# This Is An Opaque Inkjet Transfer



## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

I just thought I'd post a t-shirt that I just did with an opaque inkjet transfer and my plotter.

The black on the closeup is the shirt itself. There's no black ink in on this transfer...anywhere.

Oh, and it was a single press. 

Enjoy!


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*



Chani said:


> I just thought I'd post a t-shirt that I just did with an opaque inkjet transfer and my plotter.
> 
> The black on the closeup is the shirt itself. There's no black ink in on this transfer...anywhere.
> 
> ...


That looks really great Chani, good job  it looks like all of your experimenting is paying off well. I have been reading all of your posts with the steps you have been taking. Keep up the good work

Bobbie


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

Thanks!

It seems I'm trying to push the limits of what you can achieve with various printing processes. 

I'm really happy with the way this one turned out, other than the fact that I don't have anymore professional opaque transfer paper left so I had to use some Avery paper that we got quite a while ago. This was just an experiment anyway to see if we could do what I wanted to do, so I'm not too worried about it.

I'm ordering some JetDark tomorrow, so I'll try it again with that paper and see if it will work with that.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*



Chani said:


> Thanks!
> 
> It seems I'm trying to push the limits of what various printing processes will do.
> 
> ...


Usually that is how you do something amazing is by pushing past the limits of what others can do. 

Bobbie


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## prometheus (Oct 19, 2006)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

Thanks for the post. Maybe you coul explain exactly what you did, so people can have a better understanding. Also, do you think it might have been better to use vinyl for the white part. I know that you wouldn't find it in the colors that are there, but at least the white.


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## carl2 (Jul 4, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

Chani, 

That is it . My biggest problem is the dark (I'm turning down business), and I'm still experimenting w/transfers. The roland is giving me hell too! Any advise on equipment , inks, or transfer (plain and opaque) would be a godsend.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

Hi Robert. Sorry, that was just my attempt at creating some suspense. 

I've included the file that I printed and the what I cut. You can see I didn't print anything for the white (or any of the black that surrounds it).

I printed that out with solid circles for the rings and the grey stripe minus any white areas. What I did to set it up was to take the original file with the 13 Rings Chainmaille Supplies and the rings with a black background, created slightly larger circles centered on the rings and gave them the same color as the rings, then turned the rings white and sent them to the back layer. Then I did the same with the grey stripe and subtracted the "g" and welded the original grey strip with the shape of the "g". I combined all white shapes in the design (the words and rings) and sent them all to the back layer so they wouldn't print.

I loaded the printed page into our plotter. Then I selected the white shapes and hit "Cut/Plot" in CorelDRAW and used the option to cut only the selected shapes. Then, obviously, I cut the file.

Here's the important part: because it's opaque paper, you need to weed out everything that you don't want on your shirt. Make sure that when you cut your file you ONLY cut through the transfer itself and NOT through the backing paper. Weed your design, then the key to this whole process: Magic Mask from Stahls (or Beacon). Basically what Magic Mask is is a plastic sheet with adhesive on it that can be heat pressed.

Lay the Magic Mask over your design (on the face sie, not the backing side), and CAREFULLY peel the backing paper off your design. With this Avery paper it was pretty difficult, and prolly even more difficult because I cut a little too deep. Make sure you get all of the backing paper off of your design elements (or they won't stick to your shirt).

Press and peel COLD!

With this method you can press all of your unconnected design elements and letters at the same time without needing to align each and every element. It also allows you not to have any sort of box or border at all.

To be honest, I didn't use vinyl for the white because then I would have: had two different feels of two different materials...had to align and press in two different steps...wasted more money (I had to use a whole piece of paper anyway, so I may as well use it for the entire design and not use extra materials (the vinyl)).

If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*



carl2 said:


> Chani,
> 
> That is it . My biggest problem is the dark (I'm turning down business), and I'm still experimenting w/transfers. The roland is giving me hell too! Any advise on equipment , inks, or transfer (plain and opaque) would be a godsend.


Hi Nelson,

To be honest, I've only had about a week's experience with transfers, and just about everything know I learned here. 

Just make sure if you're using an inkjet transfer that you're using PIGMENT inks, not dye inks. Your transfers won't fade as fast if you do. Most Epson printers use pigment ink.

As for transfers for lights, I think I've given up on them for now. I'm not going to use them.

I take it you have a GX-24? I'm sorry, I can't give you any advice with that plotter because we have a Graphtec CE5000-60, and I only have a little more than a month's experience with plotters, period.

Otherwise, just read my previous post to see what I did with that particular file.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

Oops, I attached the wrong print file. The extra space to allow for the distance between our cutter's rollers and its optical eye shout be on the RIGHT of that image, not the left.

I made a mistake at first and had the space to the left of my image, loaded it up in our plotter, and didn't pay attention to the orientation of the actual image on either my paper or in Cutting Master 2, so it cut it rotated 180 degrees. 

