# Positioning transfers on t-shirts...



## newtothepress (Apr 17, 2006)

Heres another question maybe someone has come across. I find it a little difficult to position the transfer properly on the t-shirt at times. Is there any tools, or utensils that is available to assist in positioning the transfer perfectly on the t-shirt??? Any websites that sell this type of tool?? As of right now im using rulers and something like a protractor.


----------



## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Almost all tees have a center line ironed on them. I usually place transfer down and then bring collar over top of transfer and get it real close almost all the time. It takes time but it becomes a skill for this biz.


----------



## TeeShirtSamurai (Feb 8, 2006)

Good tip Lou. Unfortunately for me, the Hanes Beefy-Ts I order don't come with an ironed line down the center.

I've had to resort to using a ruler. I position the transfer as close to the center as I can. Then I measure from both sides of the shirt and from the collar with the ruler. The first transfer took a while since I was paranoid about it not being level.

I'm thinking I may make a template our of cardboard...


----------



## funtimesx (Apr 9, 2006)

TeeShirtSamurai said:


> Good tip Lou. Unfortunately for me, the Hanes Beefy-Ts I order don't come with an ironed line down the center.


You can always press a center line into the shirt yourself as part of your pre-press.

I've started doing that and it works great.


----------



## TeeShirtSamurai (Feb 8, 2006)

funtimesx said:


> You can always press a center line into the shirt yourself as part of your pre-press.
> 
> I've started doing that and it works great.


I could but in order to do that I would once again have to find the perfect center and in order to do that I would have to measure and such. If I'm going to be measuring anyway I may as well position my transfer and measure, not measure for the center and then measure a second time for the transfer.


----------



## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Why can't you just fold it in half?? it seems a lot easier to me.


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I could but in order to do that I would once again have to find the perfect center and in order to do that I would have to measure and such.


If you folded the t-shirt in half, lengthwise, would that give you a line down the center without measuring, or would that still be off?


----------



## toonsign (Apr 24, 2005)

Hi newtothepress,

When I started out (1987) all shirts had centerlines but nowadays, there are some brands without so here's what I do.

*Usually* the tag on the shirt is in the center. When I shake out the shirt to remove any wrinkles, I then lay it down onto the press with the label centered on the arm on the heat press. I do lay the shirt so the collar in the fron is not on the heat press and this generally brings me dead center.

If your transfers are not cut *or* when you do cut them and they are in a straight line and even, I use the top actual edge of the heat transfer paper to align it to the center of the shirt, using the arm on the heat press as an 'eyeball guide'.

Not sure where the center of the transfer is? just measure where the center of the transfer is after it's printed onto the paper. Fold...very slightly, the top edge about a 1/4" to show you where the actual center of the image is. Fold it enough so you can see some sort of fold or so you know where the center is.

If the printed image is even with the top edge of the transfer sheet, use the top edge of the transfer sheet to help keep your image from being crooked.

Hope this helps. Didn't mean to ramble.

Toonsign


----------



## TeeShirtSamurai (Feb 8, 2006)

Rodney said:


> If you folded the t-shirt in half, lengthwise, would that give you a line down the center without measuring, or would that still be off?


That may work for some people but that's not precise enough for me. I want to give my customer's the best I can. So I'd rather not eyeball it or go by a folded line in a shirt.


----------



## newtothepress (Apr 17, 2006)

I guess there are a few different techniques that I can try. Does anyone know if there is anything that I can buy that will help with positioning. Say for example I needed to do letters or numbers, im sure there must be something out there for that?


----------



## shirtguy (Apr 21, 2006)

I have placed marks on my machine to wear center is. I just line them up on the shirt. Really easy to do. After a while you won't need them.


----------



## suzieh (Feb 8, 2006)

Common sense folks...or maybe it's just me used to being precise because of quilting (humor here and those that quilt will understand)

Okay...do not TRUST the center crease. I would say 98% of the time it is correct.

What I do is I press my shirt top and bottom because I do not like wrinkly shirt.

For center transfer, do your pre-pressing.

Next, pickup shirt and sorta fold (you're really just picking up) in half matching top and bottom shoulder seams. If image is full front then match bottom sides.

Then place shirt back down just FINGER PRESS a small area for your center crease. If you can't take the heat...then use a Speedball Brayer or a clean old t-shirt. That's your center mark. Because you have lifted the garment up and have let it hang (so to speak) and matched seams...it will be close to perfectly centered.

