Top 42 How To Heat Set Screen Printing Ink With Heat Press Top 101 Best Answers

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Allow the ink on your garment to air dry for 2-3 days. You can place by a fan in a well ventilated room to speed up the drying process. Using a heat press, set to 320 degrees, press the garment for at least 40 seconds. Repeat the process until your entire design has been heated.Hover the heat press right above the print to let the heat evaporate the water content. Once it is dry, press onto it for 30-45 seconds. If you add Warp Drive to the ink, press it for 20-30 seconds and set it off to the side to let it finish chemically curing the ink.For standard plastisol inks, set between 330°-350° and heat pressing it for 10-12 seconds with a medium pressure. A medium pressure means that you should press firmly down onto the press when applying transfer to the garment.

Contents

How long do you heat press screen print ink?

Hover the heat press right above the print to let the heat evaporate the water content. Once it is dry, press onto it for 30-45 seconds. If you add Warp Drive to the ink, press it for 20-30 seconds and set it off to the side to let it finish chemically curing the ink.

What temperature do you press a screen print?

For standard plastisol inks, set between 330°-350° and heat pressing it for 10-12 seconds with a medium pressure. A medium pressure means that you should press firmly down onto the press when applying transfer to the garment.

How long do you heat press speedball ink?

Allow the ink on your garment to air dry for 2-3 days. You can place by a fan in a well ventilated room to speed up the drying process. Using a heat press, set to 320 degrees, press the garment for at least 40 seconds. Repeat the process until your entire design has been heated.

What temp does ink cure at?

Water-based ink cures at 300° – 320°F. Discharge ink cures at 320°F. All that being said there are low-cure plastisol inks. These inks cure at 275° – 280°F.

Do you need to heat set speedball ink?

Heat setting is the final step in the screen printing process when using Speedball water-based inks. Applying heat to your shirt makes the ink permanent (sets the ink). If you don’t heat set Speedball fabric ink before you put your item in the wash, the ink will not hold up.

How do you heat set speedball fabric ink?

To heat set, use iron as directed on product packaging. Use of dryers, even commercial dryers, is not recommended as settings do not consistently reach temperatures high enough to properly heat set the inks on the fabric. What do I need to use for cleanup after printing with Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Inks?

How do I stop my screen printing from bleeding?

Image bleeding at its edges:

This happens when too much ink is passing through the screen. Ensure that you are using a squeegee that is approximately a 45-degree angle to the screen. Pull the ink through the ink once. Pulling the ink more than once will put too much ink on the screen and cause bleeding.

Does speedball ink need to be cured?

Speedball Screen Printing ink offers great coverage, smooth workability, and easy cleanup. This water-based ink is permanent on fabric once properly heat set. After printing on fabric your ink will dry, but you still need to “cure” your ink to the fabric, also known as heat setting.

What temp should I set my heat press for cotton?

Know Your Fabric

100 percent cotton requires the highest temperature, which is around 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Polyester responds to a more delicate 270, so be careful with it! Many types of fabrics take well to the heat transfer between 315 and 350, but if you’re not sure, consult your heat press machine’s manual.

Are screen prints cold or hot peel?

Screen print transfers have to be peeled HOT. Not warm, not cold. This means you need to peel the paper immediately after you are finished pressing.

What temp should I set my heat press for polyester?

When pressing fabrics made of polyester, it’s highly recommended that you stick to low temperatures. The perfect values for time and temperature are 270 °F for about 10 seconds.

Can you cure screen print with iron?

Before you can wash your T-shirt, you’ll need to cure the print with some heat. You can cure your print by passing it through a special heat tunnel, or you can simply use an iron and a piece of brown paper.

Can you cure plastisol ink with an iron?

Using an Iron

If you’re using plastisol inks, you need to gel the ink first before curing it. Gelling means bringing the ink to a semi-dried state at around 240 – 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Hover the iron over the ink (do not come in contact with wet ink) until you reach gelling temperature – check using a temp gun.

