Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

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[Phexxie]
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Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

Post by [Phexxie] » Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:11 pm

Me and a friend have come up with a little plan to print our ouwn tshirt designs without the bother of websites such as Spreadshirt or any third party printing company, but we're having issues with finding a way to do it

we dont have the money or space for screen printing set ups, and we want a much more professional and smooth result that normal iron-on transfer paper
i have used Dylon Image Maker in college which isnt bad, but again not quite what we need

our designs are likely to be both hand drawn and computer generated, ideally we need a medium that will allow us to make a perfect print without losing detail or the image rubbing off/fading over time, so something colourfast is also a must
we're really trying to avoid making the fabric 'stiff' or having the designs crack which is also why we have ruled out iron-on paper
we dont really want to use fabric paints for the same reason

so basically, something that will give us a smooth effect, wont 'peel' or fade too quickly, wont end up stiff, wont look like we have just grabbed any old top and printed onto it and is affordable and easy enough to do ourselves in our own homes!

someone must have an idea lol
thanks!

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thecutealternative
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Re: Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

Post by thecutealternative » Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:58 pm

Thermofax printing is similar to screen printing but you don't need a huge set up to do it.

Basically you can have screens made with your design for about £10 and all you need is some fabric paint and some squeegies. Once it is dry you iron it and it is set. It doesnt crack or peel (that I have found so far) and one jar of fabric paint last forever!

I have quite a few screens and have used and used and used them. You do need to wash them after use and wait for them to dry but it doesn't take very long. You can also discharge colour with discharge paste or bleach which looks pretty cool.

I do it in my garage, but you can also do it on the floor or kitchen table.

It's brilliant fun too, I love doing it :D

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skullgrl
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Re: Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

Post by skullgrl » Fri Jul 15, 2011 1:29 pm

I know you said that you don't have the space/money for screen printing but I know a really wonderful women who started her screen printing business in a one room apartment with a communal bathroom/no money.

If your interested here's her website, her book is really wonderful and comes with a DVD. Another really good book is DIY Screen Printing. Its in a lovable comic format. If your printing smaller things you don't need a large screen. If I'm doing something small I like to use the 5"x8" wood picture frames from Ikea. In Canada they're 1.99$ for 3. In the summer you can even use the sun to expose screens.

Anyways, if you still aren't interested in screen printing you might want to check Craftster.org for some alternate ideas. Here's one to get you started: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=358413.0
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[Phexxie]
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Re: Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

Post by [Phexxie] » Sun Jul 17, 2011 9:45 pm

thanks for the links guys :)

skullgrl, i would love to screen print my own designs, but i think the designs were planning on will be too intricate for it!
some kind of transfer would definitely be the best option i think, we're going to give the freezer paper a shot :)

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Mkatsi
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Re: Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

Post by Mkatsi » Mon Jul 18, 2011 12:32 pm

I cannot remember what its called, but I know you can get some liquid paint stuff, you print your design onto special paper, then put it on the shirt and paint over it with the liquid and it transfers/sets it.
EDIT
Its a little confusing, I'm not sure if thats it http://www.opulencesilksanddyes.com/Ins ... tions.html

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starlight
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Re: Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

Post by starlight » Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:31 pm

If you don't have any luck with the DIY efforts and do decide to go third party, I would recommend redbubble, my OH has used them and the quality of their prints is brilliant compared to some sites I've seen, he's had a shirt he designed on there for about 6 months now and it still looks great, they print it somehow directly onto the shirt so it's not the type of print that can crack. Plus you can earn yourself a bit of commission if anyone else buys your shirts.

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skullgrl
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Re: Printing images to fabric WITHOUT transfer paper?

Post by skullgrl » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:24 pm

starlight wrote:If you don't have any luck with the DIY efforts and do decide to go third party, I would recommend redbubble, my OH has used them and the quality of their prints is brilliant compared to some sites I've seen, he's had a shirt he designed on there for about 6 months now and it still looks great, they print it somehow directly onto the shirt so it's not the type of print that can crack. Plus you can earn yourself a bit of commission if anyone else buys your shirts.
Thats awesome! I wouldn't mind setting up an account for myself as I can personally attest to mediocre quality of cafepress. Thanks for sharing. :i2:
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