# Plastisol transfer, vinyl, screen printing?



## Bro (Feb 25, 2018)

Hello everyone

I have been trying to screen print for a while now and its not turning out the way I'd like. I posted a question previously about trying to get the right finish on my design and people all had different suggestions and ideas of how to get that finish.

When I screen print I get a rough finish on my design. I'm looking for a smooth finish like plastisol transfers give and also vinyl does.

My question is, because I've just started and havent sold any tshirts yet should I get someone to print me some plastisol transfers or buy a vinyl cutter? Looking at the two I cant really see a difference in finish. They both have the smooth look and feeling I'm looking for.

I'm worried about quality and how long the design will last. I obviously dont want people washing them and the logo coming off or cracking. 

I should probably also say the design I'm looking to do is one colour and Im also looking to do a printed label.

I'm moving more towards getting some plastisol transfers made of the design and also the labels so I can heat press them of when needed. I would printing the transfer paper myself but I feel it would be a bit difficult for a beginner like me to do.

Sorry for rambling on but I have so many questions.

Thanks everyone


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## Twisted Grafix (Oct 5, 2016)

What is your off contact between the screen to the platen? We usually set it to be the thickness of 2 quarters layed on top of each other. It sounds like the screen is sitting on the shirt.


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## Bro (Feb 25, 2018)

Bro said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> I have been trying to screen print for a while now and its not turning out the way I'd like. I posted a question previously about trying to get the right finish on my design and people all had different suggestions and ideas of how to get that finish.
> 
> ...


I would say my off contact is about the same as you've described


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## chuckh (Mar 22, 2008)

You may need to thin your ink or use a finer mesh. You can certainly get a soft hand with screenprinting, but a smooth feel like a transfered image won't happen unless you cure with a heat press.


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## Ripcord (Sep 2, 2006)

It sounds like you have a heat press, so give that a try to smooth out your screen prints. Use a piece of parchment paper you can buy at the grocery store and press the print at about 330° using light pressure for 20 seconds or so. The result should be a smooth even print with a nice vellum like finish.

I do this often when I print on fleece or pique fabric.

It's an additional step but it's faster and cheaper than cutting vinyl or ordering transfers and you'll like the way the print looks and feels. It also fully cures the ink, so if you're using a flash for curing it might save some time on that end.


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## Bro (Feb 25, 2018)

Thanks for your suggestions. I do have a heat press and have tried to do the method you've suggested but when I pressed the shirt it seemed to change the colour of it and also leave an outline where the heat press had been. Maybe I was using too much pressure or it was too hot?

I feel if I screen print say, 30 shirts in one design and it doesn't sell then thats 30 shirts I've wasted. If I offered multiple designs and got some plastisol transfers made I could press them when I needed. Im not sure how much it is to get some transfers made because I can't seem to find any prices online.


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## mikhael47 (Apr 15, 2017)

The marks you see are normal and will go away after a wash ... most of the time they go away after the shirt cools off. 

Screen printing is the way to go if you are doing larger quantities of the same impression. Specially if they are big impressions. Transfers are just too expensive to do that with. 

If you are retailing the shirts and you want to cut down on your shirt inventory, transfers are the way to go, you can build the cost into the product.



Bro said:


> Thanks for your suggestions. I do have a heat press and have tried to do the method you've suggested but when I pressed the shirt it seemed to change the colour of it and also leave an outline where the heat press had been. Maybe I was using too much pressure or it was too hot?
> 
> I feel if I screen print say, 30 shirts in one design and it doesn't sell then thats 30 shirts I've wasted. If I offered multiple designs and got some plastisol transfers made I could press them when I needed. Im not sure how much it is to get some transfers made because I can't seem to find any prices online.


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