[Saph-D]

Thanks guys, I’ll check out Robert Horne before anything else – appreciate you taking the time to reply.

[Saph-D]

Hiya,

Printing onto white, logo is at largest print approx 8" by 3" and onto high quality close weave 100% cotton fabric.

I’ve always advised clients that it is akin to photography printing, use bog standard paper and get bog standard results, use high quality photographic paper and get not only great results but longer lasting ones too.

Thanks a lot.

Saph

[Saph-D]

Thank you 🙂

I think I might have confused things … I’ve been asked to do the printing, which I can do, I am just unsure how much to charge to do it., in this financial climate have things changed much over the past few months ?

So, what I was attempting to ask, badly it seems when I have re-read it ! is, if you were seeking someone to do the dtg work for you, to sell onto your clients, what would you reasonably expect to pay if you subbed the work out to a dtg printer?

Sorry if I didn’t explain myself clearly, and thank you for your good wishes.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

I engrave fleece with no problem, however the results depend partially on the colour of it ! Generally the engraved area is darker than the fleece, we have had good results with various shades of blue that we have done.

I have not ‘really’ done any leather, just played around a bit with some, however I can tell you that success is highly dependent on the way it has been treated.

Denim is a joy to engrave ! Wood is fab and I adore acrylics. I’d recommend giving Stephen Jater from Identify a ring or dropping him an email. He is very helpful and will not push you into buying anything but will give you all of the advice and help that you need.

One thing I would say though is to buy the highest wattage you can – we will certainly upgrade our 35w epilog at some point in the future.

All in all this has been a great investment for us, and I love playing around with things on it.

[Saph-D]

Try Vinyl Logistics, I think I have had purple from them before.
01636 613222

[Saph-D]

Thanks a lot guys.

I think I am going to just have to cut them individually and then layer myself, as reluctant as I am to do this, would much rather have had a single unit.

Totally with you on the hating layers Chris !

Saph

[Saph-D]

I’ve got the Epson 7000 and I am very happy with it. I bought it second hand from a chap that was doing canvas prints on it, he demonstrated it working on a canvas and the quality was very good.

I use mine for dye sublimation, bought in some refillable larger carts from China and had no problems at all with it.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Hi Warren,

It is legit, she is calling her suppliers / contacts, it is just that she felt this would take some time and I would rather have got on and had them done for her.

Thanks a lot though.

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi Dave,

What price are you asking for this ?

Many thanks,

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hiyas,

When I started off I bought a flat bed heat press from ebay and landed smack on my feet with it. It was a newish GK combo press which I bought for £350 and had cost £900 new a few months previous – the owner had bought it with redundancy money and had hoped / expected to get an income immediately from it – and didn’t. It is still going strong 6 years later and is superb.

I then bought a mug press – a chinese one which is still going strong. Then a Jarins mug press, then a gk mug press and a mug oven. Then another two GK flat presses and a plate press.

Then I bought a chinese plotter which is great, has never given me any issues and which won’t be changed til I have the money to buy a versacamm or something similar.

Those made me enough money to buy a gerber edge from a member on here which in turn is doing wonders.

The increase in income allowed me to purchase an embroidery machine, single head, 10 needle.

From these ( which I still have and still use ) I recently moved up to buying a dtg printer – which is a BEAUT.

All of those allowed me to buy a ukulele recently – and guess what, I am new to ukes and so bought the cheapest so I could see how I would get on with it. My little £20 babe is giving me a LOT of pleasure and santa now knows that I would like a good model of the same.

I joined a forum with people playing ukes that have cost £100’s and £100’s of moolah but they are all very willing to help me get the most out of the cheapey I have here.

This is what I feel is vital in life, regardless of what industry you are in, what your income is, what your social class or creed is:-

Just help people get the best out of what they have and help them to move forward and upward. Your advice is invaluable, I have learned a huge amount from reading these forums – I will be back asking for advice on vinyl printer/cutters when I am ready and will listen to what is said.

I am 100% behind Marcella’s comments.

Besides, you never know, the person who has the £450 chinese cutter might also be the one who has the mechanical knowledge to help you repair your van.

I love the fish analogy.

So – I have a cheap chinese cutter, an expensive embroidery machine and a hellishly costly dtg printer, I’m clever enough to know I am not being stupid in having the ‘ccp’ I’m being wise enough to know that it is serving itself well and will be replaced when the need arises.

Good and interesting thread – I’m of the thinking that if we are able to help we should, regardless of the quality of the material the person has who is asking, owns.

Saph
🙂

[Saph-D]

Sukey Buzz looks about as delighted to be in her costume as Bob was to be a pumpkin last year. Little does he know what surprise we have in store for him this year.

Myrtle made a superb witch and wore her pointy hat all evening !

[Saph-D]

OMG look how much he’s grown ! Those feet are like plates ! Where’s the baby gone ?

Love the logo :lol1:

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi Jason,

Thanks a lot for your reply.

We’ll have to bite the bullet and buy from them then, I was VERY put off by their attitude one time. Insisting we had to open a sales account before asking for or getting service help for the Edge.

