# What Materials Do I Need To Heat Press???



## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

Hello Everyone I'm New To All This Stuff..... What Are The Materials Needed To Heat Press A Design On A Shirt...any Help Is Greatly Appreciated


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

You will need:

- A heat press
- A shirt
- A transfer. This could be an inkjet transfer, a dye sub transfer, a plastisol transfer, a vinyl transfer, etc.

If you're doing inkjet or dye sub you'll need a printer and transfer paper.

If you're doing plastisol you just order the transfers from an outside company.

If you're doing vinyl you'll need a vinyl cutter.

If you post a sample of the kind of design you want to do, we can probably let you know what transfer method would be best for you.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

Well All I Wanna Do Is Be Able To Create My Own Designs And Put Them On A Shirt... But The Designs I Created Are Complicated And Can't Be Cut That Easily And Badalou Said That Theirs Is No Paper Out Their Compattible With The Roland Gx24...i Wanted To Buy Iron All Paper From Newmilfordphoto.com And Then Cut Out The Design On The Roland But Lou Told Me You Can't Do That Is He Right? Thanx Rolanda Your A Big Help


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

If you buy a mylar carrier sheet and put the paper on that you can cut it, but the only paper you can cut as is is two-ply opaque paper.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

Solmu i'm a little confused please go more into details with this...i have my machine i wanna use it already but i need to know exactly how to do it...thanx everyone for your support


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Joe,

Try this thread:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/vinyl-cutters-plotters-transfers/t7548.html


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

99.5% of what I've learnt about plotters (such as it is) I've learnt on these forums, so if you search/browse through previous threads in the vinyl and heat transfer sections you will find the information.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

thank you all for helping me but unfortunately i'm still confused so if i buy iron all paper does that mean i have to around my design, my designs are complicated and it will take forever to cut, theirs gotta be an easier way?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

skunk said:


> theirs gotta be an easier way?


There doesn't gotta be an easier way, and in this case there isn't.

There are different options (screenprinting, dye sublimation, plastisol transfers, learning to live with the box, cutting the basic outline and leaving the fiddlier bits), but not everything has an easy solution just because we wish it were so.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

so solmu your telling me that theirs no paper out there tha just transfers the ink? man i'm starting to think the t shirt business is not for me......dang y is this so hard or am i just making it hard


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

skunk said:


> so solmu your telling me that theirs no paper out there tha just transfers the ink?


There is dye sublimation, there is imageclip for laser printers, and there are plastisol transfers. So no, I'm not saying that. But there is no inkjet transfer paper that does that.



skunk said:


> dang y is this so hard or am i just making it hard


I think you're making it hard.


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

skunk said:


> so solmu your telling me that theirs no paper out there tha just transfers the ink?


That is correct.

You can use dye sublimation transfers, which will transfer only the ink, but you have to use polyester shirts for those.

You can do plastisol transfers, which can not be printed on a home printer, they have to be outsourced. There is no box with this kind of transfer.

If your designs are fairly simple and less than 3 colors, you can use vinyl and a vinyl cutter. Again, no box here.

There are a lot of options.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

what is dye sublimation? and what do you mean by polyester shirts?


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

skunk said:


> what is dye sublimation?


Lots of info here:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation

And here:

DyeSub.org - An educational site for dye sublimation and digital transfer printing.



skunk said:


> and what do you mean by polyester shirts?


I mean shirts that have a fiber content of 65% polyester or more. 100% poly for best results. As opposed to a regular t-shirt, which is usually 100% cotton.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

just a question for everyone out there what's better iron all heat transfer or vinyl transfer i just wanna know... and i think im gonna go with vinyl transfer because

a. my designs are only 1 color

b. the roland does all the cutting for me

c. i don't know yet

anyone think i'm wrong?


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Vinyl is ideal for most 1-color designs.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

hey rolanda i have a question for you, as you can see i'm new to this, can you print your own design on white vinyl?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

skunk said:


> hey rolanda i have a question for you, as you can see i'm new to this, can you print your own design on white vinyl?


You use a vinyl cutter (like a Roland Gx-24 from imprintables.com) and a roll of vinyl material to cut your design out of the vinyl. Then you take the cut vinyl in the shape of your design and press it to the shirt with a heat press.

Check this post out for more detail:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-crossover-diary-heat-press-newbie/t10363.html


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

Where is the best website to search for vinyl paper


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

skunk said:


> Where is the best website to search for vinyl paper


try contacting josh at imprintables.com and he should be able to help you out.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

*HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!*

All I Wanna Be Able To Do Is Transfer This On A Shirt Via Heat Press What Do I Need?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Hi Joe, I know you're trying to get help, but it makes it harder to give you the information you need if you start several different topics about the same question. We're here to help 

If you have a followup question, it's best to post it in your original thread to keep the answers consolidated and to see what's already been suggested to you that you may have tried.