*CENTERING TRANSFER...*
Easy, bend in half and pinch top and bottom to mark center. You are centering the image...not the transfer paper.

If it's text...you can memorize the letter that is the center. 

*MEASURING...*
I measure from the bottom collar seam with a Westcott drafting ruler that has a cork bottom. No sliding. Also handy if you need to "lift" a corner of
a transfer. Make sure you place your ruler always on same side (I place right of the center line). Now your ruler acts as a "t-square" if you use the lines on the ruler.

*TOOL SUGGESTED*
Embroidery Buddy ruler. I plan on getting one because I'm getting into pocket position designs.


----------



## StitchShoppe (Jun 1, 2006)

The bulk of my press is plastisol, ganged on a sheet to save money. I always use a cleaver style board cutter to seperate them. Most important thing is to make sure your transfer is centered and cut out strait.
Take a shirt from the stack that is your size and tape a transfer to the back/front. Put on the tee. How does it look in the mirror? Adjust till you are happy with location.
Take off tee and dress the press. Fold a piece of paper into thirds so it reaches from the collar seam to the top of the transfer. use this piece as a
guage/square to press.
I add 3/8" for sizes over and subtract 3/8" for sizes under my XL mirror fit.
Label the piece of paper with pertinate job info and drop into a folder with the rest of the job info in case you get future orders


----------



## hammered (Apr 14, 2006)

Being a guy, Im a gadget freak. Ive been thinking about this and how to rig something cheap and reliable. Ive been looking at the repostionable clamps used in soldering and Fly tying and a couple green laser pointers. I picked green because its my understanding its the easier of the laser colors to see. As soon as spare time and some liquid funds make themselves avilable, Ill post what Ive come up with.


----------



## Scrap-Boy (Apr 25, 2006)

hey guys, we're all irregulars, including your clients. So if it's a little off, when you wear it all peeps are shapped different anyways.

But if you want the perfect placement according to the specks, make sure the shirts are first quality ( not seconds ), hold them up and do half fold to create a center line as the tube type fabric rolls when they are layed out on the cutting table to cut/make the t-shirts etc... 

Then you make a perfect printed sample and make a template for job... use the same grading ratio as the t-shirt pattern s,m,l, etc....

But seriously folks... try it by Eye ! it's really not that complicated after you get rolling with the job. Just relax and focus on a center line, visible or not. 

There is a guy that works here that peeps come from all over to watch him print shirts blind folded... LOL serious.!! 

I guess it's like what some jazz musician said " if someone has to tell you what Jazz is, you will never know ".


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I guess it's like what some jazz musician said " if someone has to tell you what Jazz is, you will never know ".


I think learning how to align a t-shirt using various methods is something that you can definitely learn 

Thanks for all the helpful tips that have been posted.


----------



## Atari (Jun 28, 2006)

TeeShirtSamurai said:


> I'm thinking I may make a template our of cardboard...


Great idea. 

I think you would have to make one for each t-shirt type & size though.


----------



## identityburn (Feb 24, 2006)

I'm doing screenprinting, but am having a similar problem. I've already marked the centerline of the board, but getting the shirt to be on there is a little tough. Mainly because when you spray adhesive on the shirt board it's difficult to move the shirt around because it sticks so much. I just think it's a skill you develop with practice.


----------



## Scrap-Boy (Apr 25, 2006)

" I think learning how to align a t-shirt using various methods is something that you can definitely learn  "

LOL...RODNEY. You just need to practice the licks.

Here is a way that will help transfer align etc... application.

Spend an a little extra and get the same EXACT design and placement of the Plastisol ink side litho-printed on the back side of the transfer sheet.... heck, you can even add how to apply instructions etc....

Have a look at these picks of such Iron-on transfer, the front and back of the transfer sheet. This sample is not cut.

oh... the sample picks are a 4 color glitter/blend iron-on for heat press or home iron my boss did for Barbie.

Hope this helps...just another idea/tip.


----------



## TeeShirtSamurai (Feb 8, 2006)

Scrap-Boy said:


> oh... the sample picks are a 4 color glitter/blend iron-on for heat press or home iron my boss did for Barbie.


Damn, your boss must be doing well if he's involved with Barbie in any way!