Then telling us we’d have to wait ten days for this to be done, despite repeatedly telling them we didn’t want a sales credit account – partly out of principle – why should they do a credit check on a company that is wanting pro forma service ?

We’ve found PrintOne to be really helpful, friendly and willing to offer advice when they could which is why we return to them.

Thanks again,

Saph

[Saph-D]

There are so many gorgeous dogs on here !

I have to say that I have told 101 people about shagger and his snowman ! Makes me smile every time I think of that picture.

I could swipe Gus too, absolutely adore Newfies, just not got the space to have one 😕

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

We had a slew of Westies – now have two left but plan a litter next year. We have a motorhome and pull a tuktuk along behind to get out and about in, the dogs love it but need eye protection because they lean out – they have 100’s of photo’s taken ! Bob and Myrtle (who is nearest to the camera)

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[Saph-D]

We had a second line in and use the sky service on that one, all calls are free up to one hour ( then need to redial ) including a ton of international calls. Yup it still means having the BT rental but that is fine – still saving a fortune and actually use that phone now when calling relatives abroad.

We’ve found it a lot easier to keep the costs separate.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Hi there,

I have a Gerber Edge and not done any process colour printing yet, so I too am very interested to see the advice you get here 🙂

Good luck !

Saph

[Saph-D]

That was my thought Mark, if I am getting other item orders from this client I would offer a price that was good to us both, ensuring I kept his business.

For one off order then I agree that the original quote isn’t over the top.

Saph

[Saph-D]

Yes the printers are modified by TMT and that is why you can then still have the guarantee.

Unfortunately Target Transfers only do the papers for use on fabric rather than onto hard substrates which is a pain if you are wanting for that purpose.

I generally do dye sublimation onto coasters etc – going to see how the Gjet prints directly onto mouse-mats, not tried it yet but can’t see that it would be much of an issue.

I managed to have the cis tubing fall into my dye sub printer recently – I think some of the hard plastic holder has done some nice damage 😕 – had to buy another, so opted for the 7000 and bought in refillable carts.

I don’t think you can beat dye sub on hard substrates to be honest.

[Saph-D]

Hi,

This looks like paper / ink actually called ‘kisscut’. They produce both paper and their own inks (with a cis kit) for use with an epson printer. You ‘can’ use standard inkjet inks but the washability is rubbish. Would be useful for indoor graphics on fabric though – things not going to get wet or washed.

With kisscut you print onto the specific paper with the specific inks and then press onto the garment within half an hour or so of the printing. If it is left longer than that then there are some issues with it.

It is a lot easier than wow – but you do have to get the temperature and pressure settings just right, and as these vary between heat presses it can take a bit of time to find the right ones. It’s like anything new, you have to get used to it.

You still have the same issues with dark garments, a no go area at the moment, but they are working on a white ink I gather.

Suffice to say we splashed out and bought a Gjet direct to garment printer – it does both dark and white garments to very high standards !

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

We use an Oki and laser paper from Target Transfers.

The main reason for this is that the Magic Oki printer has been adapted so that it can take their papers without it getting clogged up.

Target Transfer papers were tested by Oki themselves and given a clean bill of health in as much as Oki will still offer a guarantee on the printers from new.

Generally the guarantee is lost if you use a transfer papers because they are well known to cause problems.

I understand that it is because of this adaptation of the machine that they charge so much more – not quite sure what they actually ‘do’ during this though.

I’ve never used their papers and so can’t give an opinion, just thought you might be interested to know about Oki and Target Transfer.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Hi Rick,

Black mugs. He is right, as with anything black you would need to have a layer of white beneath the image / logo / text etc so that it can be seen. If you have a bucket of black paint and put in some yellow, you still have a bucket of black paint, it’s the same when you are printing.

So, I am presuming that if the mugs you wanted were completely black (ie didn’t have a white section on them for dye subbing ) then you would have to have those either pad printed or screened as there is not an option for white inks in dye sublimation. The ‘exception’ to this is if you used a colour changed mug – which are black when cold but change to white when hot.

Price wise, that is a lot more than we charge for trade clients or bulk purchase clients. But I have no idea what others on here sell their mugs for and they may not consider it expensive.

There is a quotes section on here, might be worth your while asking for one 🙂

Saph

[Saph-D]

hahaha 😀

*dives off to google*

[Saph-D]

ACK ! I could have SO done with that last week, I should have posted 😥

I bought a second hand 7000 in the end, but would have preferred the 7600. That will teach me for not asking !

Very good price !!

[Saph-D]

Hi,

We have recently invested in a direct to garment printer – the GJet – and we are more than thrilled with it.

It has a single white pass which gives outstanding white results onto black tshirts ( we use high quality tees as the weave is better ) and the colours are really vivid.

You get full installation and training with it too which is not to be sneezed at ! Someone we know has the brother and has found it very restricting. We just kept an eye on the progress of the different inks and after a lot of thinking, bought the Gjet.

