Plotting A Course To Vinyl Heat Transfers

[Catspit Productions]

Having a plotter and the appropriate software for creating vinyl heat transfers may also be an option for people working at home who want to make custom printed clothing. The use of vinyl heat transfers may also be an excellent addition of services to an existing screen printing shop. This method uses a plotter which is like a printer but has a blade and can cut thin materials with paper or plastic backings. There is actually a wide range of uses for a plotter like this in a screenprinting shop but most often it is used to cut vinyl transfer materials using design software to run the plotter and a custom design. You can read a bit more about this method among other heat transfer processes here:

http://catspitproductionsllc.com/screen ... icles.html

Vinyl heat transfers use colored vinyl materials which may have solid colors or patterns and metallic effects. Flocking can also be done in this manner with a roll of flocking material that you cut with a plotter. There are a lot of new specialty materials made for this process today. It’s a great way to add some easy bling to screen printed garments. You can also easily do names and numbers with this process. The use of layers can create multi colored “spot” color designs as well.

Do you use a plotter and vinyl heat transfers? What kind of plotter do you have and what software do you use? Do you like the overall results of this process? How good is the durability of this process in your opinion?

[ApeShirt]

My plotter is a Cricut, lol

[Catspit Productions]

My plotter is a Cricut, lol

Hey, I wish I had at least that. I still have to get set up with a plotter system. I think it would be a great asset in my shop.

[Free Man]

So is there a special vinyl to buy for heat transfers? I mean, how does it stick to the shirt?, do you add an adhesive to the vinyl or? Noticed that theres a backing of sorts that you peel off, does one add that to vinyl or does it come with it?

[Catspit Productions]

Yes you buy a vinyl for heat transfers. It’s a special thermo type film. It comes with the backing for pressing. It should be what you cut it out and weed it on as well. You cut it in reverse so when you press it reads right.

[Free Man]

thanks

[ApeShirt]

So is there a special vinyl to buy for heat transfers? I mean, how does it stick to the shirt?, do you add an adhesive to the vinyl or? Noticed that theres a backing of sorts that you peel off, does one add that to vinyl or does it come with it?

Heat press.

[sdbordeaux]

I only decorate apparel with a heat press and either vinyl transfers or screen printed transfers.

My shop setup

Equipment:
Roland GX-24
Hotronix 16x20 auto open clam

Software:
CorelDraw x5
Roland Cut Studio
WinPCSIGN PRO 2012

Vinyl transfers are an excellent way to produce one-offs and small runs keeping costs low to the customer. Washability is excellent when using high quality materials and will last just as long as a screen printed garment when proper care instructions are followed.

This is a 3 color vinyl one-off that I made for a customer...created in CorelDraw x5, exported as an eps, and cut in Roland Cut Studio.


I'd be happy to answer any questions about cutting vinyl and/or heat pressing

[nswpr]

Hi Guys,

We own 2 Graphtec Plotters one is the CE-5000-40 Craft ROBO CONTOUR CUTTING PLOTTER 15" and the CE-5000-60 CONTOUR CUTTING PLOTTER 24".

We use it to cut numbers, names and some one color logos for sport uniforms we make in our shop.

We use Polyflex Vinyl and like sdbordeaux said the washability is excellent when using high quality materials and will last as long as a screen printed garment.

[OffsetnScreen]

I am using the Roland Gx-24 with CutStudio to cut, but created in Illustrater7., old I know, I installed the plug-in to cut direct from Illustrater, there are no rulers in Cut Studio that I can see like the Adobe products., I will get exact sizing with Illustrater and cut in CutStudio. I have Corel, but havent used it yet, I had...my favorite,,,UltraFlexi-7, but the dongle got stolen with my laptop and the best they could offer was to upgrade the software and dongle for 300, bucks.It'll have to wait for now. I like Cut-Studio for the fact that when you mirror the image before cutting, for thermal transfer material, the software remembers, however when you go back to cutting letter vinyl, you must change it back or risk wasting materials. Weeding of the thermal vinyl was a bit more difficult on small stuff, particularly thin lines 10 points or less they tend to stretch during the weeding process. I wouldnt want to try to weed a line any less than 12 points. Registering my 2 colors on a shirt was done by hand before the heat was applied, although I was told that they may be done separately...bigger chance for misregistration I say.
So folks at a local pub that buys lots of coozies, shirts, hoodies, several times a year for 2 pubs, from another vendor, asked if I could make a shirt, a one-of, for them and I suggested we make the additions to their current shirt. They gave me one, and I took it and scanned the part of the image I needed to fit into their existing artwork for the sizing to be exactly 100% sizing , in PhotoShop, Set the type and imported the image I needed, ran the create paths action and saved the path out as an Illustrater ai. file, stroked the path in Illustrater before exporting to CutStudio to cut, found a scrap piece of thermal and cheated the size with other scrap vinyl to fool the Roland eye, mirror cut what was needed , weeded it, and heat applied it. It never looked better, I was impressed, they were impressed, win win for all. Yea, I got a big pitcher of Yuengling out of the deal. Mostly it was a learning experience to see if I could do it. I see that there are lots of bling thermal things that can be done with it. Peace...