Heat Setting Screen Printed fabric – Drawing Fluid Screen Filler Method (Part 8 of 8)

how to heat set screen printing ink with heat press

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how to heat set screen printing ink with heat press

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How to Cure a T-shirt With Heat Press - Ryonet Answers Screen Printing Facebook Questions On Youtube - YouTube — How to Cure a T-shirt With Heat Press – Ryonet Answers Screen Printing Facebook Questions On Youtube – YouTube

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CURING VIA HEAT GUN

CURING WITH A HEAT PRESS

CURING VIA FLASH DRYER

CURING WITH A CONVEYOR DRYER

TESTS TO SEE IF INK HAS CURED

LASER TEMPERATURE GUN VS DONUT PROBE

Ensuring Proper Ink Curing | by ScreenPrinting.com

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Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How To Screen Print With Plastisol Heat Transfers | by ScreenPrinting.com Updating Screen printing heat transfers can seem daunting but in reality, it’s fairly simple. If made properly, plastisol heat transfers can last almost as long as a screen prints and can be much easier to apply in certain scenarios. Here are a few ways screen printing your own transfers can help your business: Pre-Printed Desi
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GENERAL OVERVIEW OF HEAT TRANSFERS

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

MAKING THE SCREEN(S)

SCREEN PRINTING THE TRANSFER

TIME TO CURE! WAIT A SECOND

HEAT PRESSING

TEST AND BE PATIENT

How To Screen Print With Plastisol Heat Transfers | by ScreenPrinting.com

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Summary of article content: Articles about Heat Setting Fabric Inks | How to and technical support | Iron Setting | Fabric Ink Setting Press The best way to heat set is by leaving your designs naturally air dry for as long as possible (2-3 days) as this will allow most of the water medium to … …
Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Heat Setting Fabric Inks | How to and technical support | Iron Setting | Fabric Ink Setting Press The best way to heat set is by leaving your designs naturally air dry for as long as possible (2-3 days) as this will allow most of the water medium to … EZIscreen ‘How to’ and support for heat setting fabric inks – Aquatex and permasetheat, setting, fabric, ink, press, time, temperature, screen
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The setting process

Technique

Setting Aqua Ink for PlasticMetals

Heat Setting Fabric Inks | How to and technical support | Iron Setting | Fabric Ink Setting Press

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Where to Use the Screen-Printing Method

DIY Screen Printing and Cure the Ink

Screen Print Ink and Alternative of Heatpress

Steps of Heat Set Screen Printing Ink with Heat Press

Conclusion

Ensuring Proper Ink Curing

Curing your prints is one of the last steps of the screen printing process, but it is one of the most important steps. Ink needs to be cured properly so it sets into the garment. If the ink does not cure fully, it will crack, fall apart, and not last for long. Printers use either heat guns, heat presses, flash dryers, or conveyor dryers to cure inks. Let’s take a look at how each curing device works.

Before we dive in, let’s note that the temperature ink cures at depends on the ink itself. Water-based ink like Green Galaxy will cure between 300°-320°. Plastisol inks like Wilflex Epic Spot Process cure at 320°: but low-cure plastisol inks exist, like FN-INK™, which cures at 260°. The temperature that an ink cures at means that ink needs to reach that temp from the top to the bottom layer. Before purchasing and using an ink, learn what it needs to achieve full cure before implementing it in your shop. We’ll address what each piece of curing equipment can do for different types of ink.

CURING VIA HEAT GUN

Using a heat gun is an inexpensive way to apply heat to ink, but how effective is it? Heat guns are great for prints on small areas like the chest. When the design gets bigger, it’s more difficult to maintain the consistency of heat across the entire print. It’s possible to get some sections too hot where they bubble, while other sections don’t reach cure temp. There’s no true understanding of the actual temperature the heat gun is emitting.

If a heat gun is the method you’re using to cure garments, make sure you’re being careful because it’s a high chance that the inks will not hit its cure temperature. For plastisol ink, apply the heat gun to the garment until it’s dry to the touch. Make sure you’re holding it directly above the print. Apply heat to the garment until it’s dry to the touch. Then perform a wash test (more on that later).

Insider’s Tip: Low cure plastisol ink on a cotton shirt will be easier to reach its cure temp since you do not have to get the ink as hot. You will still need to perform tests on it to see if it has fully cured.

