# Sticky  Problems pressing heat transfers, start here



## wormil

There are a lot of posts about transfers not sticking and here are some general tips. All degrees in Fahrenheit. 

*Temperature*: Start with the manufacturer's recommendations but if that doesn't work here are a few things to consider...
*More is not better.* We tend to think that if 350 is good, 360 must be better, if they recommend 375-400, that we should be closer to 400. Years ago I printed plastisol transfers with regular Union Inks and we pressed everything at 350 for 8-10 seconds. Since then I've often wondered why so many manufacturers recommend temps at 375 and above (I don't know). Most plastisol inks cure at 300-320 degrees. Twice I've gotten better results by dropping my press temp to 350. So if your transfer isn't sticking, don't be afraid to try a lower temp.

*Check your temps*: Until you know your press is reading the correct temperature, any recommendations are just guesses. I use an infrared thermometer (available anywhere tools are sold) which will work fine with dark upper platens but will not work with polished (shiny) metals. 

Testing your thermometer:


spiderx1 said:


> ...In a pinch measure boiling water. Should be 212F at sea level. Drops about 3 deg per 1000ft elevation. There are charts on Internet to check. This will give you some idea if the gun is close. I have seen presses off as much as 100F


Direct contact thermometer:
Geo Knight & Co Inc - USA manufacturer of high tech, low cost heat press equipment.

Temperature strips are a third way to check your press and are available from preferred vendors on the left side of this page.

Make sure to test the perimeter of your upper platen and several locations around the middle as a cold spot can cause inconsistent results.

*Happiness is a hot bottom*: Before pressing your first shirt or anytime you've stopped for awhile, make sure to warm up your bottom platen by closing the press twice for 30 seconds. This will help with consistent results.

*Pressure*: Most manufacturers recommend medium-firm pressure (60psi). The only downside I've encountered at very high pressures were the colors bleeding into one another but I suspect that was because the recommended temps (375+) were too high. 

*Trial and Error*: If you begin having trouble, rather than ruining 10 shirts, cut up one of your transfers and test on a shirt already ruined.

Please feel free to add any tips or advice.


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## wormil

Another tip if you believe you may have cold spots is to press once then rotate your shirt 90 degrees and press again. Unless you have a lot of cold spots the rotation should cancel them out.


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## binki

+1 on the direct temp thermometer. 

Also, Check your lower platen and make sure it is perfectly flat. If it is not you will get 'cold spots'.


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## RawkstarApparel

Great thread everyone. I'm thinkin of going the route of plastisol transfers from SEMO Imprints - Home. 
And I'm going to buy a used DK20 16" X 20" DIGITAL CLAMSHELL press for 500$ used every other weekend for three years to apply them .
Does anyone see a problem with this? Is there a better press for a better cost. Is there a cheaper better alternative for transfers? 
I cant stand silk screening like I said before so this is my new direction.


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## KhaoticAngel

wormil said:


> *...Happiness is a hot bottom*: Before pressing your first shirt or anytime you've stopped for awhile, make sure to warm up your bottom platen by closing the press twice for 30 seconds. This will help with consistent results...


This isn't a tip, it's a question, but I believe the answer will help others, which is why I'm asking it in this thread.

My instruction manual says:

'This machine can not be baked empty or else it will destroy the heat pad and easily catch fire!'

If this is the case, how am I supposed to preheat the bottom platen? The teflon sheet?


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## wormil

KhaoticAngel said:


> 'This machine can not be baked empty or else it will destroy the heat pad and easily catch fire!'
> 
> If this is the case, how am I supposed to preheat the bottom platen? The teflon sheet?


Hmm, good question. I do have a teflon sheet over the bottom platen (T's slide easier) but I don't believe my press (Hotronix) came with such a warning. I have to wonder why a manufacturer would use a pad that isn't heat resistant -- on a heat press. Or maybe the legal team just went overboard with liability concerns.


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## royster13

KhaoticAngel said:


> This isn't a tip, it's a question, but I believe the answer will help others, which is why I'm asking it in this thread.
> 
> My instruction manual says:
> 
> 'This machine can not be baked empty or else it will destroy the heat pad and easily catch fire!'
> 
> If this is the case, how am I supposed to preheat the bottom platen? The teflon sheet?


I have been pre-heating my bottom platens for years without a teflon sheet with no problems.....I think it probably means not to do it for "prolonged" periods of time....So keep under a couple minutes...


