Pressing onto Nylon & Fleece

If there are two fabrics that customers need help with it is nylon and fleece and questions often arise about what products you can use & how to go about pressing onto these types of fabrics.

Nylon causes the majority of issues for garment decorators using heatseal products. This is not down to the quality of Nylon films such as easiMARK, but it lies with the variety of waterproof coatings used by clothing manufacturers.

The simple answer is, prior to undertaking any work for nylon, pre testing your garments is always recommended. If you find a brand that will allow you to layer heatseal garment films successfully, it would be prudent to always use the garments you have tested. If your customers bring their own garments, then it is essential you pre test prior to undertaking the full order.

The most effective way is to press your transfer onto one garment and if the carrier releases when hot you may think the adhesion is successful. However, this may not be the case. Let the garment stand for 24hrs so the adhesives can set, then conduct your own wash test. After washing, try & pick the logo off the nylon garment to test how well it has adhered. If successful you can then have confidence in the products you are supplying to your customer.

If your customer requires full colour logos then easiMARK Colour print (Solvent/thermal ribbon) & easiMARK Darkjet (Inkjet/Sublimation) can provide the solution. Again, always pre test your nylon garments before proceeding. One of the many benefits of the easiMARK range is that both the easiMARK Colourprint & Darkjet will adhere onto easiMARK Nylon. This will allow you to use a nylon specialist product & a full colour printable film together.

Another consideration when pressing onto nylon is to make sure you separate the front & the back of your garment. If not, you can find that under the heat, the nylon will stick together. The best way to tackle this problem is to use a heat press like the easiPRESS Pro that allows you to separate the front & back of garments. If you are using another heat press & you cannot separate the garment. Place a piece of cotton between the front & the back & this will prevent the garment from sticking.

When it comes to fleece, all of the easiMARK range except easiMARK Nylon is suitable for this type of application. The thicker the film, however, the better the result. One of the best ways to apply your customers logos onto fleece is to use easiMARK Flock. As this is a thick velvet finish product it will raise the logo above the surface of the Fleece. Using standard films such as easiMARK Cotton or Opaque will not give you a quality finish. They will adhere but, due to the nature of the Fleece surface it will just rest on top of the fleece and issues with durability can be found with this after repeated washing.

A common option is to multilayer your garment films, such as easiMARK Flock & Cotton together. This will allow you to create a raised effect logo that looks professional on the garment. Using the cotton will allow you to finish your logo off with a semi matt finish as opposed to the velvet flock.

Should you decide to use easiMARK Flock in the future, please make sure you use a 60 degree blade in your plotter. If you use the standard 45 degree blades, you will find issues with being able to create smooth cutlines, fine detail will be difficult & it will damage the life span of your regular 45 degree blade.

Should you have any further questions, following this article then please call Glynn, Dan or Katy at Victory Design on 01246 570570 or email sales@victorydesign.co.uk. Full details on the easiMARK range can be found at www.victorydesign.co.uk

Common production issues, their causes & solutions

There are always daily issues that garment decorators come up against & for the majority, there are easy solutions.

One common problem can be when cutting fine detail logos. The majority of their design will weed successfully but corner pieces of text have not been cut cleanly. Firstly make sure you are using a film with a medium to high tack adeshive like easiMARK Cotton or Opaque.

An increase in your cutting pressure or blade adjustment can do the trick. Another option is to slow down the cut speed on your plotter.

If these options do not work then you need to look at the quality of you cutting strip. These can build up score lines over time, caused by setting your plotter pressure & knife depth too strong for the media’s you are using. If damaged, when the blade passes over your media & underneath the cutting strip has score lines, the blade will push the media into this hence the media will not be cut correctly.

You also need to make sure you are using the correct blade. For the majority of garment films a 45-degree blade will work. However, if you are using reflective, flock, glitters etc you need to use a 60-degree blade. Always make sure you change your blade offset to suit the appropriate blade, speak to you your plotter supplier for information on how to do this.

We often receive calls from customers who have experienced adhesive outlines around their transfer after pressing & removing the carrier sheet. This is caused by any of the following, pressing with too much pressure, your heat is too high or you have cured the transfer for too long.

Full colour printing must be one of the biggest headaches for garment printers. The main problem is creating the correct colour for your customer. Understanding why we use ICC profiles is important, limitations of CMYK printing, monitor calibrations & how inks & media’s link to your ICC profiles are imperative.

Before buying a full colour media you need to make sure that you can be supplied with an ICC profile that matches your ink, printer & media. Without this, you will not be able to produce colours consistently & get the most from your media. The ICC profile is used to link the type of ink, printer & media you are using.

Due to the limitations of CMYK printing & the demands from customers, there is a way to produce the range of colours you can achieve from your set up. I would advise anyone undertaking full colour printing to produce their own colour charts. Using your preferred media, printer & inks, print out charts that you can show to your customers. Always make sure you save your printer settings on the driver settings or in your production RIP.

I will always suggest the following prior to undertaking any full colour printing.

Ask you customer for a hard copy of their logo e.g. letter head, business card etc.
Any pantone or colour references.
In addition to these I would show them your colour charts & get them to pick the colours they would be happy with for their logo.

Of course, in order for you to be able to change colours to suit your client you need to make sure you are using a vectored graphic. Printing from JPEG’s will not allow you any colour alterations. So additional time & cost have to be considered whilst quoting.