Heat guns are not a good option for printing water-based. If you’re gung-ho about printing water-based ink, there is a work-around. First, mix Warp Drive, a low-cure additive, into your ink. Once you have finished printing, use the heat gun to evaporate the water from the ink. Apply the heat gun until the print is dry to the touch. Let the garment sit for 48 hours. The Warp Drive will chemically cure the ink.

You won’t be curing discharge ink with a heat gun. Keep reading to find out when you can.

A heat gun is basically small flash unit. Using a heat gun as a curing device is doable, but only for small runs. Remember that it will be difficult to maintain consistent heat across the entirety of print. It will be a trial-and-error process. Make sure to test out each new job before going into production.

CURING WITH A HEAT PRESS

A heat press is essentially a conveyor dryer without the conveyor belt. A heat press is a fantastic way to cure inks because it provides a stable heat source. It gives a readout of any temperature fluctuation while you’re using it. If a shop is already printing vinyl, a heat press will be an excellent, multi-use tool.

Curing with a heat press is incredibly simple. For plastisol ink, read the label to discover the cure temp and set the heat press to be 20-30 degrees above that cure temperature. Use light to medium pressure. Place a teflon sheet on the print. Press for 20-30 seconds. Make sure you perform a wash test to double-check that the ink has fully cured.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE HEAT PRESS IS A PRINTER’S SECRET TOOL

Guess what, printing water-based is doable when you have a heat press! Set the heat press at 330 degrees with light to medium pressure. Place a heat resistant non-stick sheet on the print. When curing a water-based print, the ink layer needs to breathe in order to evaporate the moisture. Hover the heat press right above the print to let the heat evaporate the water content. Once it is dry, press onto it for 30-45 seconds. If you add Warp Drive to the ink, press it for 20-30 seconds and set it off to the side to let it finish chemically curing the ink.

A heat press is a no-can-do for discharge ink. Keep going.

Do not forget to TEST. Perform a wash test before going into production.

CURING VIA FLASH DRYER

Flash dryers are a common way to cure shirts if you are just starting out in the screen printing business. They’re much more consistent than a heat gun. They are both compact and relatively inexpensive. A variety of different flash dryers exist on the market. They range in sizes from 16×16 to 28×28. Shops need a flash dryer for printing multiple colors, so some will also use it as a curing device.

When using a flash to cure, you first need to consider variables like the temperature of room (pay attention in winter and height of summer, very outside parameter, how long it takes to warm up platens); the type of t-shirt material; the kind of flash, the type of platen; and the temperature of ink, shirt, and platen.

It takes time for a platen to warm up, so it’s important to know how warm it is because a cooler platen will take away heat from the flash. Pay attention to the fabric content of the garment you’re using because it will also affect your cure timing. For example, cotton can absorb moisture. Water cools down the space that it’s in until it’s completely evaporated from a heat source. Synthetic materials heat up faster because they don’t hold moisture. The more you know about the garment material, the better for you.

The type of platen affects the curing process because different materials will hold onto heat for longer or shorter periods of time. The aluminum platens take awhile to heat up, but they hold heat very well. A platen that can hold heat means it’s quicker to achieve full cure since the garment is receiving heat from above and below.

Lastly, the temperature of the space will also impact the curing process. On a toasty day, inks are smooth like butter, machines run faster, and the garments are warm. Printers can flash at their normal times, if not faster. If a shop is cold, inks and garments will need more time to heat up, which may slow down production. It’s important to take in account for all these variables so you know how to adjust accordingly and run a smooth production.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FACTORS THAT AFFECT CURING TIMES

To start, you should warm the platen, shirt, and ink because it’ll make flashing and curing easier. Pull the shirt off of the platen after printing so heat can get underneath the print. Heat penetration goes faster because it’s not adhered to platen, which would soak up heat. Leaving the shirt adhered to the platen causes issues with letting the heat penetrate the garment. Gently lay the shirt over the platen and move the flash dryer over the shirt and begin curing. Pull out your laser temperature gun and aim it at the middle of the print. Once the ink reaches the cure temp, it’s ready to be tested.

