# Need help with best tshirt printing method please!



## BettieGirl (Mar 12, 2012)

Hello all, I need some advice please on what method I should proceed with to be able to print full color on tshirts. I have a Roland plotter that I have used for years to print HTV layered on shirts but it is super time consuming and the feel is too heavy. Not to mention having to create and/or trace vectors for every shirt I do. I had a Ricoh dye sub machine until a print head went bad last week and they're telling me it can't be fixed and I need to just buy a new one. I would like the quickest and most durable method to print full color directly to cotton poly blends or tri-blends without getting into screenprinting or the expense of a DTG printer. Can you print on transfers with an inkjet printer that would be durable and not crack, peel, or fade with the right transfer? And are there good transfers out there that are self-weeding so I wouldn't have to cut them too? Please help me figure out the best direction to go at this point that would work with a high-quality print and be fast and as inexpensive as possible. I need to decide and purchase something quick as I'm backed up now and have lots of orders to get done. Thank you!


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

high quality + fast + inexpensive = no

try one of the new hp's with white from uscutter,
report back with your findings/trials

did you guys and gals notice they now have a 11x17 hp for $2500?

if this works, oki is going to have to lower their ridiculous prices


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## BettieGirl (Mar 12, 2012)

Thank you Into the Tee for your reply. I'm looking for a cheaper solution for now if possible. I can replace my dye sub machine for around $500 and just use the cotton transfers when I need them for other substrates. But I wanted to see if it made sense to replace that as opposed to just getting a different kind of machine such as an inkjet or laser for tshirt printing. The experience I've had in the past with these types of transfers DOES NOT wash up well and crinkles and cracks and seems cheap. Is the machine you recommended kind of like the new age print to cut? Does it have the feel of vinyl on the shirt still as opposed to being dyed into the fibers like a screenprint or DTG would be? Thank you for your help!


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

For printing on *White* cotton shirts, JPSS paper and a pigment based inkjet printer give good results that are low hand and durable. For dark garments, there isn't a great inkjet based option, and thus no inexpensive option.

Some on here reportedly get acceptable results with the weedless laser transfers for darks. Others don't seem to be able to get consistent results. Success with this appears to require the right printer (Okidata) for the paper (some brands/models run too hot), a heat press with even temp and pressure, and some _mojo_ on one's technique. It *might* also require being okay with selling a product that is less durable than most everything else (not appropriate for frequently worn and washed work garments).

One can apparently reduce the hand with a RIP that basically punches holes in the print, thus making it a bit lighter and more flexible. That, of course, is going to have some effect on the appearance. I think someone mentioned the RIP costs $500.

Last year Conde made mention of a weedless inkjet system for darks, but it has yet to become available (as far as I have noticed). If they get that sorted out, it could be the unicorn everyone has been hunting for. Or it could be yet another less than optimum method of printing on dark garments.

The only low-hand method of printing on dark is discharge screen printing. Everything else adds a degree of hand, some more than others.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

Why not try plastisol transfers? These give practically the same effect as screen printing, have a nice hand, last for years and can be washed umpteen times, and involve no outlay on expensive equipment, just a heat press.

Plastisol transfers can be bought at very reasonable rates from many places and good profit can be made for far less hassle and expense.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

webtrekker said:


> Why not try plastisol transfers? These give practically the same effect as screen printing, have a nice hand, last for years and can be washed umpteen times, and involve no outlay on expensive equipment, just a heat press.
> 
> Plastisol transfers can be bought at very reasonable rates from many places and good profit can be made for far less hassle and expense.


That would certainly be the smart option for some people and some situations. And might well be a good solution for the shirts the TS currently does with HTV ... unless they involve low order quantities, which is usually what HTV is used for.

My own interest is in full-color, high resolution, photographic quality art printed, more or less, on demand--and printed by me. I screen print water base, so can get all the durable, low-hand prints I want. But if I want to print a scan of a watercolor painting or photograph, a JPSS transfer gets it done with speed and fidelity, and more than reasonable durability ... on white shirts. Same can be said for dye sub, which the TS used until her printer broke.

No method is perfect. It's a matter of what one is trying to accomplish and how one prioritizes the tradeoffs.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

NoXid said:


> webtrekker said:
> 
> 
> > Why not try plastisol transfers? These give practically the same effect as screen printing, have a nice hand, last for years and can be washed umpteen times, and involve no outlay on expensive equipment, just a heat press.
> ...


