# plasitol transfer verse direct print



## paige (Nov 15, 2010)

Hi, I spent so much money on my last collection printing samples and only less than half of the designs sold. Now I am thinking that I can buy a heat press and use maybe pro world to do heat transfers of my designs. My question is if the end result will be the same as a direct print. I have never done this before and I am nervous that I will not be able to get the transfers to look professional. Can stores tell the difference? Do transfers wash the same as screen printing plasitol? I am so limited on funds at this point but got need to develop another collection.


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## Austin300 (May 24, 2009)

Good question and I have been doing my own homework 
and testing of plastisol transfers for over a year now.


Custom made plastisol transfers are screen printed
but the ink hasn't been cured. I have been testing
a screen print and a transfer of the same design for
months now and they are both holding up extremely
well after countless wash and dry cycles.

The only limitation to having your designs made
into custom plastisol transfers by an outside source
is the cost when it comes to number of colors.

This rise in price for more colors per design can
actually be offset by the fact that you only print
the shirts you need when they are ordered so you
can have a stock of blank shirts in all sizes waiting
to go thus keeping your inventory low.

If you screen printed numerous shirts of all sizes
the cost would be pretty high while the shirts sit
around taking up space.


A one or two color transfer is very economical and
I use T/E. They are a bit more expensive but the
customer service is top notch and a phone call
can take care of any problems.


Once you set up an account with a reputable 
custom transfer supplier you can get your
designs ready to go and simply email the 
order in. You get them back fast and there
is your box of transfers at your door while you
have your boxes of blank shirts waiting on orders.

I like the control I have with custom transfers.
I know how many I have in stock and after the
inital order the re-order is at a lower price with T/E.

If you can keep your design colors to just a few
as you start out you can get rolling for very little
and move toward 4,5 and 6 color designs down the
road.

You would really be suprised at the quality of a custom
plastisol transfer that is applied by someone who knows
what they are doing with a heat press. A heat press has
a learning curve and garbage transfers will make garbage
shirts. I know exactly what I am getting with the transfers
I order and the heat press is warming up as I see the UPS
truck coming down the road.


Hope that helps.


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## etshirt (May 8, 2008)

I print plastisol transfer for lots of local school here and they never had any problem. The finish product will look the same. The plastisol transfer are great for small pocket print, since you can fit alot of them on a sheet.

If you press it at the right temp the plastisol should stick to the t-shirt the same as a direct print.

This is just based on my experience


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## proworlded (Oct 3, 2006)

Ed, that is an excellent synopsis. Thanks for sharing it with us.


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## paige (Nov 15, 2010)

thanks for all the helpful feedback. I have never used a heat press before so hopefully I won't mess too many up the first time around and waste inventory. I only plan on ordering a low amount of transfers per design to start off with. When I see what sells then I plan on ordering in bulk


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## Dtag1971 (Oct 2, 2011)

If you have the screen print setup do 1 and 2 color transfers yourself. They are pretty simple to print. They are great for what I call test marketing. Print 50 transfers iron them on the shirts maybe 3 of each size, and see if they sell. I use this in my airbrush shop alot!!! You will hear many people say that are hard to print. I disagree with this. Keep the artwork simple. Print the image in mirror. Gel cure or under cure the transfer. I still use a flash unit to gel cure my transfers. It will help if you have a vacuum table. I built mine from the plans from the book How to screen print for fun and profit. I like doing as much as possible myself. It keeps the cost down. And I like building my own equipment. I think transfers have a much softer hand because you are using a heat press to remelt the ink into the shirt. If you outsource I have done business with pro world and ace screen supply. Thumbs up to both!!


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## DesignLabAL (Oct 25, 2011)

I got tired of dealing with screens and switched to ordering transfers a while back. I haven't had any complaints, and the average person will not know the difference. Just be sure and order enough extras so you can experiment with your temp, time, pressure, etc. 

Personally, I use F&M. In addition to their plastisol transfers, they have a full color option which looks pretty good but doesn't have the same soft feel. They also have what they call "Fashion Formula" which is available in both spot color and full color which does have a soft feel, but it's only good for light shirts. Their prices are some of the lowest I have seen and their turn-around is usually a week.


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## paige (Nov 15, 2010)

thanks again. I will get up my courage and try this approach. wish me luck!!


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