Impressions - March 2014 - 78

Digital Decorating

Put the foam sheet (that you just created) on the lower heat
press platen and adjust the top platen's pressure until the foam
sheet is compressed to no more than half of its original height
when the heat press is locked down.
Once you have the pressure, time and temperature parameters
set, open the heat press and place the foam sheet in the middle of
the lower platen. Because the foam can be used multiple times, if
you are going to produce multiple shirts, you may want to secure
it in place with some heat-resistant tape. Next, lay a Teﬂon sheet
over the foam.

3. Start the production process. Stretch the shirt on a clean
surface with the side to be decorated facing up. Run a lint roller
over the entire area that will be under the heat press. It's quite
common for tiny ﬂakes of stray ﬁbers to be left behind from the
shirt manufacturing process and they are nearly invisible to the
naked eye. If you don't remove them, they typically turn into permanent blue specks on the garment's surface during the production
process. And unless your customer likes this unique special effect,
it's going to result in a trashed shirt.
Next, place the shirt on the platen with the decoration side
facing up and lightly press the shirt for a few seconds. This will
remove any wrinkles and moisture that may be in the fabric. A stray
wrinkle can leave a crease in the ﬁnished image and moisture
could lead to a host of quality problems.

Open the heat press and carefully position the shirt, such that the
print area is over the foam. This may sound difﬁcult, as both the shirt
and the Teﬂon sheet block your view, but you will be surprised to
ﬁnd that the edges of the foam are clearly visible through the shirt.
Prepare the transfer sheet by applying a light coat of adhesive
spray to the surface. Be sure to use a temporary, repositionable
type of adhesive product, as the goal is to secure the transfer
during the pressing process only. As it must be removed at the end,
you certainly don't want to have to ﬁght to remove it. Most sublimation dealers, as well as 3M, carry such products. Regardless of the
brand, apply only a very light coating to the paper.
Place the transfer onto the shirt, using the silhouette of the foam
sheet to line everything up. Once you are comfortable with the
placement, lay a blowout sheet over the shirt and transfer. I suggest using blank newsprint or butcher paper.
After closing the heat press, your shirt should be ready in 30-40
seconds. When the buzzer goes off, open the heat press and immediately peel off the transfer paper. Grab a corner and gently, but
ﬁrmly, remove and discard it.
In reality, this process is pretty simple and, after you get the ﬁrst
shirt or two under your belt, your production rate will increase. It
should be noted that the foam can be used continuously for many
cycles, so don't think you need a new sheet each time. Most shops
cut several different sizes and then tailor their artwork to ﬁt the
foam, rather than vice versa.
Sublimation is a natural addition to virtually any business
engaged in applying logos to products. It also should be noted that
the same equipment used to sublimate apparel can be used for
other types of products, such as awards, plaques, signs, iPhone
covers, photo-gifts, promotional products, etc.
Award-winning author and international speaker Jimmy
Lamb has more than 20 years of apparel decoration experience.
He currently is manager of communications for Sawgrass Technologies, Charleston. S.C. For more information or to comment on
this article, email Jimmy at jlamb@sawgrassink.com.
Hear Jimmy speak on sublimation topics at the 2014 Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS). Individual seminars are just
$25 if you pre-register: issshows.com.

Suggested

Reading
Like this article? Read these other digital decorating
articles at impressionsmag.com:
* "Pressing for Proﬁt"
* "Are You Leaving Money on the Table?"
* "Use Sublimation to Create High-Value Photo Gifts"

Impressions | March 2014

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Impressions - March 2014

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