We’d decided that if we were going to get one then it had to be able to print cleanly and clearly onto black or coloured shirts. Not a decision we’ve regretted ! Cost wise it is approximately 10p for a white shirt and 60p for a colour shirt ( A3 )

http://www.directtogarmentprinting.co.uk has quite a bit of information on it.

Now we just have to wait for a garment supplier to start pre-coating the black ones for us

:lol1:

[Saph-D]

I always check on ‘print order’ that the colours I want to use are the only ones listed there. If I get different ‘numbered or shades’ of black I then click on each part of the design and designate the same colour until there is just the one black showing ( for instance ).

I hope that makes sense ?

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Hi guys,

Thankyou both again for your replies.

I have now ordered a few sheets from Europoint – unfortunately Pyramid didn’t have any red in stock and were going to charge me another shipping fee of £10 to send it out separately on Monday 😮

I’m looking forward to having a play with this !

Thankyou,

Saph

[Saph-D]

Vinyl logistics also do something for use on the floor – 01636 613222 – I think this is aimed mainly for promotional functions where the location of the images will be altered, a bit like heavy duty window cling for floor use.

[Saph-D]

Peter,

thankyou 🙂

Saph

[Saph-D]

Thankyou !! Sorted.

I can’t believe what I was doing lol. I had left a colour in from the previous print run and just hit reverse colour print – I hadn’t even noticed the little ‘T’ mark on the right. Had I continued to print and switch to the second colour the registration mark would have been printed.

Thankyou so much for your help !

Saph 😀

[Saph-D]

Hi Jason,

I am using Omega. Sorry I should have said.

Thanks

[Saph-D]

This might sound daft, but, did you by any chance put more paper in which could have been put in the wrong way around in error ? I had a similar experience years ago when I printed onto the wrong side.

Have you tried to reprint the image after doing the other picture which was okay ? If all the others were fine then I’d say it sounds like it was a hitch with the paper.

Just a thought though 🙂

Saph

[Saph-D]

:blush:
They don’t call me verbose for nuttin’ you know lol

😛

[Saph-D]

I started life as a nurse, working in an intensive care unit until an incident unnerved me enough to make me realise I wanted out. I then went into a new career as a pharmaceutical sales rep which I loved, whilst playing around with my passion for photography on the side.

After taking in a 9 yr old child that had been orphaned, I left work to concentrate on her needs, and furthered my interest in photography ( and fuelled her desire to be a model ! ) whilst she was at school – attending 6th form college to do an A’level in photography – – GREAT fun.

My partner is co-owner of a veterinary surgery and I attended puppy parties each Thursday evening to take photo’s of the little darlings between the ages of 9 and 12 weeks who attended for socialising skills and to familiarise themselves with the surgery, nurses and vets.

From that I soon realised I wanted / needed to be able to get the images onto new media, and so learnt about dye-sublimation and then invested in the equipment for that. I now have 3 flat presses, 3 mug presses and a mug oven and a plate press.

I then discovered how much I loved the whole industry, and bought other pieces of equipment that I haven’t yet used due to space restrictions! ( pad printing, hot foiling and plastic business card printer which has been used a few times only so far. )

I was asked by two friends to do some promotional printing for them – one for a pr event for an international company and the other repeat orders for a company to use as prizes / gifts.

I bought a gerber edge from a very very nice chap from the boards,( who still helps me out ! – thanks Nick 🙂 ) which I love but am now looking at investing in a vehicle wrap course and large format solvent inkjet printer.

( I don’t plan to make a career out of wrapping, it just fascinates me and I would love to be able to do it if asked, and to utilise the skills it offers in other ways. )

Although I have been dye-subbing for a good few years now, I am still very very much a novice when it comes to cad cut etc and spend hours reading things in here and watching and rewatching the tutorial videos etc. They are priceless.

So thats me in a nutshell. Very naive and ignorant when it comes to the sign / cadcut business but equally as eager to learn and advance in it.

Saph
🙂

[Saph-D]

Hi Peter and Neil,

Thanks for your replies. I am using a Gerber GSxplus and don’t see anything on the menu area to alter the pressure ?

I have four buttons to the left which are:

reset – init knife – run cont – run single

Then further to the right I have the arrow keys and the centre button which says ‘slow’.

Other than that all that I can see is the dial on the blade holding unit with a button on the rear which turns the dial.

I altered the dial from 2 down to 1.5 and it still cut through, I am not positive, but it looked as though it cut the image twice. I halted it as soon as I saw it was cutting right through the vinyl again.

It’s currently cutting a roll of reknown white vinyl which has been printed with no probs, so it’s obviously the thickness of the Avery vinyl. I know I often alter the settings on my standard cutter but as I said, first time on the Gerber.

When this roll has gone through, I’ll have another go with the dial turned down to one, or less and see what happens.

Thanks again guys, I appreciate it.

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi Jill,

Are either of these any good ?

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telephone 2.eps

telephone 1.eps

[Saph-D]

Hi Jill,

Graeme posted this a while back, I think it may be what you are looking for. I hope so 🙂

Saph

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Draigi.eps

[Saph-D]

Just read through all the above and can only say

omg

And to have someone say complain and we won’t supply you anymore is just well, shocking.

