thredz

Heat Transfer Vinyl

Recommended Posts

On using heat transfer vinyl.I have been using hot mark 40,from signwarehouse.It has a feel of plastisol ink,but it has a clear plastic backing that just wads up in the rollers when you try to cut it.The plastic just doesn't have enough texture for the bottom roller carriage to move it properly.So I took a roll of 12 inch transfer tape and taped the back of the area I wanted to cut.I also had to cut the work area off of the roll,because after it did a trace of the design,the roll just unrolled from the roll.I guess the plastic backing is so slick that it just slides off,but it rolled the whole roll off!And the hot mark 40 also has a low tack adhesive holding the vinyl to the plastic.When you weed it out you have to make sure you weed out the small areas first.If you weed the large excess around the design,you will have problems with your hands,and the small pieces sticking to the tack.It also show your fingerprints very well.So,if your a criminal,be sure to do the small areas first.Unless you want to leave your fingerprints lying around.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You can backk off the rollers and watch them spin underneath the hot mark,or you can put more tension on the rollers and watch the hot mark wad up.It's too slick for the rollers to grab.It's just a lot easier time and money wise to put a transfer tape backing on it for the rollers to have something to grip.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ah okay... I never used that particular brand of material before... I only used ThermoFlex... That can be some pretty Pricy stuff... It sticks to the backing paper really well... How is the cost of the material you are using to the Thermoflex... 15 x 5 yd roll cost me about 35 bucks...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think a 15" x 11' roll of hotmark 40 runs me around $30.00 shipping and all.I haven't tried it on the cp-2500 yet.But I have a couple of designs worked up I'm going to cut hopefully this week.I'll post the results.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I want to try using heat transfer vinyl, but I don't want to invest in a heat press right away. Will a iron work for a few practice shirts??

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have experimented with an iron before using thermoflex, however, it doesnt last very long, one or two washes... The problem with using an ordinary household iron is that you have uneven pressure (no matter how hard you push) across the garment and uneven heating issues...  The image will peel in some areas and not the others...

I bought me a mighty press for $100 (like new condition) 15 x 15 size with a timer from a flea market... very good investment seeing the price of these machines on ebay or whatnot.

With the thermoflex or probably hotmark the results will be very long lasting when using a heat press.  I put some logos on some shirts of my own and the actual design has outlasted the shirt.  You could always shop around in your area, check your flea markets or pawn shops... Although finding this item at one of these locations is a rarity, you will never know what you may find.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now