
First and foremost, 3 things to remember at all times: 1. Test sheets are an ABSOLUTE MUST! : Before you start your main project, you must first cut out / make tiny 2cm x 2cm test transfer samples and try transferring those to identify the best temperatures and times to use with your equipment. Start from low temperatures (~100 degrees Celsius) and shorter heating times (10 seconds) and increase the temperature and heating time gradually till these test samples transfer properly. You can for example, print/transfer tiny name tags onto shirts or spare rag cloths
or tissue paper first until you get the best temperature and time configuration, or you will risk ruining a lot of material and wasting a lot of transfer paper. If you are printing to Expensive fabrics and materials and don't have material to do test sheets on, you can try doing a test transfer on the inner sides of the garment or where mistakes will not be visible, eg: transferring to an expensive shirt turned inside-out; and if it fails, you should not use this transfer paper with that material or you might ruin it. Also note that if the temperature is too cold, your transfer won't stick, and if its too hot, it won't stick properly due to excessive melting, chemical breakdown and evaporation etc...
Repairing or Rescuing Failed, Damaged, and Flaking (peeling) Transfers: If your transfer is peeling / flaking off after the wash, just cover it with a wax sheet which should be included with your order, and iron it again at maximum temperature using stronger pressure than before. Alternatively, if your transfer has failed, torn or has been physically damaged or eroded, you can repair it using opaque transfer paper. In the event of damage and severe peeling over time, simply re-create (re-print) the image using these opaque transfers, and repeat the transfer process right over the failed / damaged transfer (basically cover it). Opaque transfers can be layered and stacked; this means you can iron a transfer on top of an existing transfer attempt - This is extremely useful for repairs. Since the new transfer comes with a white background, the old previous transfer is basically covered up/obscured by the new transfer image placed on top of it. Therefore, the new transfer will be the only one visible. In otherwords, if a T-shirt transfer fails or suffers damage over time, don't throw out the T-shirt!. Just reprint the transfer (or just a section of the original image that is damaged), place it over the existing failed transfer or damaged section, cover it with wax paper and iron it as before. Let it cool down first and then peel off the wax paper, which should leave you with an even stronger transfer looking pretty much as good as new! This is useful if you wish to create raised texture effects. Secret Method for Superior long life and unparalleled durability that is totally unmatched by other transfers on the market: This method works on both our Opaque and Transparent transfers. Note: This step requires Transparent iron-on transfer paper which is sold separately. Transparent transfers are needed for because they are see-through. As mentioned earlier, our transfers are stackable. This means, you can take a blank sheet/piece of transparent transfer paper and iron it over your existing transfer. This creates a thick permanent layer of transparent coating over your transfer which shields and protects your existing transfer from any damage. With this extra layer, your transfer is several times stronger than normal, extremely waterproof, and very scratch resistant. The more layers you add, the more ridiculously strong the transfer becomes! Just how strong is it? We used the sharp end of scissors to scratch a transfer double coated using this technique. Not a single bit of the ink had come off after 20 moderate 90 degree scratches using the sharp tip of our scissors. That's far better than some commercial factory transfers we have come across from major brands! You can even decide the desired surface texture based on the type of transfer paper used (matte/ gloss). Most customers prefer the matte transfers to do this extra layer as it results in a very natural look. (It is also easy to apply- at least when used over existing transfers due to the chemical bonds). You can also add images and text with each layer at your discretion. Improving the Appearance of the Transfer / Adding Texture / Removing Bubbles: Transferring the Image: HAND IRONING: The iron should be preheated to the hottest setting and be completely emptied of water and set to the dry setting. Iron the shirt to remove any wrinkles and excess moisture. Iron on a safe hard surface like a counter top. Do not iron on a wood, glass or metal surface. Place the transfer face down on the garment. Iron, using the heaviest pressure, in straight lines vertically and horizontally over the entire image. Make sure to overlap the edges. Obviously, iron each section of the paper evenly. Don't iron one part more than the rest. The Fabric should cool completely and then the excess paper that isn't part of the transfer should be peeled away using an even motion. Each part of the transfer paper should be exposed to the heat for around 30 seconds, but you must utilize trial and error for determining both the pressure and exposure times. Ironing times may therefore vary from as little as 10 seconds to 1 minute for any section of transfer paper. HEAT PRESS: Set the heat press to 340 - 350 degrees Farenheight (around 170 degrees Celsius). Prepress fabric for a few seconds to remove wrinkles and excess moisture. Allow the garment to cool. Place the transfer face down on the garment. Using medium pressure, press for 20 seconds. The transfer paper can be removed while hot or you can allow the transfer to cool before removing paper in an even motion. A hot peel will leave a brighter initial image and a Matte finish. The cold peel with leave a heavier layer of coating over the image which can lead to a better durability. Washing the completed garment / fabric after the transfer: It is recommended that you wait at least 24 hours prior to washing the fabric/garment for the first time after the transfer. For the initial wash, turn the garment inside out and wash seperately in cool water. Immediately remove the garment from the washer and put in the dryer at a warm setting. If left wet in washer, the inks may bleed. This bleeding will end after a couple of washes and may not even occur with pigmented inks. NEVER use bleach. To iron the shirt, do not put iron directly onto the transferred area. Storage of unused paper : You can store paper that has images/text printed on it for some time before you transfer it to the fabric. Just ensure that the paper doesn't get damaged by water/moisture/sunlight etc) in storage prior to transferring to the fabric. We recommend printing within 72 hours because thats the longest we've waited to make a transfer after drawing an image on it, and it still works fine. The time interval though, varies based on the type of ink you use to create your image on the transfer paper, ie: how the ink interacts with the paper before it is printed. Many factors influence shelf life after the image has been created on the paper. It should be able to be kept for weeks on end but we cannot officially recommend it because we havn't tried it yet for such a long period of time. Return unused portion
of paper to a sealed airtight bag or container with as little air, water
and moisture in it as possible. Keep the unused paper or portions in a
cool dry environment away from heating and cooling sources, and also UV radiation
such as the sun. Bent / warped paper may be flattened under a stack of books overnight (or by other methods that you can think of, except heat irons.) |
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