Slightly Washed Out Colours on T Shirt (Xpres)

[thomasf86]

Hey guys.

I'm new here, so please feel free to correct me on anything I'm not doing correctly.

I've got a Chinese Press, Xpres T shirts and an Epson 235 (I know it's a low end printer), cooking at 350F (176 C) for 60 seconds.

The colours are coming out even (what a relief with a Chinese press), but slightly faded, ie not as red as I want, or as red as the printed page.

I've attached a couple of images of a shirt below.

If any of you could give me a little advice, I'd appreciate that! I have a feeling my temp might be too low, but I'd rather get some advice before I start experimenting on pricey blanks!

Thanks

Thomas

PS It's just a camera phone, apologies for the slightly low quality pictures.

[Justin]

I'd lift the temp. to 190/200c and see if that makes a difference. Could well be the paper or inks you're using though. What paper? I'm guessing inks aren't Sawgrass approved so please don't name them here.

[thomasf86]

I'll be upgrading to an A3 printer in the near future, and when I do I'll be moving to a Sawgrass approved large format ink.

I happen to work for one of the UKs main Ink suppliers as a day job...

[thomasf86]

Also, to further clarify, things are turning out in a satisfactory manner on mugs.

[mrs maggot]

thomas, if you are not happy with that shirt, i suggest you use it to perfect your timing & temp, cut the shirt open, and then you will be able to press a lot more times on it - and you can use the sleeves for future "test runs"

[pisquee]

Assuming that the fabric is 100% polyester..
Agree with above points of doing test prints on small sections of the fabric, and trying temps of 200 at 1 minute.
Fabric will print differently to mugs, and maybe you will want to have different bespoke ICC profiles created for the different substrates you will be printing to.

[Listawood]

Hello Thomas
We always recommend a minimum of 35% polyester for a good result but of course 100% polyester is the best way to go. Start at 200c for 45 seconds and see what the results are like, if it is still a bit faded then try increasing the time in 10 seconds steps
The type of paper you are using can also have an impact on your results. As you are using an Epson printer you could try using a high release paper such as JetCol which is perfect for clothing and textiles. This paper does need some time to dry but will release more ink during the sublimation process which is what these items need.
Best regards
Kris

[thomasf86]

Hi Guys

Thanks for all your advice.

These Ts are 100% poly, really good quality.

I increased the temp to 400F (200C) for 55 seconds and I've got a really really rich, full colour image, I'll update with a picture later today :).

I feel like I've possibly been channelling the dark gods with Dye Sub. With a cheap machine, ink and paper, I've managed to produce absolutely stellar results on my first or second go with almost every blank I've tried. I put it down to studying these forums intensely for a good few months!

[Xpres]

Couldn't have said it better than Kris @ Listawood. Solid advice there!

[Stitch Up]

Hi Guys

I'll update with a picture later today :).

What happened to the pictures?