# Heat Press Marks



## TxZone (Jun 12, 2007)

Hi 
I am a screen printer and have just started using heat presses with my own plastisol transfers. However, I am seeing a very visible line from the heating element on both my cap and flatbed press. It makes the pressed area look a lot lighter than the rest of the garment. I have tried all levels of pressure adjustment but it makes no difference. I am using a parchment paper to cover the transfer and was wondering if a teflon sheet would make any difference. Is this normal, and will this area return to normal after washing? Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks.


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## jmj (Feb 24, 2008)

This is normal on colored shirts. It should go away after the shirts have cooled, or after washing. Red is the worst. I never use anything on top of my transfer (unless it calls for it) after about 30min the press mark is gone.


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## TxZone (Jun 12, 2007)

jmj said:


> This is normal on colored shirts. It should go away after the shirts have cooled, or after washing. Red is the worst. I never use anything on top of my transfer (unless it calls for it) after about 30min the press mark is gone.


Hi Melinda
Thanks for the reply. I have actually just washed a shirt and the marks are still there. It is a 50/50 PolyCotton work shirt, but the marks are still visible. Any thoughts? Cheers


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## mattschoch (Mar 18, 2008)

you might be burning the shirt, try turning the temp down and using a teflon sheet to cover it.


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## TxZone (Jun 12, 2007)

mattschoch said:


> you might be burning the shirt, try turning the temp down and using a teflon sheet to cover it.


Hi.. definately not burning the shirt. It is not a scorch mark. The temp is set at 180C (356F) and I have tried pressing with a medium pressure for 5 secs, and the marks remain. The temp cannot really go much lower as the ink requires a temp of 170C to cure properly. I did consider the teflon sheet, but the previous replier says that is not necessary. Any thoughts regarding pressure? Thanks for the help.


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## jmj (Feb 24, 2008)

I do not use 50/50 so I guess I can not help solve your problem. Try using the teflon sheet to see if that helps. You said 50/50 work shirt, exactly what brand of shirt, if it's not a typical t-shirt then maybe there is something in the material that does not like high heat.


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## maXmood (Oct 9, 2008)

i'm not a pro, but i think most probably its the material of the t-shirt itself.. try using a different t-shirt brand/material from different companies and see how it goes.


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## 90chevytruck (Aug 24, 2007)

I used to get that alot. I started using a mouse pad to raise the area that is being pressed and using a teflon sheet and it worked for me. 

I think it worked because if there is any discoloration it would be under the printed smaller area rather than the whole square of the heat press.


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## TxZone (Jun 12, 2007)

Hi guys
Thanks for the advice. I have discovered that turning the shirt inside out after having made the transfer and then giving it a quick going over with a steam iron removes any marks completely. 
I will definately try rasing the area on the lower platen to just the size of the transfer with a mouse pad, sounds like a good idea to keep the area as small as possible. Cheers.


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## PressForProfit (Jun 11, 2008)

TxZone said:


> ...However, I am seeing a very visible line from the heating element on both my cap and flatbed press. It makes the pressed area look a lot lighter than the rest of the garment. I have tried all levels of pressure adjustment but it makes no difference. I am using a parchment paper to cover the transfer and was wondering if a teflon sheet would make any difference. Is this normal, and will this area return to normal after washing? Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks.


First, check your heat press to make sure the temperature is not hotter than the display shows. This will eliminate the possibility that you are browning/burning the tshirt.

The 2nd solution is a lineless transfer kit. It raises the shirt off the silicone rubber bed of the heat press. This will greatly eliminate the lines created by the heat platen creasing the shirt against the original bottom rubber pad.

[media]http://www.bestblanks.com/media/LineLessTransferKit.jpg[/media]


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## dam_universe (Jul 22, 2008)

i have the same problem.... i am printing on polyester soccer jerseys... hopefully your trick will work... thanks.


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