# Plastisol heat transfer application



## greenstatus (Nov 25, 2011)

Happy holidays everybody, i'm new to the forum but have done research and I am coming to the printer part of making a quality custom transfer from scratch, i have been reading about plastisol and for sure i think it would be best to apply a layer before i press the shirt, i'm wondering would something as common as a workforce 1100 offer plastisol application? If not what are a few printers that could be good with plastisol, also what kind of ink works best with plastisol?.. thanks


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## Flagrant-T (Nov 11, 2009)

I think you might be a little confused with some terms.

Plastisol is the most common ink used in screen printing. It is usually screen printed directly to a shirt. You can't use a computer printer to print it. 

People do make heat transfers with it by printing it in reverse, onto a special paper. This is than pressed using any heat press, onto a shirt. You can make them yourself, but more commonly they are bought. A bunch of this sites sponsors like Transfer Express and others make stock images, as well as custom images to your specs.

I hope this helps a little.

Good luck,
NIck


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## greenstatus (Nov 25, 2011)

Flagrant-T said:


> I think you might be a little confused with some terms.
> 
> People do make heat transfers with it by printing it in reverse, onto a special paper.
> 
> ...


thanks, this is kinda what I'm looking for but a little more detail would be great, are you saying that plastisol is just regular ink? also do you know if the workforce 1100 is familiar with plastisol?


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## Cyberdon (Jan 31, 2010)

You are still confus-ed.

Plastisol is the ink used to SCREENPRINT...

No printer can print with plastisol.

You can screenprint your own transfers....

or buy the screenprinted transfers. If you go this 

route, you will only need a good heat press to 

transfer the screenprinted designs to your garments.

Printing your own designs on a printer requires special 

papers to transfer the designs onto your garments.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

Joey, you are confusing two very different processes. Here is a quick video of someone screenprinting a shirt. Transfers are done similarly but in reverse on paper.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-RbFg-Fs5A[/media]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-RbFg-Fs5A

She is using a manual rotary press, there are also automatic presses but you can see it is a very different process than using an ink jet printer. Plastisol is a common ink used in screenprinting garments.

Digital transfers are printed on paper with printers like the Workforce 1100 or Roland Versacamm.

The only thing these two processes have in common are they are adhered with a heat press.


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## Cyberdon (Jan 31, 2010)

Where's the video???


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## greenstatus (Nov 25, 2011)

alrighht, thanks, I was reading that plastisol can also be a clear liquid?? that when added to a heat transfer design can help in stick into the shirt better.. from what you said plastisol is a completely diiferent kind of ink for a different process but I'm wondering can it be added as a clear liquid to a heat transfer printed from something like a workforce or rolland? I want to make a quality custom transfer and own a press already and a cutter.. i am interested in the best printer to print using what i own, weather plastisol or workforce.. if both can be used with a heatpress than which is the preferred method and which is the method someone should begin on? thanks


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

Cyberdon said:


> Where's the video???


It's a bug in the forum software with the media tag. The link is there if I go into edit or refresh the page. I changed it to a hyperlink, hopefully it will stay now.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

greenstatus said:


> ...I'm wondering can it be added as a clear liquid to a heat transfer printed from something like a workforce or rolland? I want to make a quality custom transfer and own a press already and a cutter.. i am interested in the best printer to print using what i own, weather plastisol or workforce.. if both can be used with a heatpress than which is the preferred method and which is the method someone should begin on? thanks


There was a thread a while back where someone was printing plastisol over an ink jet transfer in search for more durability but it sounds like a lot of extra work for an iffy outcome. You can buy clear plastisol but you can't run it through any printer I'm aware of. 

Plastisol transfers are more durable they are preferable on orders of 18-24 shirts and up. Plastisol is made of PVC (the plastic), it never fades though it can crack. Hand can range from light-medium to heavy.

Ink Jet transfers are good for small custom orders... Grandma wants her grandkid's pictures on a shirt, stuff like that. They have a very low hand on white shirts and are excellent for photographs. Papers for dark shirts are basically a light vinyl sheet that provides a rubbery backing for the print, these have a medium-heavy hand. Durability depends on the ink and paper. Fading is a problem. Your common ink jet printers have the lowest durability and commercial solvent printers the best. I've printed ink jet transfers that have barely faded after dozens of washes and I've printed some that faded out 90% within an hour in direct sun or about 50% after a single wash. Paper has been the most important factor for me. I have samples printed on a Versacamm that have been washed dozens of times with perhaps only a 5% loss in color. I don't do much with ink jet transfers and only offer them if someone wants a small quantity. The few times I offered them for higher quantity orders it turned out disastrous for various reasons.

There are also other types out there like lithographic transfers but the two above will be the ones you are concerned with.

As for preferred or best, that depends on the application and quantity. Ink Jet transfers lend themselves to lower quantity


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## greenstatus (Nov 25, 2011)

cool, thanks, i checked out the versacamm's and their nice for sure but a little much for me at the moment, how can i tell if a printer is a commercial solvent printer? also are there alot of companys that make them? thanks


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