# Twill Cutting Question...



## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

I bought my Roland GX-24 package from Imprintables and they sent me a roll of twill with it. The twill is adhered to the plastic carrier and rolled up (just like a roll of vinyl) so it's easy to stick in the cutter and cut it. After cutting you peel it off the carrier and stick it to the garment, then press & sew. I then later went and bought about $100 worth of twill in various colors. When I got it, it is not on a roll, nor is it on the plastic carrier. It's just a sheet of twill with some heat sensitive substance on the back to stick it to your material.

My question is, what am I supposed to do with this??? Without the plastic carrier, it can't be cut with a vinyl cutter. The only thing I've been able to do is cut out my letters and #'s by hand, and that's after making a cardboard pattern to trace onto the twill first. What a pain! I'm just curious. What would somebody use this twill for? Surely they don't cut out letters and numbers with scissors? Does anybody know of any way I could cut this with my cutter? I tried it once, but the material just moves around and the cutters stops. I can't even imagine why they make such a product that does not have a carrier backing suitable for a vinyl cutter.

Thanks for any help...


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

I know next to nothing about vinyl, so bearing that in mind until someone comes along who does...



rusty said:


> Does anybody know of any way I could cut this with my cutter?


You can get a sticky mylar carrier sheet which you could attach this material to, and cut as per normal. It has been recommended before for light transfer paper which has the same problem of not being able to be cut since it's single ply. I know nothing about plotters, but I think this is the solution you are after all the same.


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

Rusty,
Most likely that twill is designed to be used with a bed cutter..such as the IOLINE 300....the twill rests in a tray and is cut from the top.Or it could be you need to purchase the transfer heat resistant tape from Stahls or some of the other suppliers.
1.roll out the desired amount of twill
2.lay down clear transfer sheet over the top
3. use a roller to get out the wrinkles
4.place in cutter and cut negative
Now your ready to roll just like the pressure sensitive twill you bought the first time around.
Hope ya get it going!


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Solmu said:


> You can get a sticky mylar carrier sheet which you could attach this material to, and cut as per normal.


Yes, that would be great. Do you know who might sell this?



Solmu said:


> It has been recommended before for light transfer paper which has the same problem of not being able to be cut since it's single ply.


I've wondered that too. I've heard that you can cut designs from transfer paper, but wondered how it would actually hold up in the cutter. It doesn't seem like it would work without the mylar to stabilize it.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

rusty said:


> Yes, that would be great. Do you know who might sell this?


Josh at Imprintables has mentioned it before, and I believe they sell it.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

I emailed Imprintables back in December, asking them this question, and they never responded. And before I ordered the twill, I called and asked if it came on the carrier, and they told me yes. I also asked some questions about their SpectraCut II and got no response. So in my experience, their customer service has been terrible. And I don't see the mylar anywhere on their website.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

In that case, if you're up for giving them a second chance I'd contact Josh directly.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Imprintables as been generally good about customer service, hopefully it wasn't just a lost email or miscommunication.

One of our members, Josh Ellsworth, works for Imprintables and if you like, I'm sure he can look into your order and get things straightened out.

He might be at an ISS tradeshow in Orlando, but you can give him a call at 1-800-347-0068 (ask for Josh), or you can send him a Private Message via the forums here.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Thanks. I just sent Josh a PM.


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

We use Wellington house...they used to do all our custom cutting til we purchased our own.Now they supply us will all our needs.And they bend over backwards for you....just my 2 cents


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Thanks. Their prices look pretty good too.


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## John S (Sep 9, 2006)

I got a roll of mylar from Josh at imprintables, no it's not on the web site. 
It has a paper side you peel off to reveal the sticky side of the mylar. 
I haven't used it to do what you want, but I think it would work well in that application.


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## EXTouch (Mar 22, 2007)

Wow, I remember making stencils and cutting our my own letters and numbers on heat sensitive twill...*thinks back, ahhh memories, lol*

Now we just get ours pre-cut from our suppliers of twill. Occassionally we'l cut out something funky by hand, so we'll buy the twill with a heat seal adhesive. So for some, like us at times, we'll buy it like that. But yes, I think that just purchasing the heat seal twill as is is best for the Ioline 300.


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## st258 (Mar 14, 2008)

I bought a die cutter in the early 80s, as in 1980's. I have lotsa steel rule dies. Most of these dies were made by a local Die maker, who did not make all the letters 2" or4", whatever. Anyhow, that is what sheets of twill are for. I also bought a cutter from Stahls, that they don't make anymore using a heat tip to cut twill and flock. They sold sheets to fit the cutter, which I now have to scissor cut to fit the cutter. The heat tip cutter is 15 to 20 years old, and still works. They supplied floppy disks for use as fonts, and it cut letters, I believe, to 24' high, but I haven't cut any.
Smitty


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

For anyone still wondering about this, they have both Magic Mask and TTD Mask. I just talked to Josh yesterday, and he suggested using TTD Mask as it doesn't have the curling problem that Magic Mask has when you place it on a heat press, but either will work with twill. 