Curing water-based ink is the same here as it was for the heat gun. First, mix Warp Drive, a low-cure additive, into your ink. Once you have finished printing, use the heat gun to evaporate the water from the ink. Apply the flash dryer until the print is dry to the touch. Let the garment sit for 48 hours. The Warp Drive will chemically cure the ink.

Sorry, curing discharge ink with a flash dryer is not safe. But, there’s still one more section…

CURING WITH A CONVEYOR DRYER

If you’re busting out high-volume orders each day, then a conveyor dryer is the way to go. Conveyor dryers run multiple shirts through at a time which helps speed up production. You will need to adjust the speed of the belt and heat accordingly to the garment and the ink you are using.

After your conveyor dryer is up and running you can start placing your t-shirts on the belt and letting them run through. Make sure to grab you use a temp gun or donut probe to see if the ink is hitting the cure temp. Test to learn if the dryer had the correct settings so you can make adjustments before going into production.

In general, water-based inks take longer to cure. You’ll want a forced air conveyor dryer like the Aeolus. Water-based inks need air movement to effectively drive the water out of the ink and move the steam outside the dryer so that the heat can cure the ink. Without proper air movement, most printers either have to slow their belts way down or run the shirts through the dryer multiple times.

If you’re using a conveyor dryer with no forced air, you’ll want to use Warp Drive for curing water-based inks. Warp Drive will ensure the garment hits cure temp since it’s hard to achieve without the forced air.

Guess what, now you can print discharge ink! There’s a reason why a conveyor dryer is the only way to cure discharge ink. During the curing process, formaldehyde and sulphur bonds to create an inert molecule. That molecule is released in the air, so having an enclosed space (a conveyor dryer) is important because it’ll let the molecule do its job while not harming you.

Discharge is water-based ink, so you’ll need a forced conveyor dryer. It’ll lay a thin ink layer which means it will heat up faster, once all the water has evaporated. Discharge is about 70% water in ink, so it’ll take awhile to evaporate. It’s easier to achieve cure, but evaporation is longer.

LEARN MORE ABOUT USING DISCHARGE INK

Just for fun, I’m going to say it again. You need to test, test, and test. Thicker ink deposits will take longer to cure because more mass means it takes longer to penetrate the ink. Various garment types will affect the curing process (i.e. need to ensure polyester does not bleed). With all the variables that can affect the time to achieve proper cure, test to discover what works best.

The length of the tunnel on a conveyor dryer also plays a huge roll. Think of the tunnel as a bullseye on a dartboard. The shorter the dryer, the tinier the bullseye. The longer the dryer, the bigger the bullseye (the bullseye is achieving optimal cure). Shorter tunnel dryers are more difficult to control. It’s like placing a flash unit on top of a conveyor belt. Longer tunnels like the Riley Cure offer more flexibility. It allows you to have more time to mess around with belt speed and temperature, so can fine tune your curing process. Conveyor dryers like the Riley Cure are mainly used for plastisol, but it can work for water-based ink if using Warp Drive.

TESTS TO SEE IF INK HAS CURED

Think of curing like baking a cake. After the timer dings and you pull the cake out of the oven, it may look perfectly baked. Once you stick a toothpick in the middle of the cake, pull it out, and see that it’s still gooey, you then know it needs to be baked for longer. Same idea applies to testing cured ink. It may look cured, but you won’t know for sure until you test.

A printer can perform two tests on a garment to double check that the ink has fully cured. The first test is the stretch test. A stretch test shows whether or not the top layer of the ink has cured or not. After curing the garment, pull on the ink. Stretch the biggest area of ink to see if it cracks. Cracking ink means it wasn’t completely cured. There is a difference between cracked ink and ink film split. Ink film split happens when the ink layer is stretched further than its capabilities. How do you tell the difference between cracking and film split? Ink cracking will be uniform and all over the print. Film split will be scattered and there won’t be a ton of it.

Performing a stretch test will just give you a brief idea of whether or not some curing has occurred. It’s not an accurate way to see if the ink has cured to the bottom layer. Therefore, you need to perform a second test.

The absolute best way to confirm cured ink is with a wash test. Throw the printed shirt in the wash. Wash and dry in the most harsh conditions. Wash it normally. Put it through all the different scenarios people may do when they wash the shirt. Perform the wash test for at least three wash-dry cycles. Don’t be gentle, don’t be careful. How the ink responds to the wash test will tell you everything you need to know. If the ink cracks or parts fall off, it wasn’t properly cured. If it looks just as good as when it came off the press, you’re good to go.