----------



## tcrowder (Apr 27, 2006)

Here you go for all you freaks that just have to be perfect LOL

http://www.imprintables.com/index.cfm/fuseAction/dspItem/itemID/405/catID/15/subCatID/0/index.html

Last item for sale on the page.


----------



## TeeShirtSamurai (Feb 8, 2006)

tcrowder said:


> Here you go for all you freaks that just have to be perfect LOL
> 
> http://www.imprintables.com/index.cfm/fuseAction/dspItem/itemID/405/catID/15/subCatID/0/index.html
> 
> Last item for sale on the page.


Whoa! Great find. This would be perfect (for anal people like myself). My only problem is that I wish I could get some more information on it or at the very least enlarge the image, especially since it costs $90!


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> My only problem is that I wish I could get some more information on it or at the very least enlarge the image, especially since it costs $90!


Drop Josh a line, I'm sure he'll be able to give you more info.


----------



## TeeShirtSamurai (Feb 8, 2006)

Rodney said:


> Drop Josh a line, I'm sure he'll be able to give you more info.


Ah, bless ye!


----------



## Adam (Mar 21, 2005)

I got to gets me one of those. How about a group buy?


----------



## SpacemanFL (Jul 1, 2005)

Here is my method fo aligning text. 

Mark the centerline of the transfer and mark the bottom of the text on either end. Pre heat the shirt. Fold the shirt in half and press for 2 seconds on light and 10 seconds on dark to create a centerline. Use a tape measure to align the shirt with the center of the press. I just hook the tape over the edge of the press like you would in measuring a piece of wood. For me this is 7 9/16". Align the center of the transfer using the mark and centerline you just pressed. Measure from the top down to the marks on either edge of the text to make sure the transfer is the same on both sides and not tilted. This sounds like alot of work but it goes very quick. You first eyeball the transfer to get it close and then just making small adjustments using the tape measure. Time from start to finish is about 2 minutes.


----------



## hammered (Apr 14, 2006)

For a bit less, Stanley makes a laser square. With a bit of creativity and a little effort, something like this could be the trick. Im sure you can find it at a local hardware store, I just linked it to that site for reference.


----------



## tcrowder (Apr 27, 2006)

hammered said:


> For a bit less, Stanley makes a laser square. With a bit of creativity and a little effort, something like this could be the trick.


I think by the time you bought the laser, figured out a way to mount it so as to always be seen, you would still have to center line your shirts to line up with the laser ect. ect. ect. You may as well spend the 90.00 to get the tool MADE for the job. What next, are we going to try and figure out how to make our own transfer papers too? Being in the construction business, I have found it is ALWAYS better to have the proper tools to do the job. Just my 2 cents worth.


----------



## suzieh (Feb 8, 2006)

I had posted earlier about the* Embroidery Buddy*. 

But if the $90 gadget is winking at you....why not just make your own with quilting mylar plastic. 

Or use quilting ruler - they are see-thru, in various shapes, gridded, diagonal lines. You can just use some low tack tape thin tape if you need to mark. 

*Omnigrid *is one brand.

I personally don't have time to fuss beyond my finger crease and ruler.
I feel eye-balling is fine if you are doing promotional tees and they are freebies. I just can't eyeball because with my transfers it is very obvious when not centered.


----------



## dub3325 (Jun 7, 2006)

I havent gone into production yet, I am currently doing the hands on research to transferring to my tee's. But here is what I've done to allign my test shirts:

- Ripped apart the box that my press came in. 
- Squared it off to a decent size
- Since my shirts are being printed on white, I make a dominant line down the center of it, so I am able to see thru the shirt and onto the template.
- Tuck that baby inside my tee shirt prior to pressing

Voila, 90 bucks saved. All my test shirts appear to have perfect allignment so far.


----------



## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

Problem I see with that template tool is getting it on the shirt perfectly square. Do they make a tool for that????


Just kidding!!!


----------



## suzieh (Feb 8, 2006)

Someone with a retail imprint business (at other forum) brought up a good point on WHY the $90 alignment gadget might be worth it...for your employees/help. 
I thought that was a good justification for purchase if the gadget works.


----------



## hammered (Apr 14, 2006)

I just watched a video on this template. The mian problem with it is you have to lay it on top of your graphic to use it. Great is youre doing something a bit more robust than what I gather the ink-jetable transfers are. With a inexpensive pen style laser pointer for $10 and a $30 grid style beam splitter and a bit of work an easier way can be found. Im still looking into it on and off and when I get an answer on the price of the beam splitter, Ill post.