Should you have any further questions, following this article then please call Glynn, Dan or Katy at Victory Design on 01246 570570 or email sales@victorydesign.co.uk. Full details on the easiMARK range can be found at www.victorydesign.co.uk

Victory celebrates 20 years!

October 2007 marks the 20th year in business for sign supplies company Victory Design Ltd.

Victory Design specialises in being ‘a one stop shop’ for signmaking supplies including sign vinyl’s, signmakers tools, garment decoration products, sign plotters, sign consumables, digital inks and media etc.

To celebrate this milestone Victory Design have produced a special 20th anniversary issue of the Victory Design catalogue available from October 2007.

This celebratory issue is packed full of exclusive ‘20’ offers and discounts including banner display stands and wheelcovers for £20, 3 aerosols of FrogJUICE for £20, 4 Summa D series plotter blades for £20 and lots more specially selected offers.

Copies of this latest catalogue can be downloaded from the Victory website www.victorydesign.co.uk or for a hard copy call the Victory sales team on 01246 570570.

Victory Design has grown over the years; from a small terraced shop with a few employees, to today being one of the largest signmaking suppliers in the UK with 38 staff.

Victory Design is predominately a telesales based organisation based near Chesterfield, Derbyshire. They also have fantastic demonstration facilities which can be used by customers for advice and support when seeking out new equipment, software and materials. For further information or to book call Victory’s sales team.

For flexibility you can view and purchase all Victory’s products online through their webshop www.victorydesign.co.uk, users will also benefit from exclusive web prices. All the latest products, news and special offers can be found online.

Victory Design are renowned for their innovative products and helpful, knowledgeable staff who are always on hand to assist and advise signmakers on the best product for the job.

Victory Design has a large, fully stocked warehouse with all signmakers favourite products. Free delivery is available with all orders over £100.

Call 01246 570570 now to take advantage of Victory’s 20th anniversary special offers.

www.victorydesign.co.uk
Tel: 01246 570570 Fax: 01246 570772

Trade Talk - A problem shared is a problem solved

New series: Victory Design’s senior customer account manager Glynn Denton solves your common production problems, starting with which garment film to choose


Have you ever been unsure about which garment film to use for a particular application, or had problems with your design software? Perhaps you need help with pricing up quotes or could benefit from some marketing support? Well, help is now at hand with Printwear & Promotion’s new practical advice series from Victory Design Ltd – one of the UK’s largest suppliers of equipment, software and materials to the garment personalisation market.


Established in 1987, Victory Design offers a wealth of experience and expertise in this industry. Its own brand easiMARK offers customers a comprehensive range of films, finishes and styles to suit a wide variety of fabrics. An extensive cad cut range is one of the main strengths of the brand, including printable materials, whether using inkjet, sublimation, solvent or thermal ribbon. Victory Design also offers its customers an exclusive trade print transfer service.


“Our new series in Printwear & Promotion will focus on all areas of garment personalisation,” says Glynn. “We will look at a wide range of topics, offering readers hints and tips on common queries from questions we are frequently asked.” Future articles:


Which garment film do I use?
Pressing onto Nylon and Fleece
Common production issues, their causes and solutions
Sportswear issues and solutions
Frequently asked questions and difficulties with design software
Understanding which garments should be tested prior to application
Quoting to your customers effectively


Marketing issues and supportThis month, we look at which garment film to choose – a common question for garment decorators, as there are such a wide variety of films available. In addition to this, the demands of customers bring a selection of fabrics that often require different films.


When deciding which films to use, customers need to decide for themselves what they want from a film. For example, do they want a film for its washability? Colour range? Weedability? (high or low tack carriers). Do they want to multilayer? And how big is the design they have to produce?


So how do you answer such questions? If you required a film to produce small, detailed logos that are made up of two colours then you need to look for a film with the following properties: it needs to have a tacky clear carrier and if it is a hot release product this will improve registration.


Cold or warm release products can cause difficulties when releasing as they can stretch the design by as little as 0.5mm. When you come to layer your second colour on you may find that your designs are not in registration. You will then either have to replace the shirt or use remover spray in order to resolve the issue.
If you have to produce large logos, say for example, sports numbers; then choosing a film with a low tack carrier will aid you in the production process. The benefit of this type of film is that the carrier is low tack so there is no resistance when weeding compared to using a high tack film that would take longer to weed.


One factor that affects garment printers is clothing products such as polyester or nylon that have PU coatings. Before proceeding with producing heatseal logos on such items, ALWAYS pre test the garment.
To do this, apply your transfer with a specialist nylon product, i.e. easiMARK Nylon. Leave the garment for 24 hours to let the adhesives set, then wash the garment. After washing, try to peel back the transfer. If the film has not taken correctly this will easily peel off.



One of the most common technical problems customers come to us with relates to these types of garments. If you inform your own customers about the difficulties with these types of application, you can negotiate longer turnaround times for the work required – giving you valuable time to test the garment.


If you supply your own clothing then this test is only required once, but if your customer brings his/her own garments for you to press then this test is vital. If you decide not to do this, you could end up in an embarrassing situation with your customer if the print falls off. Worse still any repeat business could be lost.
If you have any further questions following this article call Glynn at Victory Design on 01246 570570 or email sales@victorydesign.co.uk


Full details of the easiMARK range can be found at www.victorydesign.co.uk