Before you print someone’s order, always test. Print on a few garments and dial in details before printing the final product. Testing may seem tedious, but it’ll save you a time, money, and headaches down the road.

LASER TEMPERATURE GUN VS. DONUT PROBE

A laser temperature gun is a common way to read temperature. All you gotta do is point the laser at the middle of the print to see the ink’s temperature. Just because everyone uses it doesn’t mean it’s the best method. Have you heard of a donut probe before? A donut probe is a small, circular device with two wires that run perpendicularly. Where the wires meet is where it reads the temperature. The biggest difference between a temp gun and a donut probe is that a temp gun picks up a reflective heat reading whereas the donut probe reads the temperature at the point of contact. When tested side-by-side, you will see the temperature gun reading 120°-150° hotter than the donut probe early in the cure cycle. As you reach the end of the dryer, those temperatures will get closer together. As a direct result – you will need to read a surface temp as little as 60° above what stated cure temp is and as much as 100° depending on how short your dryer tunnel is and how hot your settings are.

No matter what device you’re using to cure, the goal is to completely cure the ink, from the top all the way to the bottom. Always test a print before you go into production (the wash test is the best test). If you’re running into issues, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help.

How To Screen Print With Plastisol Heat Transfers

Screen printing heat transfers can seem daunting but in reality, it’s fairly simple. If made properly, plastisol heat transfers can last almost as long as a screen prints and can be much easier to apply in certain scenarios. Here are a few ways screen printing your own transfers can help your business:

Pre-Printed Designs for Events: Have you heard horror stories of shops printing a thousand shirts, then going to an event and selling only a few hundred? Screen printing transfers for an event means a printer can heat press the garment on demand. Printers save a ton of time and money with this option.

Have you heard horror stories of shops printing a thousand shirts, then going to an event and selling only a few hundred? Screen printing transfers for an event means a printer can heat press the garment on demand. Printers save a ton of time and money with this option. Decorating Hats: Screen printing hats is no easy feat. However, printing a transfer on a flat piece of transfer paper and then using a cap heat transfer press to transfer the design onto the hat is easy. Since hats are not often washed, there is really no difference in the longevity of the print.

Screen printing hats is no easy feat. However, printing a transfer on a flat piece of transfer paper and then using a cap heat transfer press to transfer the design onto the hat is easy. Since hats are not often washed, there is really no difference in the longevity of the print. Names for Sports Apparel: Instead of exposing a screen with a bunch of names on it and having to custom place it over garments for the correct position, do a heat transfer. Screen print names on a heat transfer sheet, cut them out, and then heat press them onto the garment. You can even screen print numbers and heat transfer those as well. Note that using a vinyl plotter for printing numbers with heat transfer vinyl may be a little easier.

Instead of exposing a screen with a bunch of names on it and having to custom place it over garments for the correct position, do a heat transfer. Screen print names on a heat transfer sheet, cut them out, and then heat press them onto the garment. You can even screen print numbers and heat transfer those as well. Note that using a vinyl plotter for printing numbers with heat transfer vinyl may be a little easier. Blocked Hole Jersey Printing: Some customers prefer that the holes in mesh jerseys are blocked. Instead of trying to pile ink on top of the jersey, use a heat transfer to keep the ink up on top of the mesh.

Some customers prefer that the holes in mesh jerseys are blocked. Instead of trying to pile ink on top of the jersey, use a heat transfer to keep the ink up on top of the mesh. Blanket Customer Orders: If you have a customer that wants to pick up shirts as they need them, print and store transfers for them so that they can be heat pressed whenever the customer desires.

If you have a customer that wants to pick up shirts as they need them, print and store transfers for them so that they can be heat pressed whenever the customer desires. Neck Label Transfers for Retail Customers or Your Private Label: Whether you own your own apparel line or a customer wants more personal branding on their apparel, using heat transfers is a great way to make neck labels. When creating the label, make sure to include the branding, sizing, wash and wear instructions, fabric content, CPSIA information, and country of origin for fabric.