Saph 😮

[Saph-D]

Or a company called vinyl logistics will get it done for you. 01636 613222

[Saph-D]

Target Transfer also do glitter and sparkle vinyls for textile use – which are you after textile or sign ? ( 01376 557504 ) – Heather or Sam

Vinyl logistics do superb sign vinyls and are very friendly and helpful to boot. ( 01636 613222 ) – Jayne or David

[Saph-D]

Martin that would be great !

Thankyou 🙂

[Saph-D]

Thankyou Andre,

I will have a good look at those !

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

I have been looking at these ones http://www.wilhelmy-it.de/sms/shop/index.php?m … dlistpos=3

They seem to tick most boxes but don’t have the facility, at least it doesn’t look like it, to connect directly to computers. They do offer a ring to fix your camera lens to so that you can take photo’s, and do offer the motor drive, but I’d really love to see these things on the laptop as well as thru the scope – more can enjoy it at once then for starters.

I’ll have another look at the meade ones that Robert mentioned.

Any other brand recommendations would be gratefully looked into !

Saph

[Saph-D]

I haven’t been in this unfortunate situation, yet, but I do have a cunning plan 😮

When I get to the point that I need to outsource work I shall be asking people from within uksignboards to do that for me, people that I have seen on a regular basis in chat etc.

I have built up a level of ‘trust’ from seeing the articles / replies / help that members here offer and know, at the end of the day, they wouldn’t want that good reputation ruined by someone posting a thread relating a sorry tale of client theft.

From what I have seen it looks highly unlikely that those I would approach to help out with work would even consider the thought let alone get involved with client theft.

Seem a pretty good bunch of folk to me 🙂

I have always said to my new clients that *if I can’t do something myself I know a man that can* – their reaction is that they would rather have things done from one source and so don’t question this.

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi Martin,

The scope would mainly be used if not soley be used for sky / stars/ moon watching and yes with some photographs if at all possible. I am looking for something that is good yet suitable for an absolute novice, won’t be wanting to upgrade it too quickly and so I want something of ‘substance’ shall we say.

I am not sure of a local society but will certainly have a look to see – never even considered one to be honest. What did you think about the ebay ones ? Cheap and cheerful or useful ? I’ll take a trip to our local camera store soon to have a look to see what they have too.

thanks a lot,

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi sky spotters – I’m very glad to know there are people in here that know about these things as I wonder if I can pick your brains.

I am looking to buy a telescope / spotter or whatever it is that I need for a Christmas gift and wonder if you can help ? To get an idea of things I have looked on ebay and come across a chap that sells a variety. I want to be able to have the eye adapter for the computer for image taking available to it too.

Can you suggest which to buy ( from ebay or not ) please ?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NIPON-26-78×78-Co … dZViewItem

Obviously I want it to be able to show clear images so need one that has a good zoom lens or focal length or something.

I will also be looking for maps of the stars, and any good books on astronomy. We know nothing about it, but we are amongst the hundreds that do stay up and stand outside to watch things like the meteorite showers at three in the morning !

Many thanks

Saph

[Saph-D]

I have some Peter,

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[Saph-D]

Oh cool !

Glad to have been able to help 🙂

Saph

[Saph-D]

hmmm probably not, doesn’t seem to open on mine, sorry.

[Saph-D]

Hi Jill,

Is this any good for you ?

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t_lighthouse_989.eps

[Saph-D]

You can buy dry wipe boards for dye sublimation, I’m not sure what the various sizes are but it might be worth you contacting a supplier.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

I think that subli-nation sells marble tiles you can dye sub onto, I’ve never tried them but heard they are great. The only mirrors I have seen that can be sublimated on are the handbag mirrors you can import from china and I think that it is the outer covering that is dye subbed.

[Saph-D]

Ooooh Bill I hope that works ! I have to go away in half an hour but I will play around at the weekend. I haven’t done anything yet as I wanted to have a little more understanding of it before I did – would be superb if it does !!

Thanks 🙂

Saph

[Saph-D]

quote Lynn:

Saph if I had known what you were talking about
Lynn

Lynn it is a rare day that I know what I am talking about let alone hoping that anyone else will :lol1:

I just go merrily along my way with my head in the clouds and hope that occasionally I bump into someone else hehe.

:pray:

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

A few years down the line but – a thankyou from me too as I have just pinched this.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Thankyou for answering Chris. I have hardly paid anything for this at all, it has new print heads and new inks but it is the darn dongle gone amiss that is causing the problems, the previous owners are looking for it but have no idea where it could be so I am not holding my breathe.

Appreciate you taking the time to reply 🙂

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi again

I am still working my way through the web trying to find out more information about this printer, but one company has told me that a) it may not need a rip and can use any software or b) it needs a specific one and is no longer supported !

The discs I have support windows 95 and NT – all of the literature is there with the boxed discs etc but alas no dongle ! I have colorflow cds ( two boxed sets ) and the posterjet cd / book / and free upgrade cd from Kodak. Apparently I can’t just buy a new dongle- but have to buy the whole caboodle.