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## jleampark

wormil said:


> *Temperature*: Start with the manufacturer's recommendations but if that doesn't work here are a few things to consider...
> *More is not better.* We tend to think that if 350 is good, 360 must be better, if they recommend 375-400, that we should be closer to 400. Years ago I printed plastisol transfers with regular Union Inks and we pressed everything at 350 for 8-10 seconds. Since then I've often wondered why so many manufacturers recommend temps at 375 and above (I don't know). Most plastisol inks cure at 300-320 degrees. Twice I've gotten better results by dropping my press temp to 350. So if your transfer isn't sticking, don't be afraid to try a lower temp.


I have a bunch of extra plastisol transfers and a bunch of extra tees. I think I will do some experimenting. 

If I use 300 as a starting point, how long would you dwell?

My biggest problem is with cracking after 15-20 washes (~ 6 months to a year). This happens with Transfer Express, Semo and Seay (the 3 I use). And I always press at 350-380. 

Could it be my temp?


Team Spirit Tees
www.teamspirittees.com

Sent by iPhone to the T-Shirt forum


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## wormil

jleampark said:


> My biggest problem is with cracking after 15-20 washes (~ 6 months to a year). This happens with Transfer Express, Semo and Seay (the 3 I use). And I always press at 350-380.
> 
> Could it be my temp?
> 
> 
> Team Spirit Tees
> Team Spirit Tees | Helping you celebrate Life's special events
> 
> Sent by iPhone to the T-Shirt forum


Mine all crack eventually, from any vendor, usually after about a year of heavy wear (once a week) or longer of casual wear. Even some vinyl I've done has cracked after a year or two. It's just because the ink is so thin. The durability of plastisol is related to the ink thickness. Shirts I printed decades back when people tended to use more open mesh and make thicker prints, often outlasted the fabric.


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## proworlded

I can't comment on the 'machine can not be baked empty or else it will destroy the heat pad and easily catch fire'. Never heard of that one. Be careful. 
Regarding the cracking of the transfers, I think you will find that even many direct screen prints will do the same thing, There are so many variables that go into the mix from the fabric, to the print manufacturing process and inks, to the various applications, and the washing methods, etc. Might want to look at it this way...$5 cost for a shirt and print that is washed 20 times equals $.25 each time it is worn. And there's also transfers that go through 50 washings and don't crack. Pretty inexpensive clothing, and then you end up with a nice dust rag that is priceless.


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## jleampark

Rats. I was hoping there was some trick or secret I was missing for the perfect print. 


Team Spirit Tees
www.teamspirittees.com

Sent by iPhone to the T-Shirt forum


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## viktorwiener

I just started pressing a few days ago, trying out the sample packs that were sent to me.
The plan is to do a small t-shirt brand, so I was looking for something with the softest feel(soft hand) that is comfortable to wear even on hot days. 
So far I've been liking the Versatrans prints, they feel the softest and thinnest, but sadly after the first wash(!!!) the paint started to come off. I'm pressing 100% cotton, I've followed the instructions(heat the bottom plate, temp, time and try to get the pressure right as well, but I'm a total newbie to this so that could easily be off), but I can kinda peel off the ink from the shirts, so there is something totally wrong...
The prints from Dowling, Howard, Transfer express and Barber are holding up nicely, but they are considerably thicker, more rubbery, which is not my preference.

Any tips what could have gone wrong? The machine is a Hotronix basic clam, before I bought it, I checked the temperatures of the plate so that should be okay.
I'll give them a call on Monday, but would love to hear if you got some tips?

(and on a sidenote, if you could recommend me more companies who offer *soft hand fee*l plastisol transfers, that would be awesome too!)
Thank you!


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## wormil

Try checking the cure by stretching after the next press. If it cracks, it isn't cured. The transfers could also be overcured meaning they will never stick to the shirt permanently. Semo's transfers were the closest to direct printing that I've found. Quicktrans were really good too but they were very expensive.


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## viktorwiener

Thanks for the tips, I didn't try to stretch them right after the pressing, but did it now instead, the blue ink is just falling apart, the purple holds out okay, not great, but okay.

I've emailed Semo for some samples, Quicktrans don't seem to make transfers for dark garments and I need to print on black.
Thanks for these too!


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## viktorwiener

wormil said:


> Try checking the cure by stretching after the next press. If it cracks, it isn't cured. The transfers could also be overcured meaning they will never stick to the shirt permanently. Semo's transfers were the closest to direct printing that I've found. Quicktrans were really good too but they were very expensive.



