# Sublimation transfer to tshirts



## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

I am new tothe world of sublimation and am highly confused. I baught an epson WF 1100 the bulk ink system and sublimation paper. My image comes out perfect on the paper however I simply cannot get it to transfer to the tshirt to save my life. I called the company I orderedthe paper from and he said all should be working out fine if I have the right tshirts andink...well I do yet when I lift my press there is still nothing on the tshirt...Ugh. Can someone please tell me what UI am doing wrong. Press at 400 degrees for 35/40 sec. Help!!!


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## dazzabling (Sep 21, 2011)

Are you using 100% polyester shirts and sublimation ink??
Sublimation requires 100% polyester shirts and right now the only sublimation ink is being sold by Sawgrass
having the paper isn't going to do you any good if the inks aren't sublimation ink and 100% polyester shirts


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

I spoke with the company who sold me the paper they said 50/50 shirts would work so that is what I went out and baught. I baught the trans magic flow sublimation ink system. Which man from paper company told me should work. I just attempted again and all I got was a yellow image on a white t-shirt...grrr


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## GordonM (May 21, 2012)

cindicam said:


> I just attempted again and all I got was a yellow image on a white t-shirt...grrr


That's pretty much what happens when the ink you're using is actually regular pigment or standard dye ink, and not sublimation ink. What does it say on the bottles or bags or whatever that the ink was shipped in?

Even with a 50/50 shirt, even with just bond printer paper, you should get more of a transfer than what you're getting, with the time and temperatures you're set at. So tomorrow first thing I'd call the people that sold you the inks and ask what's going on.

One *possibility* is if you prevously had the standard Epson cartidges in your printer, what you're seeing is the ink still in the printhead from those cartridges. You might do a couple more head cleanings to flush out a bit more of the old ink, so see if that improves things.

As you're using only 50/50 shirts, up the time to maybe 60-70 seconds. You can back it down if you start to see scorching.


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

Thank you GordonM I will call them in the morning. They better be what I thought I was paying for. I have probably cleaned the heads at least 20 times so far you would think if there was any in there from when they shipped the printer it would be gone by now. Thank you for your input.
This forum is great and I appreciate all the help I have received so far!!!


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

This kind of thing happens way to many times and reported on this forum.
Why don't folks ask questions first before buying junk.


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

I did plenty of research and spoke with the company before I baught it. Trial and error that is how people get better at things. Don't believe the product I baught is junk just maybe not what I thought I needed. However I did just look online and the ink I baught is sublimation ink so the problem must be else where.


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## Big City (Feb 23, 2012)

A couple of things that may or may not matter but its my 2 cents and some screw ups i've had.Number 1 are you printing on the right side of the paper and 2 we do our sub shirts at 1 min. but regardless the time you still should she some transfer of ink we do use mostly only poly shirts we have done a few designs on 50 50 to get a distressed look so your dealer did not lie to you about the shirts he just did not tell you the whole truth. With all that said you must have the wrong inks or some really crappy paper.As dazzabling said look at your ink does it say sawgrass if not you have the wrong ink.Good luck to you and remember with any new business you can never do to much research and this forum is a very good place to start with your research,a lot of people out there looking to take advantage of people that are not educated in this trade.You have already taken a good step being here and reading and posting keep it up.


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

Thanks Big City and yes I have done even more research and they did not send me the inkI requested over the phone so I am going to call them tomorrow. Looks like I will be buying a new printer plus some sawgrass ink...grrrrr they should give me a discount due to the darn confusion that has transpired here. I already have 3 printers whats one more huh? I have found sublimation ink online but I am gathering from the forum that sawgrass is the best right? SheeshI am looking at sites that sell it for $600...wow I thought the 275 i paid for this ink was high. Oh well gotta spend alot to make a little right? Again thank you and yes this forum has been much help as I am very new at this and need to make it work since there is no one in our area that can do tshirts for sports or the adaoring parents who watch their lil athlete fromt eh stands. Have a great day and I thank you for the advice...all of you!


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

Quick question Big City..if I order the proper ink tomorrow can I simply change the cartridges in my current printer...just do a lot of head cleaning to flush out old ink? Not sure if I wasnt to invest in another printer tomorrow as well.