Obviously if another software would work with the printer it would be great. I have Omega ( for use with my gerber ) photoshop cs3 and Coreldraw x3 – I also have winpcsign and flexisign. Can any of those be used with the printer ?

To remind any readers of this, the printer is a Kodak large format 2042 –

many many thanks !

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

I have a number of images – not too sure how to post them here though, but will try. There are more if none of these are suitable.

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[Saph-D]

Not sure what has happened, but I have done something and it is working again 🙄

Will be interesting to see if it happens again. Obviously my computer settings I think.

Saph

[Saph-D]

Really ?

I thought that Nick meant you would have the image initially printed in reverse so seen through the ‘sticky’ side to the outside of the window, and then build up a solid background layer and print on top of that which would be viewed from the inside ?

I am easily confused though.

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi, on my page it is the third link up from the bottom

https://www.uksignboards.com/vectorwise.php

Hope that link works for you !

Saph

[Saph-D]

Aaaah thanks Nick.

Blimming great big books you get with this machine / software ~ still ploughing my way through them 😮

Saph :dance4: ( maybe I should stick to the banjo ? ) hehe

[Saph-D]

quote Phill:

Just got this reply back:-

Hello Phillip
Thank you Very Much for your Time and Effort on my Order and i really Appreciate Doing Business with you.Moreover i will like to provide my master for you to run The Charges thru and email back with Approval Code of the Card so here below is the Card Info.

Name on Card: JOHN Smith
Card Type: master card
Card Num#:—————-I have deleted the numbers
Exp Date: 09/09
Cvv: —–I have deleted the security code

I will like you to Goahead and Process the Card thru and get me the Auth Code so that we can Proceed to the Pickup.. and can i have you phone number so that i can call you
Thank you
Stay Blessed
Reverend JOHN SMITH

😕

Get HIM the auth code ??

Ask him for an address and if it is the address the card is registered to.

[Saph-D]

I would never take a credit card payment from someone that I was suspicious about as they are so easily stopped.

I’d have asked for a bank transfer – write back and tell him that you will be pleased to fill his order but unfortunately you are experiencing problems with your credit card payment system and are unsure how long this will take to be rectified – in order to proceed can a bank transfer please be arranged.

Out of interest I would also check out the card, the address associated with it etc

Just a thought 🙂

Saph

[Saph-D]

Hi,

Martin, how does the Edge print both sides at once ?

Are these tax disc holders just plain circles of vinyl or do they have the additional ‘cross cut’ section on the inner side to place the disc in ?

I too would be very interested in how this is done as I have a client seeking them and was considering either pad printing or hot foiling them.

Hmmmm – (-)

Saph

[Saph-D]

How weird is this ? I have been away for a few days – prior to going away I had had a few problems with the pc making a whining noise at times and thought it was the main fan. I cleaned it and it seemed a little better for a short time.

Today I have returned home, switched on, went through emails and was just about to ‘run’ a newly installed program when the pc switched off.

Nothing I could do would make it re-start. I phoned a friend who is a pc technician who asked me to smell the vent at the rear of the pc (which felt hot ), it had a slight ‘electric’ smell to it so he came straight over.

He took out a psu (power supply unit) from an old computer and switched on and it booted up immediately – he then put on all of the connectors ( this psu was a slightly lower wattage ) and it has run fine since. I have ordered a new bigger one and am hoping this will work until that arrives in a few days.

He said that the switching itself off was a classic sign of the psu being pushed too far, overheating and then finally giving up the ghost. He advised me to keep out as many usb run items which don’t have their own power supply as possible as this would reduce the pressure on the psu.

Maybe try to reduce any non self powered items you have plugged in for the moment and see if that helps it a bit ? It does sound as though yours is going through a very similar process as my own did before finally stopping and refusing to switch back on again.

The good news is that the psu’s aren’t too expensive if that is what it proves to be with yours too –

Good luck,

Saph

[Saph-D]

Don’t forget to see Wee Bobby.

I’m going to have to visit Edinburgh just to see him, and make time of course to go and see the ‘sights’ whilst I’m there. I have a few ‘must do things’ on my list and way up there is Greyfriars Bobby.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Glad you got there before me Marcella 😉

[Saph-D]

I print mugs and have two presses and a mug machine which can do four mugs or beer steins or dog bowls in fact a wide variety of other items using wraps which are basically a way of holding the image to the mug with some pressure.

Regarding dye sublimation ink – A company called Sawgrass in the States have the patent on the way in which dye sub inks are put into small format printers. The effect this has had on companies is that they are ONLY allowed to sell licensed inks.

There are still a few companies who are selling their own, a big word of warning here – Sawgrass have been active over the past years in the legal dept targeting those companies who are not complying with the ruling.

My advice would be to buy the licensed inks straight off because it won’t be too long before you find that you may have a problem obtaining the inks.

You can get a bulk feed system for about £199 plus vat including the inks which is a pretty mean initial payout but actually goes a long long way.