So I just received a few more samples from Versa, as far as I can tell, the pressing goes okay, it peels nicely, there's pretty much no ink left on the paper afterwards.
After the peeling I pressed them again covered with a teflon sheet, it seems to me that it helps to achieve an even softer feel to the prints, but I could be totally wrong about this.
(I did the stretch the shirts right after pressing as wormil suggested, and the ink was moving along nicely with the garment, so I think the printing must be done perfectly)

I washed the shirts to see how the print holds up, and yet again some of the letters are coming off super easy, and some ink in the Versa logo is curling up.
Could it be that I put the shirts in the wash way too soon? I waited like 5 minutes, and the temperature felt totally normal, not hot at all.


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## wormil

Stretching tests the ink in that spot for full cure. If it is not cured then it will crack (it will be somewhat obvious, like pulling apart cheese). It is possible for ink to be cured but not adhered to the garment, or to be cured in one spot and not another. In your other thread you said transfers from other companies were working fine and only Versatrans were giving you problems. So I would stop buying Versatrans.


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## royster13

Using a teflon sheet can drastically change the temperature....Most transfers manufacturers do not recommend it....


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## viktorwiener

wormil said:


> Stretching tests the ink in that spot for full cure. If it is not cured then it will crack (it will be somewhat obvious, like pulling apart cheese). It is possible for ink to be cured but not adhered to the garment, or to be cured in one spot and not another. In your other thread you said transfers from other companies were working fine and only Versatrans were giving you problems. So I would stop buying Versatrans.


Thanks wormil, you are a champ!
I've decided to go with TE this time, their stuff came out really good(not as soft hand as Versa's tho) and I'm totally new to this, so I rather not mess up my reputation with the first collection.


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## viktorwiener

One more quick question about storage.
Do you guys have any good tips for storing sheets during summer? 
It gets to around 30+ celsius here, which is not a huge problem, but the humidity is usually above 80% day and night.

It's already getting warm, so I've put the sheets in their box into a big plastic container, with a towel on top that has a small ice pack in it, and the whole thing is in my closet.
But because of the ice pack the top of the container gets a bit dewy, so I'm gonna have to put a small dehumidifying pack in there too.
I was thinking of putting the box into a thermal bag, and then into the container, would that work?

Would love to hear some tips!
Thank you!


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## proworlded

I do not think the towel and ice pack will do much good. Is their no area with air conditioning where they can be stored? If not, I would just take my chances that the heat and humidity will not cause any damage to the transfers.


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## jcolbmusic

Which plastisol transfer company do you guys like the best? 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


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## wormil

Lots of threads about that. Start with the companies discussed often.


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## jcolbmusic

wormil said:


> Lots of threads about that. Start with the companies discussed often.


Well I've ordered samples from companies.. Semo, Versatranz, and Silver Mountain Graphics. I just got the samples from Versa today so I'm about to press some up. Just wanted to know what ya'll thought were pros and cons from each. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


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## john221us

I just played around with transfers to stretched canvas, using Transjet II paper. The instructions are 350 for 8 seconds. 

The frame that the canvas is stretched on has an outer lip that makes the canvas raise above the frame by about an 1/8". I made center piece out of ply wood to put in the middle of the frame, so that the press would have something to press against, but there is a gap between the lip and the edge of the frame. In this area, where it did not get good pressure, the transfer did not stick. I then stuck some pieces of cardboard in the gap and this helped, but it is still not getting enough pressure and doesn't stick as well as the center part. 

I found some old neoprene mouse pads and I am going to give that a shot next. That should allow more pressure than the cardboard. In any case, my experimenting seems to show pressure making the most difference (I tried upping the temp and also double pressing, but none of that helped). 

I have a Geo Knight 16x20 swinger press. It does great on t-shirts with the same transfer paper and settings.


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## wormil

jcolbmusic said:


> Well I've ordered samples from companies.. Semo, Versatranz, and Silver Mountain Graphics. I just got the samples from Versa today so I'm about to press some up. Just wanted to know what ya'll thought were pros and cons from each.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


This thread is for troubleshooting problems, most people will not see your question here. You should start a new thread or read some of the existing threads asking the same question. 
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/plastisol-transfers/t77081.html

But I'll save you some time, there is not a forum favorite. What you will find is that the companies discussed most often will _generally _give you the best product or service. Companies rarely discussed are a crap shoot, maybe they are not discussed because they are too expensive, have poor customer service, are unreliable, etc. At some point, every company is going to make a mistake. What's important is how they handle the mistake. Also keep in mind some people are ordering 100 transfers per month and others are ordering 5000 transfers per month; there is going to be a big difference in how those customers are treated, it's just the way business (and life) works. So it's possible that one person raves about a company while someone else rants about the same company. I've had some pretty bad experiences with certain companies and yet those companies are still pretty popular around here. So you have to give them a chance and try them out, they may work out for you.