----------



## tcrowder (Apr 27, 2006)

hammered said:


> I just watched a video on this template. The mian problem with it is you have to lay it on top of your graphic to use it.


If you look a little closer to the video, you will see the template has feet on it. Thus the templete is not laying on the tranfrer paper but just above it. Looks like it worked pretty good to me, if you want to take the extra time per press.


----------



## mbevon (Feb 16, 2006)

*awesome tool*

This tools seems awesome, seems to worth 90 bucks.
What do u think?


----------



## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

Let me start off with that I am the inventor of Perfect Transfers Tool. I was recently notified by several people that have purchased this heat press alignment tool of this thread. I do not intend this post to break any self promotion rules of this message board, but feel it is necessary to clarify some things. I am usually very active on other message boards when I am not traveling doing trade shows (which I just returned from the SGIA Show in Las Vegas). This Tool has been tested by several companies (apparel decorators, distributors of heat applied graphics, manufacturers of heat press equipment and several other companies) and several changes have been made over the last 10 months since I brought this product to the market. This product has been written up in the August edition of Printwear Magazine. I am also open to any suggestions that any on this board or any other message board may have about this product. Feel free to email me directly 

The concept of this alignment tool is pretty simple and is not something that is recommended for using when doing larger runs. That is when you would use a laser targeting or alignment system. I have experience in using alignment tools in screen printing, embroidery, heat transfer and large format printing. The simple fact is that I brought my family into the heat transfer / dye sublimation business and could not afford to watch them put graphics on a shirt that could damage my name in the industry or my local area (of Orlando, FL). On the dye sub side of the business, every Vapor Apparel shirt cost me approximately $5.00 wholesale cost. That is a lot of money to lose if the graphic is placed on the shirt crooked. So, I used the same concepts / tricks I use and teach in other applications to create this Tool.

This Tool is a simple device that uses the only three things that we have to go by when doing heat applied graphics on t-shirts on a heat press - one collar and two sleeves. The challenge we have is that a large percentage of the shirt is off of the heat platten when you try to align the graphic. This Tool uses a 3-point registration technique that allows you to target your graphic based on the location of the collar and two sleeves. These are the only three reference points that the human eye has no matter whether the shirt is on a male or female... no matter the size. The features of the garment or shirt should dictate where you your graphic should be placed. If there are horizontal stripes on the shirt - make your graphic parallel to the horizontal stripes. If there are vertical stripes on the shirt - make your graphic perpendicular to the vertical stripes. If there is a pocket (which is crooked on the shirt the majority of the time) - align the graphic to the top of the pocket. These are the concepts that every apparel decorator should follow. If it is a plain or single color t-shirt, than go off of the collar and two sleeves.

In addition, I have had several questions as to how the Perfect Transfer Tool handles up to being near the heating element of the press. It is made out of polycarbonate material that I have been told has a heating temperature of 325 degrees F. I have tried to sublimate on this material (at temperatures of 390 degrees F) and it does NOT hold up. However, this tool is not intended to be in direct contact of the heating element. I have used this Tool under clamshell presses doing dye sub at 390 F and have not experienced any warping or distortion of the material. In some humid shops or areas (like Orlando), you might have condensation build up on the bottom of the tool. However, you should still be able to see the transfer paper or cad-cut vinyl through the condensation on the Tool. Otherwise, simple whip the back of the Tool off with a paper towel and you can continue using it. All the alignment guidelines are screen printed on the bottom side of the Tool using a durable ink made specifically for plastics. So, your hands are not in direct contact with the ink. The polycarbonate material is very durable and should not crack unless you purposely do something to it (i.e. try to bend it half or drop a 50 lbs weight on it).

This product was designed to solve a problem I personally had and that hundreds of other companies were experiencing. Again, if anyone has any comments or suggestions about this product (positive or negative) - please feel free to contact me directly. If someone wants to see the Tool in action first-hand, there is usually one at almost any trade show that is focused on apparel decoration (i.e. ISS Shows, Printwear Shows,…). I will also try to get anyone a free pass to the Exhibition Hall if they need one. Thanks for your time and I hope this post resolves any questions.

Sincerely,

Mark Bagley
Inventor of Perfect Transfers Tool


----------