I would strongly suggest the mug machine which a company called Subli-Nation supply (which is only about 199.00 with four mug wraps if you expect to do more than one at a time) – or try out with a single wrap in your home oven to give you an idea. Or google for the other well known makes and see if anyone has a special offer on them. ( Jarin Europa mug press – George Knight are the two that spring to mind for me )

I’m not sure if we are allowed to offer this, but I would be happy to send you a printed transfer for anyone to have a go at pressing if you would like ( provided you get a mug wrap ).

Don’t go for a Chinese mug press from eBay – they seriously cause more problems than enough, with a lot of them ‘sparking’ and some catching fire.

I would also strongly suggest that you paid the extra £5 or £6 a box to get mugs which can go into a dishwasher as opposed to those which are dishwasher ‘safe’ that don’t crack but DO fade.

I sell a lot of mugs, if in large quantities I reduce the price down. Dye subbed mugs look superb, the colours are SO bright and ‘in your face’ even on full colour photographic images. I supply to a few well known companies as well as often doing a one off mug as a thank you to some – amazing how delighted they are to get them.

It’s also a great way to advertise yourself and your work if you give one as a gift with other printing orders – your name and details on one side, the clients on the other.

The dyes cost about 49.99 for 125ml regardless of where you purchase them usually, because they are all produced by the same company – these are the ArTanium inks I am talking about.

The most important aspect of dye sub printing is to ensure you get the colour profile installed properly and then it is SO simple. Of all of the dye sub market, I believe that the mug one is the best. No matter how ‘old hat’ it is, people still like to get them.

I might be a little odd, but I love mug printing 😛

ps dye sub mugs all the way for me – I wouldn’t consider any other kind even though I have the means to do pad printed ones.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Could have a barn dance in there ! ( alongside the swimming pool, bar – – – )

You’ll have great fun doing it up, make sure you post pics along the way.

(wanders off muttering about money, attic studio’s, wine )

[Saph-D]

Oh, and yes, it might be worth leaving the printer and inks to settle for the rest of the night too. Ghosting can occur if the wrong side of the paper is used or the wrong type of paper – but if this was bought for this purpose – –

[Saph-D]

Adam I would try to find out whether it is in C or F first of all. Unfortunately there are often problems with items bought from eBay and very little back up if any 🙁 Try and speak to the person you bought it from tomorrow if you can and explain the problems. It does sound as though it is temperature related.

The colour variation will probably be down to whether or not the colour profile has been installed correctly and is fully associated with the printer. Go to start – Control Panel – Printer & faxes – find your printer and right click on it – Properties – Colour settings tab. At the bottom of that page it will say profile associated with the printer, if it isn’t the Rotech one you will need to manually select it by clicking on the manual button, add and then selecting it from the next box that opens up. Before closing down those pages make sure you have ticked the use as default option box. ( I’m saying all that, I presume he did give you a colour profile with the inks ? if not I think you can download them from the internet ).

I will try to think of other problems, it’s late and I am possibly missing something. Hopefully someone else will pop up with the answer in the morning. Good luck with it – it is superb when you get it going properly, so don’t give up !

Saph

[Saph-D]

I’ve never heard of the press either 😕

I would be inclined to establish what temperature setting you have the press on because at those temps you have stated you should be getting a decent image transferred.

Yes the ink can be dry, you can do a good run of prints and then press them over a few hours without any problems.

The thing that is throwing the dampener on the temp settings is that you are mentioning scorching as well. For fabrics you shouldn’t be pressing over a minute – again this may sound odd, but if you press too long you actually remove some of the image you are placing down and end up with a faded result.

Rotech inks are fine by the way – they are licensed inks for use in the dye sub area.

Is the press new or second hand ?

I would check the temp settings make sure it is in C – reduce your pressure to a medium at least, do test presses at 15 seconds and then 5 second intervals upwards if necessary.

Where did you get the press and the paper ?

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Hi Adam,

I don’t know the paper you are using, is that one that has been sold for dye sub use ? This may sound daft but it is worth checking you are printing onto the right side of it.

What temperatures have you used ? what pressure and what length press ? Did you heat up the press before you began ? What press are you using ?

A lot of people have some problems when they first start out – it’s a learning curve. One of the things that I did to minimise waste etc was to print a number of images onto the paper and then cut each into seperate bits to print. I then cut a t-shirt into pieces too and used those to practice pressing on.

It saved on the shirts and the paper – and because I had approached it in this way I didn’t get tooooooo irritated if it didn’t work, because I wasn’t wasting lots of material.

I would probably find the cheapest roll of polyester I could in a local store and buy a meter or so of it purely to practice on.

Firstly though, if you can let us know the make of your press, age, and all of the settings you are using it will help us to spot if there is something obvious that is easily altered. If a second hand press is used are you sure that it is reaching the correct temperature ?

For the dyes to work it is necessary for them to be pressed at about 170 degrees celsius, much lower than that and the chemical reaction won’t occur properly. That has just made me think of something else – check how your temp is being measured, F or C ? are you using the correct temp for the reading ?