I've merged this new topic with your existing topic.

Was there some specific part of the tips above that you didn't understand or need more help on. If you give us specifics about anything you clarification on, it will help us point you to an answer.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

What color shirt do you want to print that graphic on?


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

I understand Rodney And sorry to everyone else for clogging the site...i want to put that on a white shirt


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

skunk said:


> I understand Rodney And sorry to everyone else for clogging the site...i want to put that on a white shirt


To put it on a white t-shirt, you could do it two ways:

1) With an inkjet print and inkjet transfers for white shirts (ironall/jetflex/softfeel -- all the same paper under different names sold by different companies)

You would print the design on the inkjet transfer paper and then trim around the design with scissors. It doesn't have to be perfectly around the design, but close. Then you would press the printed transfer to the t-shirt with a heat press following the instructions you get when you get the paper.

You can buy ironall paper from newmilfordphoto.com . Jetflex is at imprintables.com (you can get free samples from Josh here) Softfeel is at coastalbusiness.com (they offer a discount for forum members)

2) You would outsource the printing of the transfers to a "plastisol transfer" printer who would send you sheets of transfer paper already printed with your design ready to go and press to shirts. This has a better quality than an inkjet transfers because they are made with screen printing inks. You can't print them yourself, but they can still be applied with a heat press. If you plan on selling a lot of that particular design, plastisol transfers would be best. You can get them in all sorts of quantities (starting at around jus 6-10 sheets printed with your design).

Here's my review of a few different transfer makers:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-crossover-diary-heat-press-newbie/t13454.html

Here's where you can get some plastisol transfers printed:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t4095.html


Let me know if that helps at all or if you have more questions


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

it helped alot thank you rodney imma call you the godfather of shirts..lol..hey one more question if i don't cut perfectly around with scissors wouldn't it transfer some white background to the shirt? i wanna be able to just put the design on the shirt? i was thinking of buying a roland gx24 cutter to make it easier do you think it would be a waste of money? and what type of paper could be used with the roland gx24?sorry if i'm bugging you too much...but thanx alot for your help


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

skunk said:


> hey one more question if i don't cut perfectly around with scissors wouldn't it transfer some white background to the shirt? i wanna be able to just put the design on the shirt?


Inkjet transfers for light colors (Iron All, etc) do not have a white box around the design. They just have a clear "window", which you can see in a box shape if you don't cut it out.

So you don't need to cut exactly on the edge of the design, just within 1/8 inch should be fine.



skunk said:


> i was thinking of buying a roland gx24 cutter to make it easier do you think it would be a waste of money? and what type of paper could be used with the roland gx24?sorry if i'm bugging you too much...but thanx alot for your help


Vinyl cutters use rolls of t-shirt vinyl, not paper.


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

rasonda you are my hero...no joke....that's the answer i was looking for, so ironall paper is clear right? so if i cut within an eigth of an inch i'm good...thank you so much jasonda your the best..


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Here are some pictures that should help you see how ironall looks on white shirts:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t13277.html#post86746
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t10116.html#post67653
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t10116.html#post67755
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t13233.html#post85132


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

one more question for you guys? let's say for example i want to heat press the letters IRON ALL, do i have to cut the letters out individually and try to align them before i press or could i just cut out a rectangular shape around the letters?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

skunk said:


> one more question for you guys? let's say for example i want to heat press the letters IRON ALL, do i have to cut the letters out individually and try to align them before i press or could i just cut out a rectangular shape around the letters?


You can cut a rectangle around the letters (not invididual). 

It's best for you to get some free sample paper from the link above and test it out. That will answer a lot of your questions with first hand experience 

Then you can report back to us which method works better, cutting individual letters or just cutting a rectangle around the whole word


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## skunk (Feb 26, 2007)

hey rodney if i just cut out a rectangle around the lettes wouldn't it show a white background on the tee since it isn't perfectly cut?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

skunk said:


> hey rodney if i just cut out a rectangle around the lettes wouldn't it show a white background on the tee since it isn't perfectly cut?


It won't be "white", since the transfer paper is clear. Howeverl, it might show a slight bit of transparent transfer paper in between the letters. 

This is very minimal, but once you get some samples and test it, you'll be able to see if it has the look you're going for or not, or if you want to go a different route like plastisol transfers.


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## bobby c (Mar 5, 2015)

can anyone tell me were to find the basic instructions on doing heat transfer as well as supplys neede to do them ?


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