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## wormil

john221us said:


> I just played around with transfers to stretched canvas, using Transjet II paper. The instructions are 350 for 8 seconds.
> 
> The frame that the canvas is stretched on has an outer lip that makes the canvas raise above the frame by about an 1/8". I made center piece out of ply wood to put in the middle of the frame, so that the press would have something to press against, but there is a gap between the lip and the edge of the frame. In this area, where it did not get good pressure, the transfer did not stick. I then stuck some pieces of cardboard in the gap and this helped, but it is still not getting enough pressure and doesn't stick as well as the center part.
> 
> I found some old neoprene mouse pads and I am going to give that a shot next. That should allow more pressure than the cardboard. In any case, my experimenting seems to show pressure making the most difference (I tried upping the temp and also double pressing, but none of that helped).
> 
> I have a Geo Knight 16x20 swinger press. It does great on t-shirts with the same transfer paper and settings.


This is interesting. I hope to see some pictures. You would be ahead to just cut a new piece the correct size to fit under the frame. The different densities between plywood, cardboard, etc. are going to continue giving inconsistent results.


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## john221us

wormil said:


> This is interesting. I hope to see some pictures. You would be ahead to just cut a new piece the correct size to fit under the frame. The different densities between plywood, cardboard, etc. are going to continue giving inconsistent results.


That is a good point. I will need to find a bigger piece of neoprene, though. I guess I was thinking the neoprene would compress a bit and even it out.


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## john221us

wormil said:


> This is interesting. I hope to see some pictures. You would be ahead to just cut a new piece the correct size to fit under the frame. The different densities between plywood, cardboard, etc. are going to continue giving inconsistent results.


I tried to find a bigger piece of neoprene locally, but failed. I tried a cut up mouse pad since I had one, but it moved the problem to the center. I have ordered some neoprene fabric and it should get here next week.


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## john221us

I ordered some neoprene and it worked, but it shrinks and continues to shrink quite a bit. I am going to order some high temp silicone sheet next.


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## Tee's Y'all

I finally got my SEMO transfers to adhere beautifully and after many many tries I got the perfect pressure, degree, and dwell time down to a Tee! My issue now is...I have this one transfer I got in today and with those settings that work perfect on all the others, it seems the lettering is "wavy" on lower edges. Is this because of pressure or?Why would I need to change the perfect settings that work for all others from SEMO just for this transfer in particular...Does this sound right? I love the look and feel of SEMO prints but, It has been alot of work finding perfect settings and I hope I don't need different settings with different transfers or I may throw the press out the window...Any help?


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## TABOB

Tee's Y'all said:


> I finally got my SEMO transfers to adhere beautifully and after many many tries I got the perfect pressure, degree, and dwell time down to a Tee! My issue now is...I have this one transfer I got in today and with those settings that work perfect on all the others, it seems the lettering is "wavy" on lower edges. Is this because of pressure or?Why would I need to change the perfect settings that work for all others from SEMO just for this transfer in particular...Does this sound right? I love the look and feel of SEMO prints but, It has been alot of work finding perfect settings and I hope I don't need different settings with different transfers or I may throw the press out the window...Any help?


Yes, it is different settings for different transfers. I read your other post with the photos attached, and it looks like the ink is fairly thick. If you that type of transfer too hard and/or for to long it will distort.


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## star902

Total newbie to plastisol transfers. Been doing sublimation for years.

Been playing with a sample pack I got from Seay Graphics.

The shirts I've been using have been my personal, very old - very washed shirts. Some 100% Cotton some 50%-50%. Is that valid? Will new shirts transfer differently from old?

Is there a chart anywhere that explains the effects of:

Too much heat
Too little heat
Too much pressure
Too little pressure
Too much time
Too little time

It seems like this would be a great start in troubleshooting problems.

I'm also nervous about selling a bunch of perfect looking shirts and customers having issues after washings.

Thanks in advance. 
This forum is an awesome resource. 
I've been reading and learning for days.


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