Does this work?

[fredster]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUBLIMATION-CO...item4aa533e943

anyone used this ? ...just a thought :D

[TransferGraeme]

Over the last few years we have seen a number of these "miracle liquids" and as yet we have not seen one that we are prepared to offer to our customers.

There are a number of problems which occur to a greater or lesser extent, not only with these liquids for garments, but also the range of options available for "hard" items.

If used under optimum conditions and with a bit of luck you can get fantastic results ..... BUT ......

You need to spray very evenly and very accurately, in a dust free atmosphere (not only whilst spraying but throughout the curing period)
Some of them need to be cured at very specific temperatures for very specific times or else for a considerable while to aircure otherwise they go a strange yellowish colour.
We saw one for garments which looked fantastic when printed but the first time it was washed at 30 degrees (and this was the sample the manufacturer sent us) it peeled off like a scab on a 6-year-old's knee (do 6 year-olds today have scabby knees like my generation had?)
Some of them leave a stiff feel in the fabric which makes the softest cotton t-shirt feel like an old army tent

Are you getting the feeling I don't like them much?

I would love to find a substance which made sublimation of cotton t-shirts possible - and the person who develops it will become very rich - but on the evidence I've seen so far I'm not convinced it will be any time soon :(

[fredster]

love the scabby knee analogy ... lol

i thought as much when i saw it but like to ask others views on stuff like this :D

[bms]

There is an aerosol version of this available on the market now as well, but I'd share Graeme's concerns. We've not heard of fantastic volume results using this spray, but on some smaller items it appears to work quite well.

For the cotton t-shirts there is a material called sublimation preparation paper which is heat pressed into cotton t-shirts and it infuses 'polyester' into the t-shirt. This was supplied by Tropical Graphics in Canada and it's called 'SOFTEE PREP SHEET'

Softee Prep Sheet is a great product that enables you to sublimate to 50/50 cotton/polyester shirts. It gives you the image durability and a soft touch you always wanted to have with your imaged fabrics.

[Ian M]

For the cotton t-shirts there is a material called sublimation preparation paper which is heat pressed into cotton t-shirts and it infuses 'polyester' into the t-shirt. This was supplied by Tropical Graphics in Canada and it's called 'SOFTEE PREP SHEET'

Softee Prep Sheet is a great product that enables you to sublimate to 50/50 cotton/polyester shirts. It gives you the image durability and a soft touch you always wanted to have with your imaged fabrics.

I wish someone could get their hands on some of this as it would sort out my problem of being able to print some small baby grows as nobody has any polyester ones anywhere. At least we could use the cotton baby grows to put us on to complete orders.

Ian

[fredster]

one of the reasons i asked is for small breast prints onto cotton tees...would be great if it did work...
i too would also like to try that cotton stuff martin mentions :D :D :D

[bms]

I wish someone could get their hands on some of this

Tropical Graphics in Canada will supply to you directly. You could always contact them for pricing and shipping costs.

In the early days of the forum there was mention of co-op buying power. If there are a few people interested in trying this then why don't you get together and share the costs of bringing it in?

[DREAMGLASS]

I've tried a similar liquid which worked as such, but the results tended to be inconsistent as it is extremely difficult to spray the liquid accurately onto the garments.

Probably OK for doing 'one offs' but you couldn't realistically use it commercially without investing in a dedicated spray area and a good quality spray gun.

[Ian M]

Just had a look at Tropical Graphics website & the 'SOFTEE PREP SHEETS' info on there. A review says that you will loose some of the colour in the first wash & they suggest that the first wash is in cold water with a mild detergent. It also seems to say that the image can fade with other washes over time too. Then at the end it contradicts everything & says they have used it on Fruit of the Loom 50/50 shirts with great results.

http://www.tropicalgraphics.ca/

Might give it a miss or wait till someone else tries it first. ;)

Ian