# Ink where it whould not be?



## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

Hi everyone.
I need help with a problem I am having on my softlink shirts

I do not know if it is the shirts or what

I printed a full size image and placed on a shirt, the image was light colored on the edges, but when we pressed the shirts there are what appears to be DARK ink dots around the edges and on the shirts.

What could be casuing this problem?
I have did 4 shirts Same thing on each.
I moved the heat back to 50 seconds which I have never had to do before.

Is it the shirts or something else?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

Sorry about the spelling
I am outside at a car show and had my sunglasses on.

I tried to edit but I must be doing it wrong.

Thanks again


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## renwick (May 16, 2006)

i had the same prob once and it was my teflon sheet.the smallest amount of dye on it and it will come out on to the shirt.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

I posted somewhere else but thought you might be able to help

I am getting what appears to be DARK ink drops when I did 4 shirts today. They were not on the paper and the image edges were light colors so I am not sure where these dots are coming from

We are using softlink shirts and rolled them with lint roller as told to do

I have never had this problem before

Does anyone know what this might be. I hate to keep ruing shirts and these prices.

Any help is welcomed
Thanks so much


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## mzmadmax (Nov 16, 2006)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

It sounds like maybe the same problem I was experiencing. I was told that it is from carpet fibers that settle on the t-shirts and reacts to the heat when pressed. 

The best solution is to move the press to an area of the house or shop that is not carpeted. Barring that, lint brush the heck out of the shirt before pressing. Also store the blank shirts in containers with lids. 

Edit:

I forgot to add that the fibers can come from furniture as well. So avoid laying the softlink blanks across fabric couches and chairs.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*



martinwoods said:


> I posted somewhere else but thought you might be able to help
> 
> I am getting what appears to be DARK ink drops when I did 4 shirts today. They were not on the paper and the image edges were light colors so I am not sure where these dots are coming from


I've never experienced this. Could you possibly post a picture? Are the dots in the same place on the shirt every time, or random? Could it be something on your top heat platen? Do you use ProSpray?


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## jberte (Mar 25, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

i've had this happen a LOT with softlinks......i called my supplier the first time it happened and they tried the carpet, upholstered furniture, yada yada yada with me too......the only problem is that i work in a room with NO carpet, NO upholstery - i lint rolled the stuffings outta the shirts before they were pressed - and oh yeah, and since this is also the room with my printers, it's swept and damp mopped every day of life.......and still i get the dreaded blue squiggles  it's completely random and will vary from shirt to shirt - some none at all - some completely unusable - and everything inbetween. i swear it's something in the manufacturing process, but hanes ain't fessin' up if that's the case! i've learned over time to buy extras......


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

Wow, that's good to know. I've never used the Hanes. I always use the Vapor Basic white T's. They are about the same price, and I've never experienced anything like that.


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## mzmadmax (Nov 16, 2006)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

It's a very frustrating problem, especially since it happens sporadically. I have been considering switching to Vapor Apparel after I exhaust my current supply of Hanes Softlinks. The only problem is, I don't like that Vapor Apparel requires you to buy the shirts in lots of identical six.


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## Eastdsm (Mar 10, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

mz,
At conde.com you don't have to buy in lots of 6.

Matter of fact, I ordered like 1 of everything they offer so I could see them. VERY impressed with sublimation quality, the feel feels like 100% cotton, DECENT amount of colors available.


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## mzmadmax (Nov 16, 2006)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

Eastdsm,

THANK YOU!!! That solves my dilemma. I will be placing an order this week.


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## Eastdsm (Mar 10, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

Glad to hear that  . Also I really liked their tan ringer T's too if you are looking at trying something new. I was able to put a green design on the tan ringer T pretty effectively. Also they have an orange color that is kind of neat too. Lots of womens clothes too.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*



Eastdsm said:


> Glad to hear that  . Also I really liked their tan ringer T's too if you are looking at trying something new. I was able to put a green design on the tan ringer T pretty effectively. Also they have an orange color that is kind of neat too. Lots of womens clothes too.


Good evening
I have never done anything but white , but this sounds pretty cool

My question is if doing it on a tan or blue shirt will you have an outline where the paper is like on a tranfer.

I love the way sublimation feels and just would not want an outline if doing something other than a white t-shirt

Thanks


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## Eastdsm (Mar 10, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

Yes you will have the same lines no matter the color. I don't think it's any more or less noticeable on the colored shirts versus the white shirt, though.



martinwoods said:


> Good evening
> I have never done anything but white , but this sounds pretty cool
> 
> My question is if doing it on a tan or blue shirt will you have an outline where the paper is like on a tranfer.
> ...


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*



martinwoods said:


> My question is if doing it on a tan or blue shirt will you have an outline where the paper is like on a tranfer.
> 
> I love the way sublimation feels and just would not want an outline if doing something other than a white t-shirt


No, there will not be an outline like on an inkjet transfer. Only the ink transfers in sublimation, regardless of what color the shirt is.

Now you may have some paper lines from the heat press if the edges of the paper are pressed into the shirt, but those can be avoided by using either the teflon pillows or the Vapor foam kit.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

Thanks so much

I am still trying to work with Conde to find out where the ink drops are coming from when I press.

Thanks again


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*



mzmadmax said:


> It's a very frustrating problem, especially since it happens sporadically. I have been considering switching to Vapor Apparel after I exhaust my current supply of Hanes Softlinks. The only problem is, I don't like that Vapor Apparel requires you to buy the shirts in lots of identical six.


