SeeJaysPlace 476 Posted March 29, 2013 Just got a dye sublimation printer today .. can't wait to get some work done Anyone know a good place to get buy products ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadHatterGraphix 1,258 Posted March 29, 2013 USCUTTER sells some, then there's Coastal Business, Conde Systems, and eBay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 29, 2013 CONDE all the way for constant quality products. I now get my mugs from Cactus directly http://www.cactusmugs.com/howto.php cost is a little more per mug but the shipping is less, always double boxed and great product. I have also used joto for mugs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadHatterGraphix 1,258 Posted March 29, 2013 Joto? Are they decently priced? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mopar691 281 Posted March 29, 2013 Pick up your mugs from Johnson Plastics in Minneapolis. Save your self from the shipping costs. They also have a extensive array of products on hand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SeeJaysPlace 476 Posted March 29, 2013 Pick up your mugs from Johnson Plastics in Minneapolis. Save your self from the shipping costs. They also have a extensive array of products on hand. Johnson Plastics in Minneapolis, is where i bought my printer today and some products I'm only 30 miles from them so i could make a trip once a month if needed They gave us a demo and how to use it and made a few sample's for us.. alot of cool stuff.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted March 29, 2013 Remember the #1 rule of dye sub is the same as the #1 rule for heat press vinyl... REVERSE YOUR IMAGE BEFORE YOU CUT/PRINT! Conde Systems (AKA DyeTrans.com) is where I get most of my stuff, and I've been happy with every single thing so far. They also have a lot of great videos on YouTube showing how to use each of their products. The only thing I don't like about Conde is that you can't order less than $100 without having to call and talk to your sales person, and I just prefer doing things after hours over the internet - but that's just me. That hasn't stopped me sending hundreds of dollars their way... Their SubliSlate is awesome and everyone loves those, and they're very reasonably priced. I get a lot of the more oddball sublimation blanks from Laser Reproductions Inc, like my metal business cards. Their Award Glass items are pretty cool and get a lot of ooh's and ah's from people that see them. They also have Zippo style lighters with matching gift tins, bottle opener necklaces and lots of other inexpensive items that make great, if unusual gifts. They're almost completely out now, but I bought a few dozen Hanes Soft L'inks t-shirts from ACP Technologies, too. If you want to get into doing dye sub pet tags, the best selection I've found is at Chewbarka - with 21 different shapes to choose from, plus collar tags and military style dog tags. With a 30" beaded chain (available separately), most of those pet tags can also be used as necklaces and/or bracelet tags. Just noticed that they have Ribbon shaped tags, I should probably order a bunch prior to Race for the Cure... Note that you do need to buy either a D-ring or split ring to go with each of their tags, they are not included like they are with most other vendors (but they're still usually cheaper when you figure in the cost of the rings). 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 29, 2013 sawgrass power driver - reverses automatically and sets tones according to the substrate! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SeeJaysPlace 476 Posted March 29, 2013 OWJones - Thanks for all the wonderful info.. now i know who to go to when i mess up hehehe My quick question is can you dye sub on cotton shirts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 29, 2013 OWJones - Thanks for all the wonderful info.. now i know who to go to when i mess up hehehe My quick question is can you dye sub on cotton shirts? short answer is NO - there is one product out for doing this but it is very expensive - your are actually sublimating thier special poly paper that sticks to the shirt = kinda like chromoblast only more expensive http://www.digitalheatfx.com/heat-transfer-paper/sublimation-transfer-papers.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted March 30, 2013 My quick question is can you dye sub on cotton shirts? Yes, if you don't mind a design that will come out very faint and not survive it's first washing... The way dye sub works - you subject a special kind of colorant to high heat - it sublimates (which is a fancy science word for a phase change - which is a fancy way of saying it goes directly from a solid to a gas without an intermediate liquid phase) and the gas is chemically attracted to polyester molecules and chemically bonds to them causing a permanent color change. Without a polyester surface for the gas molecules to bond to, the color goes away. Hanes used to make Soft Link's shirts (and there are rumors that they are coming back) which are a cotton on the inside and polyester on the outside (and oh so comfy to wear compared to 100% polyester) and they take an image well. I got lucky when I went hunting for them - I'm a big guy who wears 2X - 3X shirts depending on the brand, and when I found them at ACP they had only really small or really big sizes left, so I bought a bunch of the 2X and 3X shirts so I have plenty for myself. I'm not a huge fan of 100% polyester clothing myself, so I really like them. You can use 50/50 poly/cotton blend shirts with the understanding that since only 50% of the fibers are polyester, you'll only get 50% of the color and they will fade faster, but they have a distinctive 'retro' look while they last. The higher the percentage of polyester, the more color you'll get. All of those mugs, mousepads, dog tags, etc. that you find at the various dye sub dealers are all cover in a coating of bright white 100% polyester that gives optimal color transference. You can transfer to other colored shirts, but it's the same as printing on colored paper - whatever the color of the shirt is will be your "white" in your images, so if you print a US flag on a pink shirt, you'll end up with Red, Pink and Blue as your flag colors, and your Red and Blue may take on a pinkish hue. You can, technically speaking, dye sub onto a black substrate, but since the dye sub process is additive coloration, adding any color to black will still turn out black - so you can do it - but you won't actually be able to see it, so it's kind of pointless. But, since you can do coffee mugs, water bottles, ceramic tiles, glass tiles, cake pans, glass cutting boards, Christmas ornaments, smart phone cases, purses, wallets, book covers, jewelry, pennants, stadium cushions, drink koozies, and so many, many other things that you can't do with inkjet transfers, the lack of putting designs on black is more than compensated for. Of course that will not stop people from asking you... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted March 30, 2013 sawgrass power driver - reverses automatically and sets tones according to the substrate! And that's the price I pay for going with an Epson vs. a Ricoh. I just leave my printer driver set to always Mirror, so it hasn't bit me - yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SeeJaysPlace 476 Posted March 30, 2013 our drivers is set to mirror on auto Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SeeJaysPlace 476 Posted March 30, 2013 Thanks OWJones Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadHatterGraphix 1,258 Posted March 30, 2013 OW I did that too with my epson. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
