# Any Experience with custom High Density Transfers



## King of Style (Aug 4, 2006)

I have searched the internet as well as this site endlessly for information on custom High Density Transfers and cannot find any information at all. Is this possible? If so, where can I get more information? Thanks for any and all help....


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

King of Style said:


> I have searched the internet as well as this site endlessly for information on custom High Density Transfers and cannot find any information at all. Is this possible? If so, where can I get more information? Thanks for any and all help....


I know a little about heat transfers.

High density meaning opaque ? 

perhaps give some more details, are they Plastisol transfers to print on various fabrics etc ????


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

From what little I know, high density is exactly what it means: lots of details in one given area.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

T-BOT said:


> High density meaning opaque ?


At a guess I'm guessing the poster meant high density as in high density printing. As in the type of printing that is called high density, not the type that isn't.

As for whether or not it can be done with plastisol transfers, I don't know enough about transfer printing to say for sure. I'd be extremely nervous about blurring when pressed though - you might have to settle for the next best thing (puff) which may or may not be suitable depending on what effect you're after. You might be best off just contacting a few transfer printers and asking them outright.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

still not sure what the poster means by High Density so I'll wait until....

high density white ink plastisol transfers is just that too, High Density. They can be made thin or thick.  ....no real need for puffs unless you really want it to puff up like a pizza. 

Lewis, do you have a pic handy of a high density print? that helps clarify printing terms etc.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

I think this is the high density the original poster is talking about:
http://www.qcminks.com/highdensity.htm

A good picture of it is here:
http://www.screenprinters.net/images/articles/099003.lg.jpg

From this article at screenprinters.net:
http://screenprinters.net/articles/index.php?art=99


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Rodney said:


> I think this is the high density the original poster is talking about:
> http://www.qcminks.com/highdensity.htm
> 
> A good picture of it is here:
> ...


I see, thanks Rod.

I made an earlier mistake where I thought the poster was talking about something but it was something else and i screwed up.  

Anyways, yes I have some experience with such. The inside track of how to's I would prefer it off board, so PM along with a design sample etc. and we can take it from there if you want.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

Well, it shows how little I know in regard to screen printing  Thanks Rod!


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

So the heat press doesn't squash the ink to a blurred mess? It can be done just fine? If you can answer the poster's questions you might as well do it on the forums to help everyone who wants to know.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Solmu said:


> So the heat press doesn't squash the ink to a blurred mess? It can be done just fine? If you can answer the poster's questions you might as well do it on the forums to help everyone who wants to know.


no, it does not squash the ink.
it can be done just fine.

...gee, Lewis is my new boss now.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

T-BOT said:


> ...gee, Lewis is my new boss now.


I just didn't get why the information had to be a secret.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Solmu said:


> I just didn't get why the information had to be a secret.


 ...can I have a raise ?


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## King of Style (Aug 4, 2006)

The illustrations from the link is exactly the type of print that I was referring to... So this type of printing can be down using a Transfer? but i would have to go through a Screen Printer to obtain, is that correct? I'm trying to find the limitations of doing transfers myself. Thanks for all the great info.


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Hi Himii,

Here's a thread that lists some of the companies that make plastisol transfers:

Where to buy
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/showthread.php?t=4095

Your best bet would probably be to contact them individually and see if high density is a possibility.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> but i would have to go through a Screen Printer to obtain, is that correct? I'm trying to find the limitations of doing transfers myself. Thanks for all the great info.


That's exactly right. A screen printer that specializes in printing transfers is who you would need to contact about high density transfers.

Most people do not print plastisol (screen printed) transfers themself, they usually outsource it (to companies like the ones listed in Jasonda's link above) and just have the printed transfers shipped to them.


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

Thanks for the link Jashonda I missed that one 



> Most people do not print plastisol (screen printed) transfers themself, they usually outsource it (to companies like the ones listed in Jasonda's link above) and just have the printed transfers shipped to them.


And very few screen printers actually print high density. Its tough and takes a long time to master.


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## King of Style (Aug 4, 2006)

I was reading post almost two days before I asked... And just that quick I have all my answers. THANKS, definitely appreciate the info and this site. I've had some high density prints done in the past so I do have a screen printer that does them, just not sure if they do transfers but I will quickly find out....


