# I want my heat transfers to look like silk screens....what is the solution?



## lrfowler

My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


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## splathead

Get it actually silkscreened. Next closest is Direct To Garment. You won't get it with inkjet transfers.


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## into the T

a) joe is right
b) michael is very cross with you for your thievery of his brand and intellectual property


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## TABOB

lrfowler said:


> I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


My unicorn does not look real.
I want it to be white wild and have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.
What is the solution?


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## lrfowler

TABOB said:


> My unicorn does not look real.
> I want it to be white wild and have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.
> What is the solution?
> View attachment 272498


you need to glue it to the horse's head with epoxy glue.


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## ChuckTerry

lrfowler said:


> My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


It's just not possible... There are a few things you can do to inch closer, but you'll never be happy with it:

Trim around the design rather than just ironing on the whole sheet. This will remove the square outline.
Wash it a couple of times, then iron a second layer on top of the first print. This will give the rougher hand feel of screen printing.
After the design has cooled, you can try using the steam setting on your iron to blend any rough edges into the shirt. This doesn't work with all transfer papers, make sure to test it first.
For the black ink spots, Ironing them over and over after laundering will slowly make them fade to the fabric color. Pickup some 1/4" round from Lowe's and use it to target the smaller areas with your iron.
You could always... Order a premade screen. Pickup a squeegee and a pint of white water base ink. Screen print the shirt. Let the ink partially air cure, then heat press it to finish curing, or use an iron if you don't have a heat press.


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## splathead

ChuckTerry said:


> You could always... Order a premade screen. Pickup a squeegee and a pint of white water base ink. Screen print the shirt. Let the ink partially air cure, then heat press it to finish curing, or use an iron if you don't have a heat press.


Note these are instructions for water based inks. Plastisol inks will never air dry.


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## TABOB

lrfowler said:


> you need to glue it to the horse's head with epoxy glue.


That's a fair suggestion... You obviously have good sense of humor and I like that. 

Here is the closest possible option with transfers you can print yourself





The white toner option (multi-color transfers) require an expensive printer and special software.
The single color one is possible with a fairly cheap laser printer and a heat press.


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## webtrekker

How many colours are in your design? It may be worth your while researching plastisol transfers which will give you a screen-printed look (they are sceen printed, after all!). The only equipment you'll need is your heat press.


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## DrivingZiggy

lrfowler said:


> you need to glue it to the horse's head with epoxy glue.


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## bowens1174

lrfowler said:


> My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


I think the closest you can get is by making a png on transparent background and printing with white toner. You can get all the amazing gradients and detail with white toner, but you really have to work at it to get it to have a similar hand feel. I do white toner and I've gotta be honest, it will never be as good as screen printing. The design doesn't last as long (it will crack and peel over time) and the hand feel is much lighter but paper.


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## Manupcheer

lrfowler said:


> My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


You can use a digital Squeegee. Send me a message and the image [email protected]


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## Custom58

lrfowler said:


> My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


Check out Supa Colour .


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## nickattac

lrfowler said:


> My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


Well, ouch you got really attacked on this one.
Vinyl printer cutters are an option for transfers that have many colors and still show garment through. But, if your going for the texture and hand of plastisol, your options are plastisol. Direct to garment can get a nicer hand than most plastisol you get on the market. But, I've owned those machines and while cool, I hate the constant attention they require. Plus, parts are expensive as print heads are considered disposable and it really isn't fun replacing ink lines and pumps.


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## DollarSeed

lrfowler said:


> My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


Look into FMexpressions.com. They can create a full color screen printed heat transfer that has a soft feel, and will last for over 50 washes. The best part, is that you heat up your heat press to just 350 degrees F, and set the timer for just 7 seconds. I've just placed an order with them of a really large size, thanks to them giving me some samples to test their products. You'll love how easy they are to use, and how great they look. And the cost is comparable to the Opaque ones you are currently using.


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## [email protected]

lrfowler said:


> My t-shirts --- So I printed a Michael Jordan image flying in the air and dunking a basketball through the basketball hoop with the crowd cheering in the background. I used 3G Jet Opaque Inkjet Transfer paper onto a black t-shirt....I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WAS SILK SCREENED ONTO THE TSHIRT!!....right now it looks like an 11 x 15" piece of paper vinyl ironed onto the t-shirt...AND......I want some of the black from the transfer paper not to be printed onto the tshirt.............. what is the solution?


DTF is going to revolutionize the t-shirt industry. Looks just like DTG without the huge up front cost.


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## TABOB

[email protected] said:


> DTF is going to revolutionize the t-shirt industry. Looks just like DTG without the huge up front cost.


It does not look like DTG.
It looks like a lithographic transfer.

*The positive*: you can print just one copy.
*The negative*: 10 to 20 times more expensive than litho, when you print volume.


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## into the T

[email protected] said:


> DTF is going to revolutionize the t-shirt industry.


i don't think so

the process is too long and too involved
the machine needs constant babysitting and technical tinkering
the pixie dust lends an air of amateurishness that causes hesitation in professionals 

for these reasons i am out

a few people may hold on, but 'revolutionize' may be a slight exaggeration


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## TABOB

into the T said:


> the process is too long and too involved
> the machine needs constant babysitting and technical tinkering


This is for the desktop machines of course... Nightmare in my opinion.

Those wide format roll-to-roll printers are a good option for POD transfer print shops, and need pretty much the same maintenance as solvent inkjet printers.
Selling single A3 (11x17) sheets for $6 will compete with lithographic transfers, where you have to buy 50 identical sheets to get the same price.
Lithographic transfers still win in higher volumes. For example 100 prints for $3 each or 200 prints for $2.00


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## petridish

into the T said:


> i don't think so
> 
> the process is too long and too involved
> the machine needs constant babysitting and technical tinkering
> the pixie dust lends an air of amateurishness that causes hesitation in professionals
> 
> for these reasons i am out
> 
> a few people may hold on, but 'revolutionize' may be a slight exaggeration


you have a great point


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