As you ssy, JPSS is a great solution for white shirts. I use it myself. However, it still has to be contour cut, and the OP seems to find vectorising images and contour cutting a slow, painful task. 

Of course, it can also be trimmed with scissors as the backing is transparent and hardly shows on the garment, but again, this is time-consuming.

The OP didn't want to go into DTG or screen printing either, so that just leaves the expensive OKI laser/white toner route, or plastisol transfers,in my opinion. Mind you, plastisol is no way to go if you do one-off's or personalised designs.


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## AnACustomPrints (Dec 1, 2016)

No answer to your primary question, but in reference to your customer problem. Been in the same situation. Confusion on direction, lack of funds and potential loss of customer base. We ended up short term contracting with a fulfillment party in order to keep our customers. Yes, it cost us our profit, but it didn't incur any additional expense. It gave us time to get our ducks in a row and eventually the situation was resolved with no customer loss. Possibly something to consider.


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## BettieGirl (Mar 12, 2012)

webtrekker said:


> NoXid said:
> 
> 
> > webtrekker said:
> ...


 Thank you for your replies! I've thought about Plastisol transfers for the bigger orders and/or the time consuming design parts. Can those transfers be layered with HTV if I wanted to add the name with that for the personalized shirts? Also, the reason I wasn't wanting to get into screen print or DTG is mainly for expense purposes. If I could makeshift my own screen print setup for cheap then I wouldn't be opposed for easing into it that way. But I'm just afraid of the upfront expense right now as I'm just starting out and have limited funds at the moment. I've also heard Plastisol transfers from certain places not work well for some people. Do you all have a particular favorite in mind? I've tried transfer express before but it was pricey for the amount I needed done if each particular design, color, etc.


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## BettieGirl (Mar 12, 2012)

webtrekker said:


> NoXid said:
> 
> 
> > webtrekker said:
> ...


 Thank you for your replies! I've thought about Plastisol transfers for the bigger orders and/or the time consuming design parts. Can those transfers be layered with HTV if I wanted to add the name with that for the personalized shirts? Also, the reason I wasn't wanting to get into screen print or DTG is mainly for expense purposes. If I could makeshift my own screen print setup for cheap then I wouldn't be opposed for easing into it that way. But I'm just afraid of the upfront expense right now as I'm just starting out and have limited funds at the moment. I've also heard Plastisol transfers from certain places not work well for some people. Do you all have a particular favorite in mind? I've tried transfer express before but it was pricey for the amount I needed done if each particular design, color, etc.


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## BettieGirl (Mar 12, 2012)

Thank you for your replies! I've thought about Plastisol transfers for the bigger orders and/or the time consuming design parts. Can those transfers be layered with HTV if I wanted to add the name with that for the personalized shirts? Also, the reason I wasn't wanting to get into screen print or DTG is mainly for expense purposes. If I could makeshift my own screen print setup for cheap then I wouldn't be opposed for easing into it that way. But I'm just afraid of the upfront expense right now as I'm just starting out and have limited funds at the moment. I've also heard Plastisol transfers from certain places not work well for some people. Do you all have a particular favorite in mind? I've tried transfer express before but it was pricey for the amount I needed done if each particular design, color, etc.


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## BettieGirl (Mar 12, 2012)

Thank you for your replies! I've thought about Plastisol transfers for the bigger orders and/or the time consuming design parts. Can those transfers be layered with HTV if I wanted to add the name with that for the personalized shirts? Also, the reason I wasn't wanting to get into screen print or DTG is mainly for expense purposes. If I could makeshift my own screen print setup for cheap then I wouldn't be opposed for easing into it that way. But I'm just afraid of the upfront expense right now as I'm just starting out and have limited funds at the moment. I've also heard Plastisol transfers from certain places not work well for some people. Do you all have a particular favorite in mind? I've tried transfer express before but it was pricey for the amount I needed done if each particular design, color, etc.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

webtrekker said:


> ... so that just leaves the expensive OKI laser/white toner route, or plastisol transfers...



huh?????

i linked to a place that has one for $750 (8.5x11) or $2500 (11x17)

like i said, if we ever get confirmation of its efficacy, 
those preposterous oki prices are going to drop precipitously

because there is no reason for oki to jump prices by 500%, simply because they added different powder to a cartridge


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