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

Solmu said:


> So the heat press doesn't squash the ink to a blurred mess? It can be done just fine? If you can answer the poster's questions you might as well do it on the forums to help everyone who wants to know.


I agree...that is exactly what this forum is about, answering questions. From the language used in how to set up the screens, emulsion dams and thick stencils I would love to see a high density heatpress transfer.Lucy...if you could post some pics of a high desity transfer that would be super. A side shot so we can see the elevation of the ink on the transfer before printing and on a shirt after the press. Pictures are worth a thousand words and that is a pretty cool looking printing technique. I have a couple soccer hoodies that have that look and are nice.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

King of Style said:


> I've had some high density prints done in the past so I do have a screen printer that does them, just not sure if they do transfers but I will quickly find out....


well, you will never be able to get the same exact results with transfes as you would with a screen print (skyscraper).... but high Density transfers can be done in terms of "Heat Transfers". 

Very time consuming and costly. But yeah, check around and let us know who makes them as close to the screen print method. I too now am curious to know.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

MotoskinGraphix said:


> I agree...that is exactly what this forum is about, answering questions. From the language used in how to set up the screens, emulsion dams and thick stencils I would love to see a high density heatpress transfer.Lucy...if you could post some pics of a high desity transfer that would be super. A side shot so we can see the elevation of the ink on the transfer before printing and on a shirt after the press. Pictures are worth a thousand words and that is a pretty cool looking printing technique. I have a couple soccer hoodies that have that look and are nice.


yeah ok David, let me stop everthing Im doing and spend the next week making some samples for you. Not likely.  

But who knows, I'll see if the boss is in a good mood and may be can give a run down of how "High Density Transfers" can be made.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> yeah ok David, let me stop everthing Im doing and spend the next week making some samples for you. Not likely.


I think David was just saying that since you seem to post pictures of different tests you've done (stretching plastisol, duracotton98, game hoodie, etc), that you may have samples of high density to post.

No need to assume he was asking you to stop everything and make samples.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Rodney said:


> I think David was just saying that since you seem to post pictures of different tests you've done (stretching plastisol, duracotton98, game hoodie, etc), that you may have samples of high density to post.
> 
> No need to assume he was asking you to stop everything and make samples.


I guess you know how much work and time it would take...... and the cost. May be thats why nobody wants to do it or even try.  ...it's almost but not quite like making pizza.  lol

sorry David.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I guess you know how much work and time it would take...... and the cost. May be thats why nobody wants to do it or even try. ...it's almost but not quite like making pizza.


You mentioned to the original poster that you would be willing to give more info off board, so we're trying trying to see if that same information can be given on the forums. Just from the message I read, we probably incorrectly assumed that you had the info handy.



T-BOT said:


> Anyways, yes I have some experience with such. The inside track of how to's I would prefer it off board, so PM along with a design sample etc. and we can take it from there if you want.


No worries  If you had some already printed that you could take pictures of, then you could have posted it. If not, no big deal.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

yeah right, this is the type of job walks in everyday with deep pocktes.  

But if it did, I think density inks with a puff behind it and sometype of an adhesive behind that would be a good starting point to experiment to achieve a some what screen print density look. But its not the type of thing any realistic budget concious person would want to get into......


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> yeah right, this is the type of job walks in everyday with deep pocktes.


Doesn't have to be an everyday thing, but sometimes when printers do special jobs, they have extras lying around that they can photograph. You mentioned you had experience with it, so if there were extras, it would have been cool to see 



> But if it did, I think density inks with a puff behind it and sometype of an adhesive behind that would be a good starting point to experiment to achieve a some what screen print density look.


I briefly saw some puff transfers being done at a tradeshow, and they did have the 3D element to it. The only thing it was missing was the "sharp edges" like the high density sample photo I linked to from screenprinters.net


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Rodney said:


> I briefly saw some puff transfers being done at a tradeshow, and they did have the 3D element to it. The only thing it was missing was the "sharp edges" like the high density sample photo I linked to from screenprinters.net


I guess I should of looked at the photo.  ...talk about skyscapers.

No doubt the hard part is getting the "sharp edges", printing them on paper would not be a problem.  ......using heat to apply we all know what happens.........but I would not write it of just yet as being something that is not possible. If you can print pictures on shirts with a $ 100 printer..... whats next ?


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