# Best Transfer Paper for Mousepads?



## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

I was wondering what's the best paper for mousepads? I know mousepads are much less demanding than a shirt that will stretch and be washed. So would it be reasonable to use a cheaper transfer paper for mousepads? I've tried a couple different papers including TransferJet and was happy with all of them. I haven't tried Iron-All yet. I need to order some more. Any recommendations?

Thanks


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

It almost seems like you'd want a "thicker" transfer for a mousepad, no? 

Like a soft hand wouldn't be as important or even desirable? 

I'm interested in hearing some tips on this one as well


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Personally, I don't think hand matters much at all for a mousepad. The blank mousepads are just fine to use without anything on them, and I don't think the image is going to change the feel much.


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## cprvh (Jan 23, 2006)

Rusty,

We only use dye sub on mouse pads. Customers have been much happier with the results. Other types of transfers that we have tried can feel tacky/sticky (especially w/ high humidity) and gum up the roller balls on the mouse pretty quickly. 

We have not tried using the Ironall type papers on mouse pads, that might work pretty well.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

I've tried DyeSubbing the mousepads too, but I think the inkjet transfers look much better. The produce a much sharper image and better color tone, at least for my setup. But I've never actually tried using one with the inkjet transfer, so I'm not aware of it messing up the mouse roller balls. I'll have to try using one and see. I can't imagine that would be a major problem because I would think that there are a lot more people using inkjet transfers on mousepads than using sublimation. And inkjet is also cheaper.


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## Moonie (Nov 17, 2006)

I've been testing duracotton 98 (not the HT) on mousepads and so far the results have been wonderful. No stickiness or roughness at all. It seems to be fine with rollerballs although I use an optical mouse mostly or a tablet. Best of all the colors are very vibrant and detail is excellent when printing photos. Much better than some papers I've tried for them.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Mouse rollerballs?? Oooh, this must be some kind of _Lake House_ kind of thing.

HELLO 1999! I'm writing to you from 2007! Mice don't suck anymore!

(they also don't need mouse pads for that matter - has anyone noticed a drop off in that business yet?)


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## Moonie (Nov 17, 2006)

Solmu said:


> Mouse rollerballs?? Oooh, this must be some kind of _Lake House_ kind of thing.
> 
> HELLO 1999! I'm writing to you from 2007! Mice don't suck anymore!
> 
> (they also don't need mouse pads for that matter - has anyone noticed a drop off in that business yet?)


I haven't noticed. I sell between 275 and 350 of them a month.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Moonie said:


> I've been testing duracotton 98 (not the HT) on mousepads


I'm not familiar with duracotton 98, or what you meant by (not the HT). Is that some kind of laser printer paper?


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## Moonie (Nov 17, 2006)

Duracotton 98 is a transfer paper made for use with laser printers. Duracotton HT (high temperature) is an off-shoot developed for laser printers with a fuser that runs hotter than others. If you do a search on duracotton you will learn all about it. It's really good stuff.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Moonie said:


> Solmu said:
> 
> 
> > (they also don't need mouse pads for that matter - has anyone noticed a drop off in that business yet?)
> ...


I can't say I'm surprised. I wonder if that area of business will die soon, or if it'll be one of those anachronisms that people keep sticking to out of tradition for no apparent reason.

Good business while it lasts anyway - although if it was going to die I might have expected a drop off by now, so maybe it's not going anywhere.


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## BRC (Mar 27, 2007)

rusty said:


> I was wondering what's the best paper for mousepads? I know mousepads are much less demanding than a shirt that will stretch and be washed. So would it be reasonable to use a cheaper transfer paper for mousepads? I've tried a couple different papers including TransferJet and was happy with all of them. I haven't tried Iron-All yet. I need to order some more. Any recommendations?
> 
> Thanks


 When was the last time you ran someting over your shirt for 8 or 10 hours a day? They don't get washed but they do get abused. My personal favorite is dye sublimation, it gives a better feel and lasts until the thing falls apart. If the color isn't as bright as a regular transfer then it probably wasn't pressed long enough. People who start out doing inkjet transfers have problems with the long press times for dye sub, I do 60 seconds for mousepads. I have dye sub, inkjet, and laser transfers samples and let my customers decide which they want. I charge more for the dye sub.


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## Moonie (Nov 17, 2006)

Solmu said:


> I can't say I'm surprised. I wonder if that area of business will die soon, or if it'll be one of those anachronisms that people keep sticking to out of tradition for no apparent reason.
> 
> Good business while it lasts anyway - although if it was going to die I might have expected a drop off by now, so maybe it's not going anywhere.


