# having problems with coastal transfer paper



## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

hi. i bought some transfer paper from coastal. everything that i have made with this paper, after being washed, the blank ink has bled EVERYWHERE. what would cause this?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Using dye based ink (as opposed to pigment ink) is one possible cause.


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## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

i've used blue grid paper before, and the avery brand from walmart, and havent had a bleeding problem. only with this brand, but i thought it was a good brand...


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

What printer are you using? What ink? Sounds like cheap dye ink. paper does not run.. ink does.


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## JoshEllsworth (Dec 14, 2005)

“Bleeding” is a major concern with inkjet transfers. Here are some options to limit bleeding:

Yes, you can use your standard inkjet printer with regular OEM inks, however the produced garment will be effected. Here’s what I mean…Standard inks that come with your regular inkjet printer are usually dye based inks. When you are using dye based inks the printed colors on the garment tend to “run” or “bleed” after washed. In order to limit this bleeding, consider getting yourself a printer that has standard or aftermarket pigment based inks available for it. You will most likely find this printer to be an Epson, either loaded with Durabrite inks or you can find MagicMix or some other brand available for the printer. 
Another option to prevent the bleeding of inks include printing your image with a lower DPI. It is usually recommended that with any transfer paper, that you do not print higher than a 360dpi. This is so the paper does not become oversaturated with ink. So keep in mind that for transfer paper purposes a printer with very high photo quality capabilities will not be of much help. 
One more option to prevent the bleeding of inks is to let your printed paper dry for at least 24 hours or as long as you can. This will give the printed inks time to “set up” on the transfer paper. Various brands of paper can absorb the inks in different ways. Dry time can vary from paper to paper.


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Dry under press. How many of you make transfers and use them right away, even if they are not quite dry. Because I do have my press on I place the transfers on the pad below my my mighty press and leave them there for about a minute. That's the equivalent of a few hours as the heat dries them fast. Send check in care of.. naa just kidding.. well kinda.. checks are nice.. direct to my paypal account faster .. OK Rodney i was just foolin' around.. (More eggnog please)


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## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

im using an epson stylus r200. like i said, i've printed other transfers with this same printer/ink and not had this problem. Would letting my transfers sit for a while before pressing them help the problem on the shirts bleeding? or would that just keep the paper from bleeding? i've uploaded a LOT of pictures to give you an idea of what i'm talking about.

*BAD*:
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/4020/s4020164by0.jpg
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/6277/s4020165ms9.jpg
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/5139/s4020166gw5.jpg
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/9954/s4020167qg1.jpg
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/5685/s4020168cl5.jpg
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/32/s4020169mu2.jpg
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6774/s4020175kb4.jpg

*GOOD*:
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/3724/s4020170ap5.jpg
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/6537/s4020172wx9.jpg
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/6610/s4020173ge8.jpg


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

The r200 uses 6 inks. it maybe one of the colors is actually causing the problem. I have used dye inks replacements and not had problems and then replace one cartridge with a an off brand and have had problems. remember paper does not bleed. It is the inks. I use coastal paper as well as others and have not had a problem other than not liking the feel of the transfer. Lou


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## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

so try changing out my ink cartridge?


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Not sure what to give you for an answer. I was throwing that out as part of the problem and it may be. I guess you should try something else. here is something to consider. A c88 printer is being offered at some stores for 79.95 with a $15.00 rebate (mail in)If you bought ink for this system it would cost you $64.00. It is like getting the printer for free. The ink is pigment Lou


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## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

what type of ink does the r200 use?


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

R200 uses a dye ink. Here is something all of you should read about inks and explains a lot.(see below) I was an Epson rep giving demos on printers at Best Buy here in our Town.. I did a lot of water test to show the bleeding of the hp and others printers I would place an epson print in water when I arrived and 4 hours later the the picture would be just as I inserted it in the jar. This was only done with Pigment ink printers. If I used HP picture I would have cool aid.. That drove the HP rep nuts.. The prints from the R200 did stand up to the water test but not as well as pigment inks. One of the reason is the epson printer use electro magnetic ejection system to force the ink out of the cartridge. It drys faster. HP and others use a thermal ejecting system (heat) that makes the print take longer to dry.

http://www.epson.com/pdf/PCWorld_CheapInkProbed.pdf


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## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

but there's a big difference between the ink bleeding on paper and bleeding on clothing.


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

> but there's a big difference between the ink bleeding on paper and bleeding on clothing.


What I am saying the ink drys faster on transfer paper also. Dye inks tend to get absorbed by the paper like a sponge. With transfer paper it places that ink on the cloth the same way. With pigment ink which are tiny plastic particles the ink stays on top of the paper and thus stays on top of the cloth as well. How many shirts do you own that have paint on them from when you did painting. Think about it the same way as pigment ink. Do you own a Tye dye shirt? That is the same for dye inks.


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## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

how much of a difference does washing inside out make? would that cause bleeding?


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

T-Styles said:


> how much of a difference does washing inside out make? would that cause bleeding?


If anything, it would help prevent it, I think. I've seen it recommended for washing when using dye-based inks. These days it's better to just go with pigmented inks though; a more professional product and less hassles.


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## T-Styles (Oct 3, 2006)

does the r200 printer have pigment inks available for it?


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## ecalomino (Dec 28, 2006)

T-Styles said:


> hi. i bought some transfer paper from coastal. everything that i have made with this paper, after being washed, the blank ink has bled EVERYWHERE. what would cause this?


If you washed the product initially in hot or warm water, it could bleed. It could also be a poor heat transfer sheet. It depends on what you did, before one can determine if it was a product error or user error.


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## trobertson (Nov 10, 2008)

Hello. Use a lower quality print mode if at all possible. Wait 24 hours before washing without any fabric softeners or bleach alternatives. A pigment ink is probably not a bad way to go.


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