I know, I know. Tons of reasons for heat transfers clearly exist. How do you go about it? What would you need? Let’s walk through the basic components and process of screen printing your own heat transfers.

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF HEAT TRANSFERS

How do screen printed heat transfers work? A plastisol heat transfer can be screen printed with standard plastisol ink or a special plastisol ink specifically designed for screen printing transfers. If you are not solely screen printing transfers you can use your standard plastisol ink. The ink is printed in reverse (reverse image) onto a heat transfer paper that has a special coating on it which will release the ink once heat pressed. After the last ink color is printed, an adhesive powder is sprinkled onto the wet ink (this is what helps the transfer to adhere to the shirt during heat pressing). The ink is then gelled — but not cured. To gel an ink is to get it to a stable, dry state where the ink can’t be smudged if accidentally bumped against something. Once gelled, the transfer can be heat pressed onto a garment at any time.

Insider’s Tip: Heat transfers can have a shelf life. The shelf life is directly tied into how “dry” or “gelled” the ink is. Over time some of the oils and liquids in the transfer can be soaked up by the transfer paper, this will look like an oil stain or halo around the transfer. When you notice this on your transfer, it is no longer usable.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Screen: When you screen print a transfer, you typically need a heavier deposit of ink through the screen. For beginners, we recommend using a 110 mesh screen, but you can use anywhere between the range of 86-156.

When you screen print a transfer, you typically need a heavier deposit of ink through the screen. For beginners, we recommend using a but you can use anywhere between the range of 86-156. A dual edge coater with a round coating edge.

Plastisol ink like FN-INK™ or Wilflex™ Top Score.

Transfer Adhesion Powder, which helps adhere the ink onto the garment.

Plastisol Heat Transfer Paper: A few types of transfer papers are available like Hot Peel/Hot Split and Cold Peel. The difference between hot peel and cold peel is the way the paper releases the ink. Hot peel transfers (often called hot split transfers) need to be peeled immediately after heat pressing. The reason they are called hot split is because they typically leave a percentage of the ink on the transfer paper as the ink splits during peeling, which is why you need a slightly thicker coat of ink on the paper. Hot peel transfers feel soft on the shirt and are quick to complete. Cold peel transfers must be peeled when the shirt and paper have cooled down. The peels take longer because of the cool down time and are a little harder to use. Cold peel transfers release 100% of the ink. The best of both worlds is a premium hot peel transfer paper: a premium paper releases most of the ink for the best opacity and coverage, is quick and easy to apply and peel, and is typically the easiest to use as well. A premium paper has a glossy coating on it that is specially formulated to release the ink under the heat press.

Heat Transfer Press

MAKING THE SCREEN(S)

When making a screen for printing transfers, you want to coat the screen with a slightly thicker coat of emulsion then you would typically coat for printing directly onto a garment. Use the round side of the scoop coater in order to achieve a thicker coat of emulsion on the screen. You want a thicker ink deposit on the transfer paper; therefore, you need a thicker coat of emulsion.

DON’T FORGET: When printing films, you want to reverse the image when you go into the print dialog. When exposing the screen, your image will be in reverse and it will show up correctly on the shirt once it is reversed again during the heat pressing process.

SCREEN PRINTING THE TRANSFER

Screen printing a heat transfer is pretty straightforward. You need to set a standard off-contact of 1/16″ and ensure this off-contact is consistent throughout the screen. If you are printing only a few transfers you can use a small amount of spray adhesive to hold the transfer in place. If you plan on printing a lot of heat transfers or multiple color transfers, we recommend that you look into a vacuum pallet that holds the transfer down with suction during printing. For printing multiple color transfers, you do need to print in reverse print order (under base last) and carefully flash between colors. How long you flash each color is dependent on the details in the design. If the design has thick areas, it needs more time to gel. Say you’re making a neck label that has fine print, the thin area will gel very quickly.

