer paper last month, I really have hard time doing it, most of the time the transfer had some part just won't stick to the fabric, I don't know which part went wrong. I saw some people have similar problems like me but the reason may be the moisture, but I live in southern California, the weather here is pretty dry, and the paper are still fresh too. I am working on canvas tote bags, and I use hand iron to do my transfer jobs, does any one have same kind of problem? or does any one have any suggestions? really need help. Thanks.

Ching


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

The problem may be that you are not getting enough heat and pressure with a hand iron. If this is something you are doing as a business, it really is worth the investment to get a heat press. I cant see getting consistant results that are good with a hand iron as there is just no way to control the pressure and getting even heat with it. Even if it is a matter of money, there are some cheap presses out there such as the sunie that will at least give decent results compared to a hand iron. I think that in itself is your problem.


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## chingstote (Oct 28, 2008)

Thank you for replied my question so fast. 
I was once used the heat press, and it came out horrible, some part of the bag was burned and some part the transfer just won't stick, I think the problem is the tote bags I used are pretty thick (10oz). Any other suggestions?

Ching


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

I would try getting a teflon pillow to put inside the bag and then do them with a heat press. It could be that when you press them, there are certain parts of the bag that dont get even pressure because of seams and such. With a teflon pillow it will allow the pressure to be more even on the bag.


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## chingstote (Oct 28, 2008)

Is that possible is quality of the transfer paper? I used same paper before but from different supplier, I do have this problem but only once or twice before, not like this time, it was almost fail every time I did it.
Do you know any other transfer paper like Ironall, that can iron over after transfer? my design is kind complicate, most of the time need iron twice (front and back), any suggestion?

ching


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

There is also the jetwear dark, which I think is called alpha gold that some people seem to like. I myself dont do transfers anymore as I do dtg printing, but I used to use the jetwear dark and it worked well for me when I used it. Sorry I cant be more help with that, but it did work ok for me. Maybe you can get a supplier to send you samples, just to see how it works.


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## chingstote (Oct 28, 2008)

Thank you for all your replys.


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## chingstote (Oct 28, 2008)

By the way, how about for light fabric?


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

by far the best that seems to be out there for light color garments is the jetpro soft stretch. Everyone here seems to love it and I have not seen any bad feedback at all on it. It is definately the light paper of choice from the members here


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## chingstote (Oct 28, 2008)

Thank you.


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## transfer fun (Aug 17, 2006)

I don't think jet pro would be a good paper for tote bags. You can't use an iron with it, and it bleeds badly from when I tested it. Ironall seems to work the best for me. When applied properly, you shouldn't have any issues. How long are you ironing it for? Are you ironing your tote to remove any residual moisture before you apply the paper? Also, maybe you need to up the amount of ironing time and pressure if possible. Heat press is still the best way to apply. To prevent scorching on totes, turn the temp down a touch from what is recommended, back off on the pressure a bit, and increase your time slightly. Using a teflon pillow definitely helps a lot also.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

There are alot of threads on the forum with problems doing totes, even with heat presses.... from what I've read, they hold an incredible amount of moisture. Also, some totes aren't good for this process, so it may also be the tote itself.

I know Topper 806 totes have been recommended, and you also need to use totes without sizing on them. I've seen folks use Ironall with totes, so it's probably not the Ironall. 

I think to remove the moisture properly, you'll need to insert a towel inside the tote and apply alot of heat. When I removed the moisture from sweatshirts, where there was no towel on the counter, I had to wipe the counter dry, and totes have more moisture than that. (I used to hand iron Ironall.) 

With a press, people reverse the tote so the handles hang off the edge and don't melt (others have done that, too.)

Definitely using a mouse pad, or uncorrogated cardboard is a must to raise the imprint area above the seams, even with a hand iron, since you need to apply huge amounts of pressure to the edges of the transfer, and being raised helps alot. A pillow may be hard to use with an iron tho. 


Diane/Shuffy does alot of totes and she removes moisture twice (I think it is Diane, be could be Jberte....). All of that info is in the threads, if you search "tote bags" you'll find the threads.


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## proworlded (Oct 3, 2006)

The problem might be the surface of the canvas. There are many types of canvas fabrics that are coated with a chemical that prevents the image from adhering. If there is any stiffness to the canvas it probably has the coating.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

proworlded said:


> The problem might be the surface of the canvas. There are many types of canvas fabrics that are coated with a chemical that prevents the image from adhering. If there is any stiffness to the canvas it probably has the coating.


 
I think that coating is the sizing I am talking about. I think buying totes without sizing might be the term they have to look for, do you think so, Ed?


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## proworlded (Oct 3, 2006)

Kelly, that is probably the correct term. We sell a promotional tote that has no coating and it accepts the ClearSoft print without a problem. There are probably others available. Toppers would be a good source for printable tote bags. www.toppersllc.com


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## chingstote (Oct 28, 2008)

Thank you for all your answers, I still doubt is the paper problem, because I used the ironall on those pre-washed canvas totes they still came out the same, and I did iron about 20 seconds on the bags before I put the transfers on. Does any one know where I can find the totes without sizing? I custom ordered my totes from a bag manufacture, may be I should ask for no sizing canvas, any suggestion?


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Yes, Ching, if you search "totes sizing" on the forum you will see how it is recommended all the time that there is no sizing on them. In ProworldEd's post, he supplied a link to Topper totes and the link to Proworld is at the bottom of his post by his name. There are two places you can look for totes, and make sure there is no sizing on them.


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## Smazz (Jul 21, 2009)

This thread helped me out a bit too.
Even though I am not doing bags, I am doing t-shirts and I went through quite a few where the transfer did not stick properly even though I used the exact same heat and time (or roughly so) as the T-shirt and Transfer just 20 seconds before.

Can too much heat cause a problem also?

Thanks


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## DTFuqua (Jun 26, 2008)

Too much heat with too much time can damage some materials. Especialy with poly blends uo to pure poly.


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