Saph

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http://www.subli-nation.co.uk

is another good one

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Hi Pat,

What are you pressing onto the caps ? vinyl, dye sub or transfers ? The settings will vary according to that media firstly. Generally you would press a cap with the same settings as you would a t-shirt.

I am unsure about the bar at the bottom but I can try to find out for you.

Saph 🙂

edit: If I had noticed the board that this had been posted onto I’d have seen it was dye sub !

Use the same settings as you would normally for t-shirt printing, varying the pressure a little til you find the perfect ‘spot’. Pressure tends to be the bug bear of most things because all machines vary depending on age / use / make etc.

I have a feeling that the bar you are referring to at the bottom of the press may have something to do with the fact that the base is adjustable and you can switch the lower platen.

[Saph-D]

Thankyou Andy 🙂

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Hi,

The majority of t-shirt vinyls will be pressed at between 170 and 180 degrees for between 10 – 20 seconds. 3 minutes is very extreme and I have not heard of any that require that time.

I use a variety of vinyls from the new premium vinyl for most fabrics to flock, econofilm, econoplus and others and never have a problem.

My standard routine is

1. preheat the t-shirt for 5 – 10 seconds to remove any moisture & creases.

2. line up the transfer on the material and tape in place if necessary with an application tape – mine is paper style.

3. Press for 10 – 20 seconds depending on the vinyl I am using at 170 – 180 degrees

4. Raise the platen slowly so that there isn’t a gush of cold air which can make the edges lift / curl

5. Allow the vinyl to cool before removing.

I’ll take a peek at the vinyl you are using. I tried numerous ones before I found the econofilm range and wouldn’t switch now. the premium vinyl has an adhesive backing, the others all just have a support sheet as such so the vinyl doesn’t stick to it.

Saph

[Saph-D]

I’m not positive but that may be linked to the ‘working’ memory as such, it does have a techy name but I have no idea what it is.

Have you tried closing down other applications running in the background ?

If you right click on the dark blue line at the bottom of the monitor and then click task manager, it will have a few tabs at the top which show you how many programs are running, how much cpu process they are taking up and the ‘physical memory’ ( thats what I was thinking of up there ) available and being used.

It may help, possibly, perhaps ? 🙂

Saph

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Hope you are feeling a bit better.

Remember not to drink Grapefruit juice or Pomegranate juice if you are on anti-histamines ~ can cause serious side effects. ( Actually for that matter don’t drink Pomegranate juice if you are on Statins either ! )

Amazing how many people are in the dark about the drinks and anti-histamines though. Tons of information about it on the internet if you are interested in reading more.

Just thought I’d drop in a little warning as it is so relevant to this thread.

Saph 🙂

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More and more veterinary surgeries are running ‘puppy parties’ these days. The idea behind them is that the puppies are brought in after having had their jabs one evening a week for a month or so during which time they meet other puppies to play but more importantly are handled by clients.

This is done by playing pass the parcel with the puppies – when the music stops the puppy could be on anyones lap ~ at this time the holders are asked to ‘pick up a foot’ or touch the inner fold of the ear etc. This is so that puppies become used to be ‘examined’ by a stranger in preparation for future vet visits.

The purpose of all that garb is to say that it is the ideal time for a photographer to snap images of the puppy and sell on the final canvas image. The majority of people who buy puppies want everyone to admire them – they tend to spend a fortune on them, and knowing that they only stay ‘this cute’ for so long means people are more inclined to buy an image.

Obviously the same goes for any form of printing here, especially dye sub where mousemats are a great favourite.

[Saph-D]

(mod-edit)

[Saph-D]

WoW !

[Saph-D]

I use teflon pillows to avoid the problems with buttons, pockets etc.

Be careful what heat tape you use because you can a) find some dye on the shirt if it is a coloured tape and b) find that it leaves a mark on the pile.

For vinyl I use the new Premium vinyl which has a sticky back but cuts and weeds really easily. I also leave a weeding box which helps with showing a straight line, but I do buy in different size application tape – I think it is better to pay out for that than to find ruined shirts because something is off centre or crooked.

Most of mine I place and press by eye and am lucky that they are usually central and straight.

If necessary I lie the shirt on a flat surface, measure up from each side to the desired level and put a pin in near the seem on each side – lie a long ruler across and lightly tape the transfer/vinyl down. Sounds long winded but it actually isn’t. Once I have done the design on one shirt I can normally see the right height needed and just lie the ruler across to tape down the transfer.

On other occasions I have measured from the middle of the neck down.

[Saph-D]

I have had some from Target Transfers, they offer a range of different papers/transfers not just plastisol, depends on the fabric its going onto and whether or not it is dye subbed etc.

I’d recommend them any time, turn round was pretty fast too. I also print my own, depends on how busy I am and the number required. I use Targets Softjet for lights and Evolution2 for darks and had no probs. I get dye sub paper from Subli-Nation.

Saph

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Hi Hugh,

Have you seen *Zachary* font ? it is very child-like

Saph

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Apologies, I didn’t fully read the rules – I have done so now 🙂

I’ll find an appropriate photo shortly to post.

