# Plz Help newbie- ceramic heat press/sublimation?



## oss (May 28, 2007)

hi there! I googled "heat press" and was brought here and after much lurking and LOVING your insight, thought I may be ok to post??  

I am not in the T-shirt business, but an artist looking into sublimation onto plates/platters. I am still very much in the research stage but didn't know if anyone here also did tiles/plates/mugs etc along with their shirts and could possibly help?? 

There is a lot of different info out there about heat presses for sublimating onto tiles etc - some say I absolutely need to have a heat press, others say you really don't - you can simply use transfer paper. Any advice on this? Mainly it would be photos/ artwork etc. - not being used to eat off of or outside - but decorative. I want them to last a long time and not be easily scratched etc. 

Also, I noticed the topic of blanks - any ideas on where I can purchase wholesale plain white plates/platters for sublimation? I am not liking a lot of what I have seen on the web of plates that are "ready" to be sublimated - I am thinking of ordering plates I love and applying a special polyfog glaze and sublimating onto those. However, shouldn't I be looking for a wholesaler that doesn't have their name stamped into the bottom of the plate etc? 

Thanks in advance for any info / wisdom you may be able to offer! Blessings!
Oss


----------



## jberte (Mar 25, 2007)

you will _absolutely _require a heat press to do dye sublimation - the dye doesn't gas out til it hits 400 degrees and you won't get that with a household iron - not to mention the logistics of trying that with a plate or mug with an uneven surface!  i do a lot of hard-surface sublimation- my own work and for other artists - tiles, mugs, ornaments, etc. and have only ever used the prepared blanks - i haven't tried the prep spray you're talking about, simply because i'd gotten negative feed-back on it from some others who had tried it!


----------



## oss (May 28, 2007)

Thank you so much for your response jeberte - this is such a process! 

What would happen if I did the entire sublimation process, including the heat press, onto a "normal" glazed plate? These are not going through the dishwasher or being washed so I am not looking for heavy duty use at all, but would like them to be pretty durable at the same time. Would it scratch or flake off or still be pretty set? 

And as for a heat press - would I need one specifically for plates or would you recommend a more versatile kind? 

I truly appreciate your insight! Thank you for your time!


----------



## aries (Mar 18, 2007)

oss said:


> hi there! I googled "heat press" and was brought here and after much lurking and LOVING your insight, thought I may be ok to post??
> 
> I am not in the T-shirt business, but an artist looking into sublimation onto plates/platters. I am still very much in the research stage but didn't know if anyone here also did tiles/plates/mugs etc along with their shirts and could possibly help??
> 
> ...


 





*New revolutionary INKJET mug & ceramic transfer paper!
Any ink! Any inkjet printer! Not requires transfer coating!*

Photo mug. New revolutionary technology. Photomug. Inkjet iron-on ceramic transfer paper. Transfer mug. Uncoated photomug . Inkjet photomug without sublimation glazing. Photo ceramic transfer tile without sublimation. Cactus Mug Wrap. Iron-on ceramic


----------



## aries (Mar 18, 2007)

As of right now this is how I am transfering on ceramic..I use water slide transfer paper.I print my image on a transfer waterslide sheet,let ink dry,put under warm water until the image slides off easly on to object,rub out bubbles,let dry,clear coat it and whamo you have a nice mug,plate,glass,ashtray,etc.....HOPE THIS HELPS FOR LOW COST ON CERAMICS...


----------



## jberte (Mar 25, 2007)

looks interesting - expensive, but interesting....has anybody here used this? wow, $4 a sheet......wonder if they'll send samples?? 

well, pending a report back on this paper......_to the best of my knowledge_, a press is required. ($4 a sheet?? and $129 for a single wrap??....wow....)

several manufacturers make interchangeable platens suitable for plates.


----------



## oss (May 28, 2007)

thank you - you guys are so helpful! 

I am going to look a bit into that paper and see what I can find out. I noticed at the bottom of his site he mentions wholesale prices too - that would be great! 

thanks too, aries for the water slide info. I have tried that process and wasn't thrilled with the outcome - it may have been the paper I used though. Do you have a water slide paper you really like that gives professional looking results? I am sure I could go back and find the brand I used, but it ended up scratching, flaking, and a few of the decals had a wrinkled look to them??

Also, what paper do you guys recommend overall (for sublimation), as well as, any great companies to order from? I really want a seamless look and don't want any *lines* showing up on my art pieces - is that possible? As for transferring images - can you heat press an image _over_ another heat pressed image, or does it all need to be pressed onto the medium one time? 

As for a heat press - I am on the hunt. My art doesn't really "fit" the circular center that plates have ( like I see most sublimated plates doing by having the whole image *fit* the center circle ) so I am not sure if I need a _plate _press or not? I obviously need something to get over that outer edge/rim, but something that can work with circles and ovals since we work with really long platters that are more elongated and oval as well. As for the longer platters, I even have several different images that are to go on. In my mind, I picture some type of smaller heat press (almost manual looking like an iron) that can press each image individually into the center of the plate or platter but I am new to this and don't know if that even exists or makes sense...? What type of heat press would you advise me to get? 

I really appreciate all your help and wisdom with all my newbie questions! You guys are terrific !


----------



## PrintMonkey (Jul 15, 2006)

Check out DyeSub.org - An educational site for dye sublimation and digital transfer printing.
Lot of info, links to suppliers for all types of items for sublimation.

M


----------



## nowitspersonal (Jun 3, 2007)

OSS - I was wondering if you came up with a solution? I have similar questions. Did you hear back from that site about the wholesale pricing?

You can email me at [email protected]

Thanks!
Tanya


----------



## BRC (Mar 27, 2007)

If you are considering using plates that are anything other than flat and specially coated for sublimation you do not want to use dye sub. Plates need a special puck to hold the transfer flat, if not your transfer will not work correctly. If there is a gap on an edge you will get blowouts or fuzzy edges. You may want to check into direct printers such as the DTG printer which can print on irregular surfaces. Then you could use off the shelf plates or tiles. There are laser papers that work on hardgoods but you would still have the problem (even more so from my experience) of holding a good even pressure on the plate while pressing.


----------



## nowitspersonal (Jun 3, 2007)

I'm using 4x4 ceramic tiles - does that make a difference? Can I use DTG on a ceramic tile?


----------



## BRC (Mar 27, 2007)

I have seen tiles printed on the DTG printer. The one I am talking about here is the brand DTG. Not all digital garment printers will print on different substrates. You can view them at DTG Kiosk . There are some other brands that will print to tiles too but I have only seen this one in person so it is the only one I can comment on firsthand. The quality was high but you do need to pretreat hard substrates. But if you are going to do plates it might be worth checking out.


----------



## nowitspersonal (Jun 3, 2007)

Thanks - but I think those are waaay out of my price range!


----------

