# BJJ INK Heat press patching



## Tenzing (Sep 25, 2013)

Hello
Sorry if I post this on the wrong thread.

I am interested in producing BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) patches like those done by BJJ INK and look that way:







They are kind of new and can recently be seen on GIs (kimonos) of athletes during competitions. It is a perfect solution that resist intensive use without any loss of quality.

I heard many names to describe it:
- Heat Patching.
- Sublimated printing on vinyl.
- Thermal flex vinyl.
- Heat transfer patches.

It seems that those patches are done on Printable Vinyl with a kind of thin plastic layer on the top that once heated becomes embedded in the GI and protect the design.
Does anyone know what process it is and what material it involves?

Thanks very much for your help


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## STWPresser (Jan 3, 2017)

Bump.

Anyone out there have knowledge of vinyl patches for jiu jitsu kimonos?

1. what type of vinyl? (SISER EASY WEED ok?)

2. Settings: pressure, time, and temperature?

Thanks in advance!


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

You may be looking for this product

https://transferexpress.com/heat-applied-transfers/stretch-litho
or 
https://www.stahls.com/custom-digital-transfers-apparel


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## Tenzing (Sep 25, 2013)

I still can t find the technical answer to my need
It looks like they use ink printing that they cover with a special vinyl to protect the design.

It also seems the eco-solvent ink they use is thicker than normal o it is maybe the vinyl to support the ink?
Can someone know if it exists different quality vinyl or ink in order to obtain than kind of compact / thick patch?


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## STWPresser (Jan 3, 2017)

Tenzing said:


> I still can t find the technical answer to my need
> It looks like they use ink printing that they cover with a special vinyl to protect the design.
> 
> It also seems the eco-solvent ink they use is thicker than normal o it is maybe the vinyl to support the ink?
> Can someone know if it exists different quality vinyl or ink in order to obtain than kind of compact / thick patch?


You can use Siser Easy Weed vinyl. Their is no ink involved at all. Each color is a layer of a vinyl. So when you see a 3 color heat vinyl patch on a gi, that is 3 layers of vinyl.


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## Tenzing (Sep 25, 2013)

Thanks for your answer
But I am sure that the solution is not about overlapping layers of vinyl.
Doing that you wouldn’t´t be able to achieve such results
It has to be printed vinyl.


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## STWPresser (Jan 3, 2017)

Tenzing said:


> Thanks for your answer
> But I am sure that the solution is not about overlapping layers of vinyl.
> Doing that you wouldn’t´t be able to achieve such results
> It has to be printed vinyl.


No problem. 

This is what I was told by two people I know who press heat patches on jiu jitsu gi's. They both use Siser Easy Weed vinyl. And they layer by color. It may be just that they use the layering method because that is the equipment they have. I don't know.

I asked about printing onto a piece of vinyl and then pressing the vinyl. I was told, when you print on vinyl, the ink fades off the vinyl a little bit after each wash (or couple of washes). So printing onto vinyl is an option, but it's not the option they like to use.

I have a multi colored heat patched gi and it is starting to peel. I can see that it is multiple layers, so the company I used to put the heat patch on my gi also used the layering method.

If you find out more information about different methods of pressing heat patches, please post. I'm going to start pressing heat patches on my gi's myself soon and would like to see the different options.


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