new here, new to dtf

[dsknectd]

Just want to say hi and also ask for some advise,

background: i already have a epson wf-7710 converted to do sublimation, a 30x40cm swing arm heat press, a 40x60 clam shell heat press and a pixmax 610 plotter converted to take roland blades 

i have got a epson 1500W that i want to convert to dtf printing, i do have a ciss for it but i think im going to keep to cartridges for now for ease of use in way of cleaning and shaking white etc as to start i will not be doing massive amounts of prints, im thinking of setting up the swing arm as a cure press for the powder as i dont use it for anything at the minute i plan to use acrorip 9.03 easy and cheap to get hold of 

question 1 - would there be any advantage to welding steel flats to 3 side of the clam shell press to make the heat a bit more directional ?

question 2 - can i cut the film from a roll to A3 size sheets on a plotter (money saving really)

question 3 - iv seen people say mixing black powder with white to stop colour bleed from the shirt colour is there really any benefit to this and at what ratio 

question 4 - i want to get a nice soft thin feeling transfer would fine or medium powder be the better way to go 

sorry for all the questions and thanks for any and all advise i think opendtf is great sharing info to help everyone there is so many people that like to keep all info to themself so i have already taken a membership and hope it helps in some small way to keep such a great fourm going 

kind regards michael

[johnson4]

53 minutes ago, dsknectd said:

Just want to say hi and also ask for some advise,

background: i already have a epson wf-7710 converted to do sublimation, a 30x40cm swing arm heat press, a 40x60 clam shell heat press and a pixmax 610 plotter converted to take roland blades 

i have got a epson 1500W that i want to convert to dtf printing, i do have a ciss for it but i think im going to keep to cartridges for now for ease of use in way of cleaning and shaking white etc as to start i will not be doing massive amounts of prints, im thinking of setting up the swing arm as a cure press for the powder as i dont use it for anything at the minute i plan to use acrorip 9.03 easy and cheap to get hold of 

question 1 - would there be any advantage to welding steel flats to 3 side of the clam shell press to make the heat a bit more directional ?

question 2 - can i cut the film from a roll to A3 size sheets on a plotter (money saving really)

question 3 - iv seen people say mixing black powder with white to stop colour bleed from the shirt colour is there really any benefit to this and at what ratio 

question 4 - i want to get a nice soft thin feeling transfer would fine or medium powder be the better way to go 

sorry for all the questions and thanks for any and all advise i think opendtf is great sharing info to help everyone there is so many people that like to keep all info to themself so i have already taken a membership and hope it helps in some small way to keep such a great fourm going 

kind regards michael

Hi, welcome to the forum! I’ll try to help the best I can. 
 

1. possibly, but I don’t think it would help as much as you would think. 
 

2. of course, I buy everything in rolls and cut it down if I use sheets. 
 

3.no idea, I have never heard of it.

4. fine powder, but it’s hard to keep From sticking everywhere it should. I use medium and it’s fine. The major thing is the type of print, if it’s a big block of solid print, it will feel like plastic unless you rasterize it and halftone it etc. 

[dsknectd]

16 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Hi, welcome to the forum! I’ll try to help the best I can. 
 

1. possibly, but I don’t think it would help as much as you would think. 
 

2. of course, I buy everything in rolls and cut it down if I use sheets. 
 

3.no idea, I have never heard of it.

4. fine powder, but it’s hard to keep From sticking everywhere it should. I use medium and it’s fine. The major thing is the type of print, if it’s a big block of solid print, it will feel like plastic unless you rasterize it and halftone it etc. 

thank you so much for your reply 

1, i will try without first and i can use something i can remove after as a test see which is better

2 perfect

3 taken from the site i plan to buy my rolls, ink etc as im from the uk 

"Black DTF blockout powder is used to block garment colour or patterns that might be visible through the transfer. It is best mixed with standard, white DTF powder that can be found here in order to improve washability as black powder on is not as strong on its own. Please do your own wash testing as results will vary."

4 i think i will go with medium then some of my images are more blocks of colour so will have to test that out find the best settings 

just trying to use bit a have already save where i can  clam shell press just been sat there since i upgraded 

[johnson4]

Totally understandable. What I did, I modified the heat press and use that to cure. I made the heated plate(top) on the bottom, so you lay the film ON the heated platen instead of hovering. Works perfect, quick too. Don’t forget, your going to have a lot of fumes coming from curing. A hood/vent/exhaust etc would be really something you should consider. 

[dsknectd]

3 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Totally understandable. What I did, I modified the heat press and use that to cure. I made the heated plate(top) on the bottom, so you lay the film ON the heated platen instead of hovering. Works perfect, quick too. Don’t forget, your going to have a lot of fumes coming from curing. A hood/vent/exhaust etc would be really something you should consider. 

ok sounds intresting do you have any pictures at all and thats something i could do quite easy as its swing away just unscrew it and drop it on the bottom plate and do you put a sheet between the transfer and the heat plate or just put it on the plate as in guess you do it white ink side up away from the heat

[johnson4]

7 minutes ago, dsknectd said:

ok sounds intresting do you have any pictures at all and thats something i could do quite easy as its swing away just unscrew it and drop it on the bottom plate and do you put a sheet between the transfer and the heat plate or just put it on the plate as in guess you do it white ink side up away from the heat

I actually made mine a roll printing “machine” and used this idea for the curing. I use it to cure both roll and sheet printed things. Nothing in between, ink side up. Depends on the print ( ink layer thickness) but it doesn’t take very long at around 300 degrees F. I would say roughly 30 seconds or so. When I roll print with it it always comes out perfectly cured. 

[johnson4]

The heat press can barely be seen, it’s the blue where the film comes out. I use the way it’s situated as a hood, and a way to trap the heat. 

[dsknectd]

4 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

The heat press can barely be seen, it’s the blue where the film comes out. I use the way it’s situated as a hood, and a way to trap the heat. 

wow thats some set up mate  looks good  thank you for all the help gives me alot to think about and how to set bits up  

[johnson4]

7 minutes ago, dsknectd said:

wow thats some set up mate  looks good  thank you for all the help gives me alot to think about and how to set bits up  

Thanks and Not a problem.