Impressions - October/November 2012 - (Page 30)

Looking to create retail-inspired designs? Cash in on the industry’s popular “bling” factor with new metallic and glitter CAD materials that require a heat press for application. Photos courtesy of Stahls’ ID Direct, St. Clair Shores, Mich. coated transfer paper to avoid possible paper path clogs in the copier. Many shops use a color laser printer to make CLC transfers because of the lower cost on the front end when acquiring the printing equipment. Technically, this is called a color laser printer (CLP) digital transfer. It is important to ask your paper supplier if the CLC paper you are buying will work in both color copiers and laser printers. Another important advancement in CLC papers is a new product that does not leave a rectangular area of residue around the image after the transfer is heat applied. Two such products that eliminate this problem are Image Clip from The Paper Ranch and CAD COLOR ExactPrint transfer paper from Stahls’ ID Direct. Check with additional manufacturers, as new products often are introduced. CLC papers have evolved immensely since their introduction in terms of providing better colorfastness on garments and producing a soft-hand feel to the print. The demand for quick, short-run custom graphics makes CLC transfers a great alternative for any garment printing or embroidery shop. • Inkjet Transfers: These transfers are made with a standard inkjet printer and off-the-shelf inks that accompany it. Use the same steps as outlined above for CLC transfers and print the design mirror image onto the coated side of the inkjet transfer paper. Heat the transfer machine to the recommended temperature, place the garment on the heat press, place the inkjet transfer (ink side down) on the garment and lock down the heating element for the recommended dwell time. When the timer on the heat press sounds, open the press and peel off the paper backer while it is still hot. The coating on the pa30 Impressions | October/November 2012 per traps the ink between the clear coating and the garment. Some inkjet papers are cold-peel systems; in these cases, peel the paper after it cools. (Always refer to your paper supplier’s application guidelines.) Inkjet papers tend to have a shiny finish to the print instead of the matte finish of the CLC laser transfer. • Sublimation Transfers: Sublimation transfers have been around for decades, but the introduction of digital inkjet printers has totally rejuvenated sublimation printing by making it easy for anyone to print their own transfers with a desktop inkjet printer. When I first used sublimation transfers in the 1980s, they typically were offset printed or screen printed on paper. In those days, users had to buy large volumes of the transfers to make the price competitive. Now, all a decorator needs to make sublimation transfers is a computer, sublimation inks and a desktop inkjet or gel printer, which makes it possible to print only one transfer, if needed. In addition, more sophisticated systems are available — as well as large-format inkjet printers that have fueled the trend in allover, seam-to-seam garment printing that mimics retail fashion. An oversized 40" x 48" heat press is ideal for producing the allover-printed look. Notable of sublimation transfers is the fact that the ink will not transfer to 100% cotton, since the garment needs to have a high polyester content for the ink to transfer properly. Also, sublimation inks will not render on dark fabrics due to the transparent quality of the ink. There are a variety of garments commercially available that are high in polyester content and, thus, suitable for applying sublimation transfers. Many screen printers choose sublimation transfers as an option for short-run orders to avoid the labor-intensive screen printing process. • CAD-Cut Heat Applied Graphics: This is one of the fastest-growing digital decoration segments in the heat transfer market. With the CAD-cut method, garment decorators simply send the graphic to the cutter and the design can automatically be cut on a variety of films, including vinyl, flock, reflective, glitter and more. The introduction of CAD-cut materials has greatly expanded garment decorators’ capabilities to offer all of the above garment decoration options, and all that is needed is a computer, cutter and heat press. For multicolor CAD-cut images, decorators can cut multiple-colored materials and heat press them together on the garment. Another multicolor option for CAD is to purchase a large-format inkjet printer and print multicolor images directly onto a white heat seal backer. Then, this printed roll material can be sent through a separate cutter to cut out the multicolor images before the final heat transfer stage. Finally, new metallic and glitter CAD materials have been very popular, as garment decorators cash in on the “bling” factor that is so hot in the industry. Digital technologies abound in the garment decorating arena and this sector shows no signs of slowing down as technology constantly improves. Regardless of the digital garment decoration method you choose, take your time to research your options and pick a system that is tailored for your business. James Ortolani has more than 30 years of experience in the decorated apparel industry, specializing in hands-on direct screen printing and heat transfer production. He has worked for main industry suppliers, and currently serves as R&D projects manager for Stahls’ DFC. For more information or to comment on this article, email James at james.ortolani@stahlsdfc.com. impressionsmag.com http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - October/November 2012

Impressions - October/November 2012
Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
ISS Conference
Embracing Digital Technologies
DTG vs. Dye Sublimation
Digital Products Preview
High-Performance Fashion Yields a Technical Edge
How To Sell More With Every Order
Shop Spotlight
Embroidery Production
Screen Printing Production
Online Directory
Screen Printing Technique
Digital Decorating
Business to Business
Classifieds
Ad Index

Impressions - October/November 2012