Vinyl Cutters, heat presses, heat transfer material, transfer papers and heat printing supplies all at affordable prices.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Can you explain what this TTD mask is and how it works? Thanks,

Rusty



Chani said:


> For anyone still wondering about this, they have both Magic Mask and TTD Mask. I just talked to Josh yesterday, and he suggested using TTD Mask as it doesn't have the curling problem that Magic Mask has when you place it on a heat press, but either will work with twill.
> 
> Vinyl Cutters, heat presses, heat transfer material, transfer papers and heat printing supplies all at affordable prices.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

TTD Mask and Magic Mask are carrier sheets that come on a roll. They have a low-tack adhesive on them so you can cut a sheet off of the roll and place single-ply media on them to be cut on a plotter.

For instance, with Tackle Twill, you'd place your twill on the mask, load it into your plotter, cut just through the twill, peel it off of your mask, and press it onto your garment. 

It's also helpful for contour cutting complex inkjet transfers. You place your transfer onto the carrier sheet, cut it, and then press it (for light transfers). TTD Mask and Magic Mask can withstand the heat of a heat press.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Chani said:


> TTD Mask and Magic Mask are carrier sheets that come on a roll. They have a low-tack adhesive on them so you can cut a sheet off of the roll and place single-ply media on them to be cut on a plotter.
> 
> For instance, with Tackle Twill, you'd place your twill on the mask, load it into your plotter, cut just through the twill, peel it off of your mask, and press it onto your garment.
> 
> It's also helpful for contour cutting complex inkjet transfers. You place your transfer onto the carrier sheet, cut it, and then press it (for light transfers). TTD Mask and Magic Mask can withstand the heat of a heat press.


That's great to know. I had asked Josh for something like that a while back and he sent me a sample of some thick white stuff, without tack on either side. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it. But this sounds like exactly what I need. I've been saving some of my plastic carrier backing that I've peeled off my vinyl to try it, but haven't tried it yet.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

The backing from vinyl would work, too, if it has enough tack to it.

The stuff that you got might be a carrier sheet. If it is, it will have a protective layer on it that needs to be peeled away. That protects the adhesive. You may need a knife or scissors to get between the two layers...IF that's what that is.


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## dcurtisroland (Jun 5, 2007)

Aside from regular tackle twill, there is also what's called Pressure Sensitive Twill. This is the one with the backer already on it. Most of the time it's referred to as P.S. Twill. That cuts really well in a GX-24 and comes in a bunch of different colors.

Hope this helps,
-Dana


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## lauerja (Aug 8, 2006)

Twill USA is another supplier for tackle twill and the carrier material (PSA-90) as well as vinyl, flock and lots of other items.

They will cut it for you and custom make designs in multiple colors ready for pressing also.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

dcurtisroland said:


> Aside from regular tackle twill, there is also what's called Pressure Sensitive Twill. This is the one with the backer already on it. Most of the time it's referred to as P.S. Twill. That cuts really well in a GX-24 and comes in a bunch of different colors.
> 
> Hope this helps,
> -Dana


Yes, that's true. I bought the twill from Imprintables thinking it was coming with the backing, but it did not. So I have a bunch of twill that I can use unless I cut it with scissors, which I refuse to do.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

lauerja said:


> Twill USA is another supplier for tackle twill and the carrier material (PSA-90) as well as vinyl, flock and lots of other items.


I didn't see any product called PSA-90 on their website. Do you have a link to it? Or are you talking about the twill/carrier combo?


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

rusty said:


> Yes, that's true. I bought the twill from Imprintables thinking it was coming with the backing, but it did not. So I have a bunch of twill that I can use unless I cut it with scissors, which I refuse to do.


If you buy some Magic Mask or TTD Mask (from Imprintables), you'll be able to cut the twill that you have. Place it on your carrier sheet (MM or TTDM), face down, and mirror cut. Then peel any backer off, if there is any, and press. 

I spoke with Josh on the phone the other day (finally!!!), and he told me about TTD Mask. It's like the Magic Mask that I've been talking about, but it doesn't have the curling issue on heat presses that many people seem to have (I haven't experienced it), so it's easier to re-use once you've pressed with it.

I think I'll be purchasing some of that soon. 

But if you use a mask (carrier sheet), then you can cut it and press it in place on the mask, so any multiple-element designs (two-digit numbers, etc) will be pre-aligned.

Just remember to place it on the mask face down so you're cutting the adhesive side, and cut in reverse (mirror).


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## lauerja (Aug 8, 2006)

Sorry about that, the PSA90 is not on their website, but they do have it, you just need to call them and they will send it right out. It comes on a roll and you can heat press fabric of any time to it, then run it through the plotter to cut.


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