# Transfer paper keeps curling! Aaarrgh!!!!



## rholeecandd (Sep 16, 2007)

Hey there! I'm new to the heat press business, and I was so excited when my heat press machine arrived. I now find my self losing some of my enthusiasm because I'm having so many problems with the heat transfer paper curling before I even get a chance to position it on the shirt. I've tried pre-pressing the garment for a few seconds to remove the moisture, but that didn't work. I tried to be quick about placing the transfer on the shirt, but that only resulted in a crooked image on the shirt, and the edges still curled up. What can I do to stop this. I'm using a really nice quality paper, but that doesn't even seem to change anything. Can someone help me?


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## Shuffy (Sep 3, 2005)

:welcome: 

G'Morning Rhonda

is your transfer curling up? -- away from the shirt . . or it curling down?... curling into the shirt?

When my transfer starts to curl just a tad . . I just curl it the opposite way and it seems to lay flat again . . really no biggie once you get the hang of it . . use a couple of old tee's to practice on . . 

Diane
;o)
*dang gonna run- time to open up the store*~ . . everyone have a good day


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## greyhorsewoman (Jul 19, 2007)

Inkjet transfer? Well ... I position shirt on platen ... MIST then press a few seconds to get out all wrinkles ... then MIST again (transfer will flatten in position) ... press as normal.

We make all our own transfers - INKJET ONLY. My transfers seem to come out brighter and last a long time (have been doing this for several years). 

For any other type, or stock purchased ... I can't say.

Hope that helps.


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

greyhorsewoman said:


> Inkjet transfer? Well ... I position shirt on platen ... MIST then press a few seconds to get out all wrinkles ... then MIST again (transfer will flatten in position) ... press as normal.
> 
> We make all our own transfers - INKJET ONLY. My transfers seem to come out brighter and last a long time (have been doing this for several years).
> 
> ...


MIST??? You mean you squart the shirt with water? The idea behind pre-pressing is to get moisture out of the shirt. maybe I am not understanding what you are doing?


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

Welcome to the forums, Rhoda. Are you using opaque transfers, and a very complex designs, with so many corners? Did you pre-press the shirt to remove the moisture? One reason why it's curling, is that the shirt maybe still hot. Try and wait for it to cool down a little, about 5 to 10 seconds after pre pressing. If the corners still curls, you can try and use a carrier sheet, but that's an added expense.


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## greyhorsewoman (Jul 19, 2007)

Yes, badalou, you understood correctly. We use a C86 Epson, with durabrite inks ... what can I say, it works for us~! We tried it several years ago (initially on sweatshirts, seemed to make an easier peel if we misted before pressing).

We have many repeat customers, who remain exceptionally satisfied with our designs, quality of apparel, and durability of design. We do a lot of on-site printing, carrying a line of over 1800 designs. The transfers in my inventory are from a few weeks to 3-4 years old.


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## rholeecandd (Sep 16, 2007)

The opaque paper is rolling up, AWAY from the shirt. And th transfers for white shirts is rolling down, INTO the shirt. It literally curls up into a ball and makes it impossible to straighten and press. I also noticed when watching videos on Youtube by "badalou", that his heat press machine opens really wide and the top platen is high above his shirt. My machine only opens about 10.5" above the bottom platen, so the heat is really close to the shirt while I'm trying to position everything. <sigh> I don't know what to do.


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## rholeecandd (Sep 16, 2007)

What's a carrier sheet?


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

rholeecandd said:


> What's a carrier sheet?


It was used here: http://www.iccink.com/forever/videos/1/18.wmv


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## prometheus (Oct 19, 2006)

greyhorsewoman said:


> Yes, badalou, you understood correctly. We use a C86 Epson, with durabrite inks ... what can I say, it works for us~! We tried it several years ago (initially on sweatshirts, seemed to make an easier peel if we misted before pressing).
> 
> We have many repeat customers, who remain exceptionally satisfied with our designs, quality of apparel, and durability of design. We do a lot of on-site printing, carrying a line of over 1800 designs. The transfers in my inventory are from a few weeks to 3-4 years old.


The second time you mist, are spraying the transfer or the shirt?


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## greyhorsewoman (Jul 19, 2007)

When I mist ... I do exactly that ... spray a _thin mist_ of water over the platen area (I use a clamshell 15x15 ... so I also have the platen sitting closer to my transfers). I position the shirt on the platen, spray, press a few seconds. Then I position the transfer, spray, and press for 13 seconds. I generally aim 'high' and often hit the top platen. The water vapor drifts down over the shirt/transfer, it's not an exact science. I have my spray bottle set for the lightest spray possible and just aim _overall_. 

I work in many different environments - inside and out, since we do the majority of our shirts on demand in a vendor booth.

Again, I use *only* inkjet (and a few laser) transfers.


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## rholeecandd (Sep 16, 2007)

I watched the video. That seems like a great system, but I think that's far too many steps and equipment to do each shirt. It would be a little time consuming. But thank you for the information. It's very useful!

-R


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## rholeecandd (Sep 16, 2007)

I'm on my way to get a spray bottle right now. I'll give it a try. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

-R


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

rholeecandd said:


> The opaque paper is rolling up, AWAY from the shirt. And th transfers for white shirts is rolling down, INTO the shirt. It literally curls up into a ball and makes it impossible to straighten and press. I also noticed when watching videos on Youtube by "badalou", that his heat press machine opens really wide and the top platen is high above his shirt. My machine only opens about 10.5" above the bottom platen, so the heat is really close to the shirt while I'm trying to position everything. <sigh> I don't know what to do.


Almost all transfer paper originates from a roll, thus it is prone to curling. The effects of the heat places this paper back into its original format. I have experienced the curling but have found that it happens when I just pre-pressed a shirt. So the heat is coming from the top and bottom. Pre-pressing does not mean that you have to press your shirt immediately. It is just to get the moisture out of the shirt. Try letting the shirt cool a bit. If you not doing a lot of shirts it shouldn't add that much time to the process. I know if you pre-press a shirt and lay a opaque transfer immediately on a shirt it will start to adhere to the shirt before you even press. Same with vinyl transfers with a sticky back. Place them on a hot surface and they start to adhere. I had a person tell me they had trouble using the Tee Square It on their sticky back Vinyl. Well if you place a glue on a hot surface it is going to be hard to move around. So yes you may have trouble moving the transfer in place. But if you let the shirt cool you should not have that problem I have done hundreds of shirts and this is a lesson I learned long ago. Lou


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