Did you see your friends with a T-shirt with an exclusive design or with their own photo printed directly on the fabric? Want to do something unusual for yourself, but don’t know how such a sticker is made? To do this, use special thermal transfer paper. With your own hands at home, you can easily make an exclusive unique t-shirt, t-shirt, bag and other thing.
Materials and technology
If you have never worked in the field of design or manufacture of souvenir products, but just saw t-shirts, shirts, pillows, mugs, plates and other products that are offered to be made in an exclusive design in store windows, for example, with a photograph of the future owner, read the essence of the technology for making such things.
For any transfer of the image to the object, intermediate material is used. In this case, thermal transfer paper. With your own hands at home, you can easily apply any image to the fabric (white, dark, color, natural or synthetic).
In order for the desired image to appear on this intermediate material, it, of course, must first be created or found ready, and then printed. To perform the layout, template (the picture itself), various graphic editors are used - computer programs designed to create and edit images. If you already know how to use Adobe Photoshop or a similar graphics package, you can assume that you created the image.
The next step is printing. It is performed on a conventional inkjet or laser printer just on special sheets. Then, using an iron, the image is transferred to the prepared fabric. At home, you can apply the image only on flat things lying on a flat surface. To make a mug, of course, will not work. They use special thermal presses with a cylindrical surface. In fact, the work is simple.
Do it yourself
Do-it- yourself thermal transfer paper is not the manufacture of the sheets themselves, but rather the implementation of a sticker, decoration of a product at home. The assortment of paper is very large. It differs both in the type of fabric for which it is intended, and in the manufacturer. There are even options that make it possible to create images that glow in the dark. So there’s no point in thinking about how to get this paper yourself. Technologies have long been developed and successfully introduced into production.
Thermal transfer at home
So, to decorate a T-shirt, T-shirt or other object yourself, you need to work in this sequence:
- Buy the appropriate item for decoration (t-shirt).
- Get the right paper (for dark, light tissue and the type of printer you have , etc.).
- Read the instructions on the package whether the image should be: direct or mirrored.
- Create a layout in a familiar graphic editor (even standard Paint is suitable for simple layouts). Given the previous paragraph, prepare the picture for printing (mirror if necessary).
- Load paper in the printer according to the instructions (the correct side).
- Print the image. Let it lie down a bit if you worked on an inkjet printer. Cut along the contour, retreating about 5 mm from the edge of the picture.
- Turn on the iron in non-steaming mode and lay the product intended for decoration (t-shirt) on a flat surface. The thing, of course, should be clean and ironed.
- Translate the image by ironing the printed paper on the fabric in accordance with the instructions. For different types of paper there are certain features.
- In any case, ironing occurs through an additional sheet, so after completing the previous step, you should wait a bit, and not immediately separate this layer.
As you can see, the technology is quite simple and straightforward. Even a beginner can master it at home.
Types of paper
As already mentioned, thermal transfer paper is used to obtain images on the surface of the fabric. With your own hands at home, you can create a collage from photos and text, for example, and print it on an existing printer. It is better to use a laser, as the picture is resistant and can withstand more washings.
The inkjet option is also suitable. If the image is photorealistic with fine details, use a photo printer. It gives good quality and higher color rendering.
Thermal Transfer Paper for Inkjet Printers
If you decide to make souvenirs with exclusive images at home, you should definitely understand the types of paper. Most already have a printer. Most often, for personal use, color inkjet printers or photo printers for printing photographs are purchased. If you already have this equipment at home, then for the manufacture of T-shirts and other things, you will need thermal transfer paper for inkjet printers.
If you intend to make many products, purchase packages with the appropriate number of sheets. In this case, usually the unit price will cost you less. If you just decided to try yourself as a designer and make original souvenirs for yourself or friends for some holiday, buy a pack with a maximum of 10 sheets. If you find a company that offers sale by sheet, take the right amount, for example, a couple, by the way, it is better with a margin (suddenly the first time you print it incorrectly). Be sure to ask for instructions on the paper and pre-specify for which fabric, light, dark, natural or synthetic, it is intended.
Work with light fabrics
If the item you are about to decorate is white, any thermal transfer paper for inkjet printers is suitable . With your own hands on this type of fabric you can easily make any image. That type of sheets, which is designed specifically for light fabrics, is cheaper, but the image in this case will have to print mirrored.
Thermal Transfer Paper for Dark Fabrics
If your T-shirt is dark (blue, green) or, in general, black, then the sheets must be bought the appropriate type. This is necessary for the best possible and high-quality result. If you print the image on a sheet for white fabric, then after transferring it will take on the shade of your T-shirt and the photo will not look natural.
For example, thermal transfer paper for a4 sublimation dark fabrics is suitable, however, it requires special sublimation inks that hold only on synthetic fabric, and for natural ones a special substrate is also required.
Cheaper to do with a more budget option - sheets for inkjet printers for dark fabrics. In this case, the image will have a kind of white backing, the color will not change and no additional costs will be required. Around the picture, it is desirable to leave a white border. This will give things a finished and beautiful look.
Now you know what thermal transfer paper is. With your own hands, you can easily make any image for a T-shirt or other object from fabric right at home. Create exclusive items for yourself, friends and relatives.