Printing a t-shirt transfer

[Nvidiaguy07]

ive really wanted to start makin my own t-shirts and i remember hearing about this method a long time ago. Does it really work? Do i have to have a special type of printer? Is it expensive?

Also if this method works for t-shirts i was wondering if i could put graphics on my walls that i printed off my computer the same way.

Sorry if this is in the wrong section but i figured it was a printer issue.

 

[Blain]

Buy good quality shirts.

 

[Athena]

Any good ink jet printer should work. The T-Shirt transfer paper usually includes instructions.

 

[jackschmittusa]

You can do basic transfers with an inkjet printer and an iron. Very small design elements are often difficult to transfer without tearing. For a lot more money you can make designs that are far more likely to last for many washings and handle small design elements. This involves a dye-sub printer, special transfer paper, and a press. A t-shirt press makes for uniform heating (which helps to insure full separation of the transfer from the backing paper when you peel it off), and adjustable heat settings that allow you to experiment to find the optimal setting for a given type of transfer paper (even inkjet transfers work better with a press). It really depends on what you are looking for in a finished product to choose which way to go.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
You can do basic transfers with an inkjet printer and an iron. Very small design elements are often difficult to transfer without tearing. For a lot more money you can make designs that are far more likely to last for many washings and handle small design elements. This involves a dye-sub printer, special transfer paper, and a press. A t-shirt press makes for uniform heating (which helps to insure full separation of the transfer from the backing paper when you peel it off), and adjustable heat settings that allow you to experiment to find the optimal setting for a given type of transfer paper (even inkjet transfers work better with a press). It really depends on what you are looking for in a finished product to choose which way to go.

where do i find this equipment though? I kind of don't even know where to start to look for this type of thing. Does newegg sell anything i could use?

Also about the wall graphics.... Which method do you recommend? and would it work?

 

[Zap]

Use pre-shrunk shirts. 50/50 sometimes seems to work a bit better than 100% cotton.

Works best with white shirt. I've seen special transfer paper for dark/black shirts but I haven't tried any.

Iron on carefully and don't expect your first one to turn out perfect.

Some images work better than others. You want to trim your transfer so that there is as little excess as possible, thus intricate images are difficult to work with and can leave large areas "blank" but with an iron-on.

For the designs to last on a shirt, wash cold/delicate cycle with the shirt inside-out and don't tumble dry but hang dry.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Ebay is a possible source for presses and printers.

A Google search for "t shirt press" turns up lots of hits. Many of them also handle printers and supplies. An example is: bestblanks.

Many of these sites will offer useful information about their products and even tips and demos. Many sell prefab transfers as well.

You could probably learn a lot rummaging around these sites.