As long as they keep selling those cheap bundled computer packages (including a very cheap ball mouse) the need for mouse pads will continue. I personally dislike ball mice and all the lil' lint bunnies they collect inside them. I'll take my Wacom tablet everytime.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

BRC said:


> When was the last time you ran someting over your shirt for 8 or 10 hours a day? They don't get washed but they do get abused. My personal favorite is dye sublimation, it gives a better feel and lasts until the thing falls apart. If the color isn't as bright as a regular transfer then it probably wasn't pressed long enough. People who start out doing inkjet transfers have problems with the long press times for dye sub, I do 60 seconds for mousepads. I have dye sub, inkjet, and laser transfers samples and let my customers decide which they want. I charge more for the dye sub.


Brightness wasn't the problem with sublimation. They were plenty bright. Sublimation just does not produce as sharp of an image as an inkjet. And the colors don't look as natural when printing photographs. That's just a result of how sublimation works vs how inkjets work. And sublimation is more expensive. When a school orders 100 mousepads, they don't want to spend big money on sublimation. This is the type of order I have.

I'm just asking about some suggestions on what brands of inkjet transfer paper others have tried. So nobody's used any inkjet transfers on mousepads???


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## DyeRex06 (Dec 4, 2006)

DuraCotton HT ALSO works with Mouse Pads...


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## BRC (Mar 27, 2007)

If quality isn't an issue why not just outsource it and get a cheap price without the hassle of actually running the job. Just take the order collect the money and take a percentage. If you want to do it yourself just buy the cheapest paper you can find and press away. I've used the greenline paper from Alpha Supply, the purple line as well as samples from other suppliers and they all work about the same, as well as laser transfers from Coast Graphic Supply and the Versatrans laser paper from Cactus Equipment.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

BRC said:


> If quality isn't an issue why not just outsource it and get a cheap price without the hassle of actually running the job.


Quality is always an issue with the products I sell. Why would I want to share my profit with somebody else for something I can do myself?



BRC said:


> I've used the greenline paper from Alpha Supply, the purple line as well as samples from other suppliers and they all work about the same, as well as laser transfers from Coast Graphic Supply and the Versatrans laser paper from Cactus Equipment.


I've used the greenline paper as well and the stuff Best Blanks sell, and they seem pretty similar. I guess there's not much difference in papers when applying to mousepads.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

rusty said:


> Why would I want to share my profit with somebody else for something I can do myself?


Because it gives you the time to take on more work. On the other hand if you're nowhere near capacity, you'll want to maximise profit.


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## actualgrafix (Apr 25, 2007)

I have done tons of mouse pads using Best Blanks transfers & pads and high pressure. I do the design to scale then use the whole transfer for the whole pad. They look excellent full bleed!! And they are virtually indestructible.


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## oasis (May 18, 2007)

I use a purple line inkjet transfer paper "for light fabrics" on mouse pads. This particular paper is hot or cold peel. YOU MUST HOT PEEL it for mouse pads. I've sold quite a few and they come out great. 20 seconds under the press at 350-375, lift and peel immediately. They come out really nice.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Just to follow up, I tried a sample of the "Image Jet Lite 2" transfer paper that I was given at the NMB show in Fort Worth. I looked great on the mousepad and peeled very easily, much easier than the previous 2 brands I had used (Best Blanks TransferJet and Alpha Supply's Double Green line). So I ordered some of it to use for the job.


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## Traceyt (Aug 15, 2008)

actualgrafix said:


> I have done tons of mouse pads using Best Blanks transfers & pads and high pressure. I do the design to scale then use the whole transfer for the whole pad. They look excellent full bleed!! And they are virtually indestructible.


I am wondering if you can use Pigment based transfer inks on mousepads, or do you have to use Sublimation inks? Sorry if this is in the forum somewhere.

Thank you


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## MYDAMIT (Jan 14, 2007)

the best is sublimation ink then my second choice is ironall. Some transfer paper is rough and like plastic in top.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Traceyt said:


> I am wondering if you can use Pigment based transfer inks on mousepads, or do you have to use Sublimation inks? Sorry if this is in the forum somewhere.
> 
> Thank you


Regular inkjet inks work fine, and are a lot cheaper than Sublimation inks. I don't really understand the benefit of using DyeSub inks on a mousepad. Kind of like washing your car with Evian water. DyeSub is a lot more expensive and takes a lot longer to produce. And the pigment ink looks just as good.


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