To print, you can use a standard 70 durometer squeegee. We would recommend using a thicker, opaque ink because it will hold up better during the transfer process versus a thin ink that is transparent. We recommend using either Wilflex™ Top Score Ink or FN-INK™.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FN-INK™

After printing the ink, apply Transfer Adhesion Powder over the wet ink. You can do this by spreading out the adhesion powder in a big bin and just dipping the transfer paper into the bin, coating it with the powder. Once the ink has been covered with the adhesion powder, pick up the paper and shake off the powder. Be sure to tap the paper several times to get all the powder off the paper (except where it sticks to the ink, of course).

Insider’s Tip: If you do not tap ALL the powder off of the paper, the adhesion powder will increase the likelihood of the paper sticking to the garment.

TIME TO CURE! WAIT A SECOND…

Actually, you are not really curing the ink during this step. You want to GEL the ink so when you heat press it later, the heat from the press will fully cure the ink. How long it takes to gel the ink and what temperature it needs to reach depends on the type of ink you’re using and the level of detail within the print. Remember, thicker designs need more time while thinner designs need less time. Low cure inks like FN-INK™ and Wilflex Top Score will need less heat whereas typical plastisol inks (ones with 300°-320° cure temps) will need more heat.

Printers usually keep the ink under the heat for 6-10 seconds, but that can change due to the ink layer thickness and level of detail in the print. For low cure inks like FN-INK™, you’ll want the ink to reach 180°. For inks that cure at 300°-320°, you’ll want the ink to reach around 240°. For that reason, do not use different kinds of ink for a multicolor transfer. Pick an ink cure temp, and stick with it.

How do you tell if your ink is properly gelled and not under- or over-gelled? A perfectly gelled ink should peel from the paper. If the ink is under-gelled, the ink will be flaky. If the ink is over-gelled, it will feel like a solid sheet, making it difficult to remove from the transfer paper. You’ll know if the ink has gelled perfectly if it has some stretch. The ink should also split easily, but not chip or break.

Once you transfer is cured — oh wait, I mean gelled — you should store it in a dry, temperature-controlled area. If stored properly, it can last for more than a year.

HEAT PRESSING

The easiest part! We recommend setting your heat press to about 30°-40° hotter than the stated cure temperature. If the ink cures at 260° or 270° (the cure temps for FN-INK™ and Top Score), set your heat press to 290°-300°. For standard plastisol inks, set between 330°-350° and heat pressing it for 10-12 seconds with a medium pressure. A medium pressure means that you should press firmly down onto the press when applying transfer to the garment. Once you have reached the time limit, peel the paper off immediately for hot peel or let the transfer cool for cold peel. Always perform a wash test to confirm it reached proper cure and has great adhesion.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: If you let a hot peel transfer sit too long (you must peel immediately) the paper will not come off. If you don’t wait long enough to remove a cold peel transfer, you’ll have the same problem. We prefer using the Transal Premium HOT PEEL because we usually peel the paper a second or two after it comes off the press and it works painlessly.

LEARN WHY THE HEAT PRESS IS EVERY PRINTERS’ SECRET TOOL

TEST AND BE PATIENT

Always test and dial in your process before you go into production. Since everyone uses different types of ink, each printer will be facing various curing temperatures, which means different gel temps. You’ll have to play around with your flash units, conveyor dryers, heat presses, and printing methods to discover what works best for you.

Heat Setting Fabric Inks

Heat Setting Fabric Inks

Modern water based fabric screen printing inks (Aquatex and Permaset Aqua) require heat setting to activate the pigments and bond them to the fabric. It’s a critical part in finishing your printing process and if not performed will leave your design faded and poor quality over time. The temperature used should be the hottest the material can withstand, without scorching or burning the material.

You can heat set immediately after you have printed the design, however the ink is still wet and you will need to cover it with a piece of paper to stop is blurring/ marking your equipment – it’s really still too messy at this stage so wait 30 mins until it’s touch dry. You will still need to cover the design with brown paper when heat setting as although touch dry, the print remains ‘wet’ for up to 48 hours.

The best way to heat set is by leaving your designs naturally air dry for as long as possible (2-3 days) as this will allow most of the water medium to naturally evaporate and greatly speed the setting process. Then when dry, come back and heat set with most of the water based medium gone, your print comes up to temperature much quicker and as there’s little to no medium to evaporate you can skip straight to the actual pigment activation process the heat setting provides, bring your setting down from over 2 mins. to around 45 seconds*.