That's one thing I'm a little disappointed with in Cutting Master 2. When you're using registration marks it only allows you to rotate your cutting paths 90 degrees in ONE direction (I forget which way), whereas when you're just cutting, you can rotate a full 180 in either direction.

The biggest problem with that would come if I'd printed a bunch of them off and went to cut and they couldn't be used. If I could rotate 180, they could be.

Oh, and just as a note, I used 40g dowwnforce on this shirt when I was cutting the image. I should have used 20g or 30g. Hey, still experimenting!


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## prometheus (Oct 19, 2006)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

It's great to see all this and you did an excellent job. I'm interested in how it will wash. My experince with opaque so far hasn't been the best.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

What problems have you had with opaque transfers washing?

I have an old version of this shirt with that ugly box around it, and the colors have survived very well, tho there is quite a bit of puckering.

The other thing is that this is an Avery transfer...not the best quality. It's already started to crack, even before washing it (the grey stripe under "Rings").

Thanks!


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## prometheus (Oct 19, 2006)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*



Chani said:


> What problems have you had with opaque transfers washing?
> 
> I have an old version of this shirt with that ugly box around it, and the colors have survived very well, tho there is quite a bit of puckering.
> 
> ...


Just cracking and fading.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

Okay, thanks.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Chani said:


> I just thought I'd post a t-shirt that I just did with an opaque inkjet transfer and my plotter.
> 
> The black on the closeup is the shirt itself. There's no black ink in on this transfer...anywhere.
> 
> ...


Hey Chani, what a ROCKIN' idea for a thread (and a _perfect_ title)

Thanks for the photographs and the process used.

We could use a whole series of threads like this so people could see the different printing types very clearly.

"This is an ironall inkjet transfer on white t-shirts"

"This is a vinyl transfer"

"This is a dye sub transfer"

"This is a DTG (Direct to Garment) printed black t-shirt", etc.

Back to the topic here...what kind of feel did you get with the avery dark paper? Would you use it again or would you definitely opt for the professional stuff?


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## dewreginald (Apr 15, 2007)

what kind of printer do I need to print on this transfer, and would this be the best paper to use if you don't won't your tranfer sheet background to be showing please reply.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

Thanks, Rodney! 

I actually like the "feel" of the Avery opaque transfers, but they're just not up to the task. When you first press them they feel pretty rubbery, but that goes away...to a point. Prefessional papers feel more plasticky.

The biggest problem with Avery opaque transfers on black is that they aren't completely opaque. You can see a little of the black behind it and it doesn't look very good.

The other problem, like I said before, is that it's already started cracking, even before washing. Of course, they don't give you heat pressing instructions with Avery paper, so I don't know if my settings were right (350, 16 seconds).

I'll be testing this method with JetDark on Wednesday when I get that order.

I still need to do a wash test on one JetDark transfer that I did last week (no quarters for our apartment's washer), so I don't know how bright colors will hold up on that paper.

I'm also not sure how easy JetDark will be to remove the backing once it's on Magic Mask. The Avery paper was incredibly difficult to peel away. Then again, the 5 mil Magic Mask that Beacon sells has a VERY strong adhesive on it. I'm not sure how the 3 mil Magic Mask that Stahls sells is.

I really need to get going on creating a Stahls account!

dewreginald: I wouldn't recommend using Avery papers for this. They may have their place, but they don't really look good on black.

As for printers, go with a printer that uses pigment ink, like the Epson C88+ (that's what we have, tho we're going to buy a larger printer eventually).


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## carl2 (Jul 4, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*

Chani,
Thanks for the reply. you atleast helped give me more confidence in printer i have the inks to use, much appreciated.

Good luck


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## gbishop (Mar 30, 2007)

*Re: This Is An Inkjet Transfer*



Chani said:


> As for transfers for lights, I think I've given up on them for now. I'm not going to use them.


Chani,

You say you've practically given up with light transfers...why? 

Have you tried IronAll? If you have, did you try to cut it out with your cutter, and how did that work? IronAll seems to chip to varying degrees when it's cut by regular methods.

Like your choice of test designs!  

George


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

if you are going to print on dark...you have to trim...otherwise the background will show


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## OG Design (May 27, 2008)

Hi Chani,

I was wondering how you were able to peel all that off. Did you do heat the transfer multiple times?

When I use my cutter to cut out the edges of a detailed graphic such as the Rings in your post, by the time I start peeling from one end the other end gets cold and sticks to the shirt. I have wasted many shirts like this. Is it the paper that I use? I have a hot peel transfer paper for light material. You also mentioned that you don't cut through the backing of the paper. Is this vinyl or transfer paper?

I appreciate your input.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

Hi John.

I'm sorry it took so long for me to reply. 

The transfers I've used have been cold-peel, and they peel fine. Have you tried waiting until it was completely cool before you peeled?

Either that, or if it truly is hot peel, then do it in one quick motion. Don't do it slowly. Also, for hot peels, peel it AS SOON AS you open your press.

But again, all of the transfers I've used have been cold peel, so I haven't tried hot peeling with MM yet.


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