How To Make Digital Heat Transfers

Screen press oestrus transfers can seem daunting just in reality, it's fairly simple. If made properly, plastisol estrus transfers can concluding nigh as long equally a standard screen print and can exist much easier to utilise in certain scenarios like decorating hats, neck labels, names for sport dress, and more.

Allow'southward walk through the bones components and process of screen press your own heat transfers.

THE TRANSFER PAPER

The kickoff footstep y'all're going to do is run the transfer paper through a conveyor dryer. Paper absorbs wet from the air. The transfer paper needs to be dry so it doesn't interfere with the ink. Don't go the paper too hot or you'll get ripples on the newspaper. For multicolor heat transfers, flat, stable transfer paper is a must.

LEARN HOW TO SCREEN PRINT MULTI-Colour PLASTISOL Heat TRANSFERS

Printing

In the video, print expert Colin Huggins is printing a 1-color heat transfer. He prints with white FN-INK™ and uses a 157 thin thread screen.

You lot exercise not want to push on the squeegee too difficult. If you lot push as well difficult, the ink will seep out the sides of the stencil. You need to put but enough pressure to clear the ink through the screen while maintaining abrupt, clean edges on the print. This is probably the nigh important takeaway you should take from this video.

You also need to exist careful about avoiding printing a stencil that's besides tall. If it'south too tall, the ink will smush when it's heat pressed. To command the ink deposit, you'll have to do some trial-and-error. Play around with mesh count and how thick yous coat the screen.

Larn HOW TO CHOOSE THE Right MESH COUNT FOR THE JOB

THE ADHESION Pulverization

To glaze the transfers with the adhesion pulverisation, yous'll first need a container to hold the powder. Colin uses a simple plastic storage box for this purpose.

Fill the box with a good amount of the powder. Dip the paper into the box and run the powder over the ink a few times. When it's completely covered, moving-picture show the paper to dust off any extra powder.

Pro Tip: Your fingers have oils, which tin can transfer onto the newspaper. Wear gloves to avoid that issue.

Once all the transfers are covered with the adhesion pulverization, pour the remaining powder back into its original container. Yous don't want the pulverisation to sit down in the open box considering information technology may soak up moisture from the air. If it soaks upwards moisture (you lot'll be able to tell by its sandy texture), it's time to toss it. Always shop the adhesion pulverization in a dry out environs.

GELLING THE INK

Nope, yous are non curing the ink. You want to gel the ink (curing will happen when it's time to heat press it). Since Colin uses FN-INK™, a depression cure ink, he runs it through the dryer at 200°F. For standard plastisol inks, shoot for 260°F.

Conveyor dryers provide more consequent heat compared to flash dryers. When using a wink dryer, you have no control over the zone of estrus. The eye of the flash dryer is much hotter compared to the outer edges of the unit of measurement. Since the middle is hotter, the ink there will reach gel temp much faster than the outer edges. While waiting for the edges to hitting the gel temp, the eye may reach cure temp. Conveyor dryers are the best road for gelling heat transfers.

Oestrus PRESSING

When setting upward the heat press, Colin sets it at 350°F with a four or five pressure level. The settings will differ depending on the type of transfer paper, adhesion pulverisation, heat printing you are using. Wash test to notice which method works best.

LEARN WHY A Rut Press IS EVERY PRINTER'Due south Secret TOOL

In the video, Colin applies the estrus transfer to a 100% cotton garment. Cotton can absorb wet. Colin preheats the garment to remove any moisture and smooth out the fabric. He presses it for about five seconds.

Brand a notch or some sort of indicator to notation the eye of print and then you're able to align it on the shirt. Lay the newspaper on the shirt and press information technology for 10 seconds (or whatever y'all discover works best for your tools and equipment).

Colin uses a hot transfer peel, so he removes the paper as before long as he finishes heat pressing the shirt.

That's all in that location is to it! With the correct tools and a little bit of know-how, you'll be able to create your own plastisol heat transfers in no time.

Source: https://www.screenprinting.com/blogs/news/how-to-make-plastisol-heat-transfers

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