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## Big City (Feb 23, 2012)

Cindi I am almost positive that you do not need a new printer What I recommend is walk away from were you made this purchase and get with a good supplier for sublimation you will need this anyways to buy blank products. Some that come to mind is johnsons plastics,coastal,conde,I'm sure there is others posted here on the forums also.If you call them in the morning they will tell you how to flush your printer out and then you can get your ink from them. As far as the ink sawgrass is the only ink you can use. Yes it does look expensive and every one can argue the cost of it depending on what your printing the actually cost of ink per substrate is not very expensive with the paper and ink for a 8 by 12 print I believe the cost is only about one dollar. So the ink goes a long ways.Then also you have to price your product right but that is a whole new thread.lol


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## GordonM (May 21, 2012)

It happens sometimes that they send the wrong ink. If you've already done 20 cleanings, you certainly don't need to do more. A couple should have done it.

If it's indeed pigment ink and not dye sub ink, and you have a CISS, it's a hassle and a mess to change it all to the proper ink. 

To test if what you have is sublimation ink, use an eye dropper to dab just a little bit of the black ink from the tank onto the coated side of your sublimation paper. This side will look brighter. Another way to make sure you've identified the coated side, wet your finger and thumb and squeeze at the corner of the paper. The side that's stickier is the coated side, and that's the side you should put the ink on.

Spread out the ink a bit, and let it dry thoroughly. Then press that onto your scrap 50/50 shirt, 75 seconds at 400 degrees F. You should end up with a pretty good transfer, at the least a good dark gray. If you still don't get much, what you have is simply not sublimation ink.

While you're waiting for your replacement ink, go to Joann's or other fabric store and buy a yard of 100% polyester white non-stretch non-shiny fabric. Don'y pay more than $6 a yard for it, as it's just for testing. Cut it up into squares, and use that instead of good 50/50 shirts. 

When you get around to sublimating actual apparel, you'll either want 100% polyester, or if you use 50/50 blend, you have to contend yourself with the faded, vintage, or distressed look that will occur. For some designs, it might be exactly what you want. But for others, your shirts won't keep a lot of color after the first wash.


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

Thanks very much guys i appreciate it. I was up early this morning doing some research and shopping online and I found ISTEXPRESS sublimation ink from Canada that seems to be a tad cheaper than sawgrass. As it probably has become apparent money is tight and trying to get started spending as little as i can at first. Not that it matters, but hurt at job can't work any more and don't want to be sitting around crippled and useless. So if anyone has any ideas about the ink I just mentioned I would greatly appreciate the input. After I get going and the orders come in i plan on switching to sawgrass as it does seem to be the best,but for now I need to watch what I spend so i can actually fill the orders people are throwing at me now.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.


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## sandhopper2 (Apr 26, 2010)

Cindi 
Please tell me more about the ink you have found , I could not find it with a bing search 
I started out with hi temp ink from Cobra ( not sold any more ) and I'm close to being out so I need to find a replacement 
I have thought about Gercutter but have not purchased yet 
Going to the ISS show Friday and will be looking for Sublimation stuff


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## GordonM (May 21, 2012)

If you're looking for less expensive Sawgrass ink, you can try eBay, where it's usually have the price. There are numerous sellers. Try to find one with a good reputation (not a lot of negative feedback). Be careful of listings where they are trying to sell ink that's about to expire, or already has expired. You don't need that hassle.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

sandhopper2 said:


> Cindi
> Please tell me more about the ink you have found , I could not find it with a bing search
> I started out with hi temp ink from Cobra ( not sold any more ) and I'm close to being out so I need to find a replacement
> I have thought about Gercutter but have not purchased yet
> Going to the ISS show Friday and will be looking for Sublimation stuff


Larry, check your PM inbox.


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

I did find the ITS EXPRESS ink on ebay the seller is isquaretek...hope I can put the name on here. If not i apologize. It appears it is not expired or nearing expiration, but i am going to do a lil more research before I waste any more money. 
Everyone has been a big help here and I appreciate all the advice and input. I am so excited about getting started but let me tell you it has been frustrating, but will be worth it in the end since i am the only business here who will be doing this at an affordable rice for local sports and businesses. So thank you for all the help!


