# trasnfers not always sticking? Failure rate?



## MaddSailor (Apr 1, 2015)

Hello everyone. My wife and I just opened our online store last Friday and have done 850 in sales in just 4 days! I was impressed! Maybe it's not as good as I think lol our website is maddsailor.com if anyone wants to critique us, all criticism is acceptable!

Anyways I'm wondering how often does a transfer not seem to stick all the way. Sometimes it seems a small piece of the transfer is missing and it ruins a whole shirt. AMERICAN apparel is expensive!!! Sometimes it seems that the design could be peeling a bit as wel, I think this issue was due to some bubbles in the bottom platen of my geo knight press. Mostly my bad prints are the designs simply misprinting in areas where the font is very this. I have messed up 3 shirts this way out of about 20, just wondering if this is user error or if thin lettering is just known to do this every known and then? 

The design in question is on my website is the "east sleep surf repeat" shirt with thin lettering and the "boat hair don't care" also thin font lettering.


Any advice you guys have is much appreciated! Maybe I just need to factor these misprints in with my selling price? Or maybe I need to get better at laying down transfers? Lol


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## MaddSailor (Apr 1, 2015)

Any help? now a few days after my son has been wearing the shirt, it seems that the ink is flaking off and cracking by stretching it. I have turned up the pressure and am pressing to Versa Trans specs and it seems to look somewhat better, however I can stretch it and it will crack, the AA shirts seem to be really stretchy. Also kinda nervous as I have sent out 12 of these in the past week, hoping my shirts are the only cracked ones lol HOPING


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## proworlded (Oct 3, 2006)

Are these custom designs? If so, those thin lines might not have enough width for the ink to adhere to the fabric.


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## MaddSailor (Apr 1, 2015)

Yes they are custom, they can be seen at Maddsailor.com

It's every single shirt on there, even the thicker lines crack when stretched tho, my geo knight is spot on and I have tried there directions and even adjusted everything various times


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## proworlded (Oct 3, 2006)

Have you contacted the transfer supplier? They might have an answer for you.


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## MaddSailor (Apr 1, 2015)

I have, they are closed on weekends


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## ericdata (Mar 25, 2008)

Are you following the heat press instructions properly? Heat, pressure, time?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using T-Shirt Forums


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## GMC400EX (Feb 16, 2015)

Are using the EPT or Versatrans. I have been using the EPT transfers from versatrance and work great. I have tried the versatrans transfer from their sample pack and could not get to stick properly. (Versatrance makes EPT and verstrans tranfers).


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## MaddSailor (Apr 1, 2015)

Yes 380 degrees @8-12 seconds. I have NOT pre heated the bottom platen 3 times prior to transferring. I am hoping this is my problem, but the other samples did not have an issue. Is this something that must be done? I HAVE been pre pressing the shirt however.


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## MaddSailor (Apr 1, 2015)

These are versatrans not the EPT. They recommended this type of transfer for my design


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## ericdata (Mar 25, 2008)

When we first started we ordered transfers from them and also went with ept. 

My advise, your site looks great and it's awesome how your able to get the traffic and sales conversions that your getting. With that, I'd look into DTG. 

By the way how did you get the traffic and conversions?


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## MaddSailor (Apr 1, 2015)

ericdata said:


> When we first started we ordered transfers from them and also went with ept.
> 
> My advise, your site looks great and it's awesome how your able to get the traffic and sales conversions that your getting. With that, I'd look into DTG.
> 
> By the way how did you get the traffic and conversions?


Instagram and Facebook, Absolutely no paid advertising so far. I have never been a fan of DTG. Just seems very expensive and its still not screen printing. Just not my cup of tea.

I followed the directions to the tea and IDK it just looks like the transfer is sitting on top of my shirt and can be easily peeled off. This is very frustrating


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## ericdata (Mar 25, 2008)

Try ept, if that doesn't work then screen printing is your best bet. We are screen printers that started with transfers. Went away from them because you will never have 100% control of your process. All the best.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using T-Shirt Forums


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## Printor (Apr 16, 2015)

Screen printed plastisol transfers will not hold up in the wash like Plastisol screen printed directly to fabric. The transfers are already mostly cured and are just bonding to the surface of the fabric. When you screen directly to the fabric, the ink is still liquid and is getting way down in the valley of the fabric. If cured rite it will never loose its grip. The hard part is it costs a fortune to offer many products by stocking many preprinted designs. DTG is a grate way to be in full control of you products if you need to do constant one offs. As you find one design is selling well, You can have that one screened in bulk.


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## terrydolin (Mar 31, 2008)

I will have to say that I find that plastosl ink transfers we make last just as long as ink direct to the shirt, we use rhino brand powder and cure to about 180 to 200 degrees, I have test shirts as old as 5 years, the shirt wares out the ink is fine. It could be that they were made wrong just won't stick. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using T-Shirt Forums


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## Printor (Apr 16, 2015)

It's science, not my opinion.


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## j4k (Oct 27, 2009)

Very nice site, other than your SALT/SAND shirts your designs would look great with vinyl. there are many different types of vinyl that have a nice soft hand.


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