[Saph-D]

Hi Lynn,

They are in Reading, not tooooo far but far enough. Yes they do offer to show it working prior to purchase which is always comforting. We could collect quite easily as we have a large vehicle with a ‘garage’ boot which it could slide into, if we can manage to lift it.

There is no mention of a dongle, I have already asked him a few questions, I am sure he won’t mind if I ask about that too. So many pitfalls about buying on eBay ~

Peter, thankyou for your message, I have responded 🙂 Pic ? hmmmm I will have to try to find one that isn’t too scary. In the meantime I will find something a little feminine to give members a gender hint :lol1:

Saph

[Saph-D]

Thank you for your patience with me. I initially understood a plotter to be the drawing function and not the cutting function – so that didn’t help matters lol.

I have looked at your link Peter, superb graphics on that van – I can only dream of producing anything with such clarity.

It is sounding more and more as though this is the way to go now. As long as it is simple to cut too ! ( Although having said that, initially it will be very simple boxed or oval outlines and so could even be hand cut if necessary. )

Thank you, you are, between you all, saving me a lot of heartache. My eyes are on stalks at the moment from so much reading. It’s often difficult to shift an initial impression that you have, with mine being that I should have been looking for a printer / cutter capable of banners.

I just need to remind myself that all things in their own time and that I can work up to banners if I find it necessary to do so.

I will place a bid on eBay – and perhaps ask the seller if they would be willing to accept a buy it now offer., unlikely but may be worth asking. What would you expect a second hand outfit like this to be sold for ?

Hugh I am not too far from you and come over to Eastbourne quite often as we have friends in Bexhill. We’re in Lindfield, mid Sussex.

Again thank you all for offering your advice – it is too easy to allow exuberance and excitement to run away with you and result in the wrong purchase.

Saph

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The cutter I have has an optical eye.

I am in touch with a chap on ebay selling a Gerber – his write up includes this ~

Good condition gerber edge vinyl printer with good condition 380 plotter and also gerber omega software. Every thing you need to get started in digital print in sign writing excellent if youve just stared or even if you have been going sometime brilliant for vinyl decals in full colour plus photos labels stickers etc.

We will throw in the colour foil cartridges plus vinyl and head cleaner + roll of vinyl everything to get you started.

We can also show you the gerber in production before you purchase the machine if asked…

This is a great machine which would suit a small sign company who are taking their first steps into the full colour sign world, or as a secondary machine for a very busy company who already have a digital printer. This Gerber Edge is going to be a great bargain for somebody and it will pay for itself very, very quickly. The production of small to medium size stickers, printed and cut, is a piece of cake, and very profitable.

The ability to print gold, silver and even white makes it very versatile. Large full colour images can also be produced, whether artwork or photographic, and very large images can be tiled up in sections, with almost invisible joins when using good quality vinyl.

From what you are saying it doesn’t print and cut ? Would be awfully useful it if did. It sounds as though it is what I could use though as I can’t really afford to buy a new printer cutter, but it does ‘look’ a little old. I am obviously nervous about making a mistake and wasting what little money I have available to spend for this type of item.

I was offered a Versacamm for £3.6k which I accepted but it appears that this is not going to happen now, much to my disappointment. I have looked at the items on here which are reduced, but they too are a little out of my reach just yet.

It may be that I have to bide my time and wait until something pops up which is just right for me and at the right price.

Saph ( ps I am a she 🙂

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*hair*

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quote KARL WILLIAMS:

Well, what do you know? I’ve one phone call from a bunch of kids asking for oral, and now the little bast*rds have nicked one of the banners. I should be angry but I can’t stop laughing! 👿 :lol1:

I have to say that this has to be the best thread I have read on any forum in a long long time. I just about spit out my drink laughing when I read this post.

(spin)

[Saph-D]

quote Chris Wool:

out of interest can dye sub go to standard vinyl.

chris

Thankyou all for your comments – I’ll look, in the first instance, for a stand alone printer as it makes economic sense to do that initially (unless of course a cadet or versacamm throws itself at me for a great price 🙂 )

I’m thrilled to hear that lamination isn’t a vital part of the vinyl printing process but is an optional extra ! If I find that the income from this part of my printing warrants a laminator I’ll invest in one in the future.

Regarding dye sub onto standard vinyl – I have yet to come across one that is suitable, primarily because of the problems associated with temperature. The dyes have to attain a temperature of 180 degrees before they are ‘activated’ as such. At that temp they convert into a gas and are laid down onto the substrate before reverting to a solid.

I have heard of some that can be used, but I have also heard that they are not very successful and so haven’t attempted them myself.

Thankyou again for your advice ~ I’ll concentrate my efforts on reading about printers and associated inks now – especially the gerber.

Saph 🙂

[Saph-D]

Hi,

Did you do a hot or cold peel on it ? Cold peel seems to be better in my opinion.

If the fabric has been treated it might not work, do you have any idea what temperature the jacket will tolerate ? I pressed one item at 175 degrees for 15 seconds – quite a bit higher than the recommended temperature, but it worked a treat.