You need a new supplier . Vapor does not require people to buy 6 each, its your supplier. I get mine from the Paper Ranch, and you can buy any number you want of any size from them. BestBlanks is the only company I've seen that requires you to buy 6 of each size. BestBlanks is one of the worst companies I've ever dealt with in my life, horrible customer service, and do not follow through on their promises, and then take your money and leave you with nothing . Ok, off track , find a supplier that doesn't punish you for breaking the 6-packs. The Paper Ranch is a very good one with GREAT customer service.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*



Eastdsm said:


> mz,
> At conde.com you don't have to buy in lots of 6.


Yes, Conde also has very good customer service. I use the Vapor ringers and BackCountry styles all the time. They are great.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

*Re: sublimation pressing headaches*

I pressed another shirt last night. Same problem. It is not in the shirt so I am not sure where it is coming from. I know about the dots on the softlinks, they come from the manufacturer because they produce blue baby blankets in the same facility. That is why there are blue specs if you do not lint roll the shirt first.

There is nothing on the paper when I go to press but then I get INK dots around the corners where the paper was. But the colors of ink are not the colors of ink that are on the outer edges of the paper. Just does not make any sense

Any ideas?


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## jberte (Mar 25, 2007)

are you using a teflon sheet over the shirt? is there old ink residue on it.......or perhaps on your top platen if you're not using a sheet......?? or perhaps it's something with the paper - have you tried trimming around your printed image?


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

jberte said:


> are you using a teflon sheet over the shirt? is there old ink residue on it.......or perhaps on your top platen if you're not using a sheet......?? or perhaps it's something with the paper - have you tried trimming around your printed image?


 
I did use a teflon sheet, (clean) but conde said to try using craft paper instead so I used a new sheet of that. Same problem. I did not trim the edges but I do not see why that would help with the ink dots I am getting around the image. There are none when I go to press and then there they are after I am done pressing

I have a Brother also and do not have a problem with ink on those shirts, only the transfers from the sublimation

I don't get it.


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## sean (Sep 3, 2007)

Hello,
Did you ever determine what was causing the "blue squiggles" in the Vapor shirts? We've been through the same steps & have tried everything but every so often they just 'appear' in a shirt after pressing. It really seems to be some stray fibers as heavy rolling afterwards will remove the bulk of it though we did roll them thoroughly before pressing.


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## gorgall (Feb 21, 2006)

Black dots could be coming from excess ink on the "pizza wheels" on your printer, quite often you don't see them before pressing because the wheel pushes it into the paper and it only comes out when you heat it.
Try raising your printer head, seems to work for most people.

Gordon


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## sean (Sep 3, 2007)

Thanks I'll look at that! These appear more as 'blue squiggles' than black dots. Based on what I've read here and our attempts to eliminate it I'm leaning towards the theory we are tracking fibers from a blue carpet near our work area via static, probably more so on dry days. Will post here if that fixes it.
Kind regards,
Sean


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## vkbrown (Aug 5, 2007)

I've had blue spots on every soft link shirt I've printed over the last few years. Our vendor says it's just the nature of the shirts...something in the manufacturing process. It seems we're all getting different explanations. I don't have blue spots on the Vapor Apparel. This makes the choice easy for me...no more soft link.

Also, I get paper marks on every shirt and I use a teflon pillow...too much pressure perhaps? They do wash out eventually. 

My son has two of the Vapor Apparel ringers and loves them! They're about two years old and look as good as the day they were printed and trust me...they've been washed and worn alot over a two year span.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

vkbrown said:


> Also, I get paper marks on every shirt and I use a teflon pillow...too much pressure perhaps? They do wash out eventually.


You cannot reduce the pressure enough to eliminate paper lines. The only way to eliminate them is the use a paper size bigger than your teflon pillow so the paper edges hang over the edge of the pillow.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

gorgall said:


> Black dots could be coming from excess ink on the "pizza wheels" on your printer, quite often you don't see them before pressing because the wheel pushes it into the paper and it only comes out when you heat it.
> Try raising your printer head, seems to work for most people.
> 
> Gordon


I'm having this problem with my. It seems the "pizza wheels" are leaving little ink dots in a line trailing the printed areas. Is there any way to fix this? Or is the printer just shot?

The only solution right now is to scrape the paper with an Xacto knife until the ink dots are gone. This is a real pain.

How do you raise your printer head?


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## gorgall (Feb 21, 2006)

On the 1290/80 under the lid the is a lever on the right with positions marked 0 and + ,move it to the + position, other printers should have something similar, not sure of the locations though.

Gordon


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

I have the R1800. Anybody know if and how you can raise the print head on it?


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## BigBear (Aug 15, 2007)

Greetings Kathleen,

Your story actually goes back further. The dreaded "blue specs and spots" have been around since SoftL'ink shirts began. Unfortunately, sometimes a lint roller works and sometimes it doesn't. Since the blue stuff cannot be seen until it is heated I still haven't decided if the roller is effective.


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## vkbrown (Aug 5, 2007)

Hi Jack!

Given the fact that almost everyone who prints on these particular shirts has had a problem at one time or another. And the fact that we all print in different environments. It almost has to be a problem in the manufacturing process. Especially since the squiggles don't show up until heat is applied. 

I do think that using the lint roller helps somewhat. I've tried printing both ways...lint roller...no lint roller, and it appears that I have fewer blue spots on the lint rolled shirts. 

Other than the blue spots, I really like the shirts. They're so soft and the image prints beautifully.


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