# Can you really do black shirts with plastisol transfers?



## patrioticflags (Sep 2, 2012)

I used to do screen printing. It was a mess and was destroying my house. Before that I had stuff made at a local shop. Now I have an embroidery machine and do everything made to order with no mess.

I want to bring back some of my old designs (at least two of which are now being copied by other people), and this looks like it could be the perfect solution.

I used to do a lot of single color prints on dark shirts. I used high density union ink.

Do plastisol transfers really work on black shirts. I see that companies are advertising them, but I haven't really found any pictures of finished products. I also see that companies are advertising foil printing plastisol transfers. Does that really work? Can you do a plastisol transfer and then put a foil print transfer on top of it?

thanks,


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## ole Jobe (Jun 16, 2009)

A plastisol transfer wil actually give gette coveage than direct print. Yes, you can put foil on almost anything. God Bless.


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## patrioticflags (Sep 2, 2012)

ole Jobe said:


> A plastisol transfer wil actually give gette coveage than direct print. Yes, you can put foil on almost anything. God Bless.


Did you mean to say "greater" ?

Also, is there any kind of "window." I've looked at all the types of sublimation over the years and was always turned off by the presence of a "window" around the print on the shirt.

I remember hearing at screen printed transfers back when I took a class on screen printing. I guess I never believed that it actually would work very well. 

If your doing a black shirt, does the plastisol transfer need a white base?


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

I have been using plastisol transfers on tees for 35+ years......And yes you can do plastisol transfers on black....As far as an under base, yes many colours will require an under base...Most suppliers will tell you which colours require an under base....Here is a guide from Semo Imprints...SEMO Imprints - artwork


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## patrioticflags (Sep 2, 2012)

royster13 said:


> I have been using plastisol transfers on tees for 35+ years......And yes you can do plastisol transfers on black....As far as an under base, yes many colours will require an under base...Most suppliers will tell you which colours require an under base....Here is a guide from Semo Imprints...SEMO Imprints - artwork


I've been looking at several websites, including SEMO. They have the most attractive deal for 7'x12' and 10'x12'. Looks like they can get the price down by using very large screens and putting multiple prints on each page they send you. 10'x12' would be big enough for a lot of the stuff I used to do. Fortunately, I still have all my old .AI files saved.

Do I need an air press? Will the hotronix auto-clam suffice? I'd prefer not to spend more than a $1,000 on a heat press if possible. However, I also don't want to start so cheap I end up buying it twice.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

Lately most of my transfers have been the 15 cent ones from F&M Expressions....Heat Transfers | F&M Expressions | Custom Heat Transfers FM also offers a 12 3/4 x 19 gang sheet....As far a larger sheets, Dowling Graphics will do up to 23 1/2 x 35 gang sheets....

As far as a press, I use a Geo Knight DK20 most often but also have a couple Hix presses.....They all work well...Your choice of a Hotronics Auto clam will be just fine....

This section of the forum has lot on past posts about suppliers, tips, problems, successes, etc. And I think it is a must read to bring you up to speed....


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## ole Jobe (Jun 16, 2009)

Whatever heat press you get, just be sure to get a swing-away. A lot easier to load and saves a lot of burned knuckles. My original post should have said "better coverage".
I don't type much any more.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

Swing Away presses have some fans, but not me......All 3 presses I own are clam shell presses...When you are at at event where space is limited, a swing away press takes up valuable space.... I like the Geo Knight presses because they seem to open wider than most presses...


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

patrioticflags said:


> I remember hearing at screen printed transfers back when I took a class on screen printing. I guess I never believed that it actually would work very well.
> 
> If your doing a black shirt, does the plastisol transfer need a white base?


You've seen screenprinting, transfers look virtually identical depending upon the maker. The ones I've bought from Semo are nearly indistinguishable from direct, the ones from F&M have an almost vinyl appearance that goes away after a wash or two. Transfers cover much better than direct screenprinting because you get a very even, smooth coat that doesn't get pushed as far into the fibers. Underbase will depend on the color, e.g. white no, orange yes.


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## patrioticflags (Sep 2, 2012)

I was at the SSI show in Atlanta today and talked with people from Versatrans, FM, and Transfer Express.

Transfer Express had the best booth and were actually giving people a free shirt and transfer. They had a Stalh's hotronix.

I definitely see what you mean. The hotronix doesn't open very wide at all. The way they told me to load the shirt, your hands come dangerously close. I end making the transfer pretty crooked, in part because I was so afraid of burning my hands.

There were hotronix heat presses everywhere at the show. I didn't see any Geo Knights. But I just watched the video on their website and there is a big difference. I also like the fact that it's designed to have the shirts loaded screen press style. I'd probably be better at that since I used to screen print.

After a lot of internet searching. The Geo Knights appear to be the only presses with all the same features and warranty. I think i'm going with Geo Knight. I just wish Geo Knight had been at the show, so i could get a special show price. Transfer Express is offering a pretty good show price on the hotronix.

I also like the looks of the Geo Knight caddy better than the hotronix one. 



royster13 said:


> Swing Away presses have some fans, but not me......All 3 presses I own are clam shell presses...When you are at at event where space is limited, a swing away press takes up valuable space.... I like the Geo Knight presses because they seem to open wider than most presses...


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

I'm actually wearing a black shirt right now with a plastisol transfer pressed onto it! That's what made me open this thread.

I have had both Hotronix and Geo Knight and prefer my Hotronix. The footprint is way smaller and it's not as huge and bulky, which would probably be why you see so many of them at conventions and so few Geo Knights. I had no place to put the Geo Knight so I sold it within a few days. (I had bought it used.) I have my Hotronix 16x20 on a standard desk. Actually, I have 3 Hotronix presses on one desk. A 16x20, a 16x16, and a cap press. And I've never burned my knuckles on the regular heat presses. I actually hit my knuckles on the cap press yesterday for the very first time because I was trying to make myself a hat before going to pick my girls up from school and was careless and not paying attention to what I was doing!


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## patrioticflags (Sep 2, 2012)

If you use a hotronix with the caddie can you thread the shirt over the platen like on a screen printing press?


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

patrioticflags said:


> If you use a hotronix with the caddie can you thread the shirt over the platen like on a screen printing press?


Yes. That's my whole answer but the forum wants more characters so here they are.


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## patrioticflags (Sep 2, 2012)

DivineBling said:


> Yes. That's my whole answer but the forum wants more characters so here they are.


Thanks, I also just found this video on transfer express. I really like the looks of this.

This video is from Transfer Express. Now that I see the hotronix with the caddie in action, I like it better. The shirt hangs on the platen exactly like with a screen printing press. 






They told me I could call Monday and still get the show price. The show price is you basically get $350 worth of extras with the press. So it would offset the cost of buying the caddie with it.


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

Yes i'm interested in the caddie too


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## patrioticflags (Sep 2, 2012)

valleyboy_1 said:


> Yes i'm interested in the caddie too


I now have a 16"x20" Hotronix and the caddie. The caddie makes it WAY easier for me since I already had experience loading shirts onto a screen printing press. I can line up the print with the shirt much easier.


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

how's that set up working out for you pflags? Would you consider this set up for production runs? I plan to do 100-150 shirts. Do you think this is suitable or should I go with a air compressor press? Something like the Hix 880D?? The air fusion from the video just seems slow, and i'm not really feeling the swing style presses.


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