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## akar (Jul 1, 2011)

Everything posted here is dead-on! Love this forum. I'll summarize some of the info here:
1. Use 100% poly shirts for bright, clean images.
2. You may want to buy a Ricoh printer (and deal with the headaches) if you're going to use Sawgrass inks (and deal with more headaches).
3. 50/50 shirts will have a faded look since the ink, when turned to gas, can only bond with the 50% that is poly.
4. If you're getting "yellowing" it could be too hot, too long of a dwell time or both.
Good luck and have fun!


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## Big City (Feb 23, 2012)

Gordonm 
Have you ever had good luck buying ink from eBay, I have never attempted is why I ask I am always a little Leary of eBay with that said I do see a lot of company's on there that are big name companies that we all have heard of before.


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

akar said:


> Everything posted here is dead-on! Love this forum. I'll summarize some of the info here:
> 1. Use 100% poly shirts for bright, clean images.
> 2. You may want to buy a Ricoh printer (and deal with the headaches) if you're going to use Sawgrass inks (and deal with more headaches).
> 3. 50/50 shirts will have a faded look since the ink, when turned to gas, can only bond with the 50% that is poly.
> ...


I few more points to consider.
Use only white or light colors 100% polyester

50/50 will print verty nice but will fade after washing, as you stated dye will only bond to the poly 50%

Set heater @ 400 degrees for 40 seconds.

Use kraft paper on top of your transfer to help with outgasing.

Figure the real cost of ink, paper, and your time with the kind of issues reported on this forum. TIME IS MONEY.

Do enough printing so your inkjet heads do not dry up.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

couple of comments...some people new to sublimation buy 'dye ink' which is NOT sublimation inks...next never do more than 2-3 head cleaning...do more in succession will create foam in your lines. Another problem with sort of off brand inks is the lack of a proper ICC profile..I have been doing sublimation for over 15 years....only once have I tried the 'other' sublimation inks...and was sorry I have stayed with sawgrass inks and paid the price...and just adjust my prices accordingly...my customers are happy, I am happy and my bank account is happy...If you use quality products you can charge more....as with any system one has to properly use and maintain equipment. I presently use Ricoh 3100 with gel sublimation ink...I don't need a large imprint as I have a cymk DTY for garments and presently only use sublimation on hard substrates...


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

Is it possible to do sublimation images on dark material ever? Looking into a screen printing machine as well so just curious about the shirt color thing. Thanks ahead of time!

Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using T-Shirt Forums


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

The simply answer is no, no darks.
Can oversize press and fake it. see attached.


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## jasonsmith (Mar 30, 2011)

skdave said:


> The simply answer is no, no darks.
> Can oversize press and fake it. see attached.


What brand shirts are those?


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

jasonsmith said:


> What brand shirts are those?


Monag. Feels like cotton


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

Those are really cool
Now how did u do that? Sorry new to this and trying to gain alleluia the knowledge I can.

Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using T-Shirt Forums


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

We use a large printer and a large press 40x64".
Thanks We offer them for a very low price. We print on monag shirts with almost no creases most of the time.​


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## Max Dos (Aug 28, 2010)

cindicam said:


> Is it possible to do sublimation images on dark material ever? Looking into a screen printing machine as well so just curious about the shirt color thing. Thanks ahead of time!
> 
> Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using T-Shirt Forums


Cindi, you could take a look at what we do. It will be available in a few days.


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## GregStarz (Jan 17, 2013)

You say you need to use 100% Poly what happens if you use 90% or 100% cotton? I always thought you wanted to use cotton for some reason (I'm new in this area fyi)


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## Max Dos (Aug 28, 2010)

Sublimation Ink only impregnates synthetic fibers, like polyester and others. It will wash off natural fibers like cotton.

If you use a 50/50 blend shirt, sub will only work on the poly fibers, giving you a faded look after one wash.


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## cindicam (Jan 3, 2013)

Thanks Max and everyone else looking forward to learning more from the rest of you pros here.


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