What happens if you don’t heat set?

Unless the print was performed under 15 minutes ago, the ink will not wash out. If you don’t heat set, when washed the print will fade slightly with black turning into a lighter shade – the design does not disappear, but looks worn and will continue to fade on each subsequent wash.

What can I use to heat set?

The temperature required must be hot enough to firstly evaporate the water based medium, then set the pigments (minimum 150°C depending on the material to be heat set), a household iron, Fabric Ink Setting Heat Press or commercial tunnel dryer are recommended.

Household iron – Use highest setting fabric allows

Fabric Ink Setting Heat Press – Usually heat set at 180°C for at least 30 seconds

Sun or outside clothes line – Can not be used as temperature is not hot enough.

Commercial Tunnel Dryer – 120°C degrees for 6 minutes, 160°C degrees for 3 minutes, 180°C for 2 minutes

Air Dry – Only suitable for use where Poly Prop Additive has been used.

Household clothes dryer – Can not be used as temperature is not hot enough.

Flash Exposure Unit – Not Suitable as this is a U.V. system for solvent and plastisol inks only.

Hand held hair drier – Can not be used as temperature is not hot enough.

Commercial Dryer (Laundromat) – Not a recommended method as temperature is not accurate and time limit can vary greatly on garment type. Garments left in too long may shrink or be damaged.

We recommend using Fabric Ink Setting Press for a number of reasons to speed your ink setting and make the overall process easier and cheaper.

Pressing surface 10 times the size of regular irons

Commercial element – 1600-Watts of power

Non stick surface made out of Teflon

Works for all types of clothing

Extra large 32″ x 10″ pressing board

100 Pounds Pressing Pressure

Portable and easy to store

Do all inks I print need to be heat set?

All inks need to be set or cured in some form, water based Aquatex Fabric inks require heat.

Not all inks require heat for setting, e.g. Aqua inks for metal/ plastic air dry in 48 hours, ceramic inks must be fired in a kiln, solvent inks generally require U.V. flash curing, etc. Always read the manufacturers instructions on the ink bottle.

The setting process

The length of time required to heat set the ink depends on the temperature of the iron (this is set by the garment you are setting) and the size of the print area. The following is a guide to the heat setting process and explains why prints should be heat set for 2 minutes to ensure permanent bonding.

66°C [150F] Water begins to leave the ink

94°C [200F] Binder reaches lowest viscosity and maximum surface contact is made with the fabric

105°C [220F] Water begins to leave the ink rapidly – shown as steam coming up from the design

133°C [270F] Fifty percent of the water is gone and the binder and pigment start to cure

150°C [300F] Most of the water is gone and the binder-pigment combination is partially cured

150°C [300F] For 30 seconds to a minute – binder and pigment is cured

The above should be used as a guide only, and will vary slightly between ink types.

Note most times printed on sides of containers are for wet prints.

Curing of dry prints still takes at least 2 minutes as ink has to get to temperature first.

Heat setting is faster when you can let the design naturally dry for 24 hours/ overnight as some natural evaporation will occur and shorten the heat setting process.

Technique

Firstly you must ensure you do not overheat the garment and scorch/ mark the fabric so do not set the iron to cotton if you are heating lycra. The temperature you set the garment at is limited by the material.

Where the setting must be lowered, the time to set must be increased to compensate.

It is best to use brown paper over the design to ensure no marks are transferred onto the garment when heat setting (not all irons bases are clean). Brown paper will also help to distribute the heat more evenly and reduce scorching.

Pass the iron over the design from one side to the other ensuring you do not hold it still in any area, or scorching may occur.

Where force drying is used to speed the touch dry process, ensure the temperature does not exceed the limitations of the material.

Setting Aqua Ink for Plastic/Metals

Aqua Inks (plastic/ metals) and do not require heat setting as they will dry naturally and cure over 24-48 hours.

The ink can be force dried with a hair drier to make touch dry, however touch dry is not ‘cured’ and the ink may still scratch off or be removed in under 24 hours.

* Always test the setting times before use. Heat setting is normally complete 30 seconds after any steam (this is the water based medium evaporating) has stopped.

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