Self-Weeding Transfers – How Do They Work?

Self-Weeding Transfers?  What are they?

‘I just want transfers that work.  Why do I need Self-Weeding Transfers?’

“I am sick and tired of cutting out transfer images!”

So why don’t you stop cutting out transfer images?

Definition:  Self-Weeding Transfers simply put the transfer polymer down where there is toner in your image.

NO Toner = NO Polymer

and that means, there is no polymer window nor borders which require cutting.  Traditional transfers place a rectangle polymer (plastic) window down on a tshirt or require you to cut – normally hand scissor cut – around the image to be transferred.

Hand-cutting around images, on average, takes 2 minutes per transfer sheet (as per two long time professional transfer operators).

No wonder, transfer operators are sick of cutting out transfer images!

There is a viable alternative!

With Self-Weeding Transfers or as it is sometimes referred to Self-Cutting transfer papers, there is an alternative that involves NO CUTTING.  And the results are even better than hand-cutting as the polymer even in the hardest to get to areas with scissors is not placed down on your target substrates.

For example, take the inside of the letter ‘O’. You want the inside of the ‘O’ be be seen and felt as natural tshirt fabric – without polymer and unlike traditional transfers.  To achieve these results, you want Self-Weeding Transfers.

Feel and see only the natural fabric – without a polymer coating and without color distortion.

AutoARTransfers offers two similar Self-Weeding Transfers.  They differ by the thickness of the coating or in other words, by wash durability.  Unfortunately, the thicker coating is also somewhat more heat sensitive in printer – copier fusers and is more likely to jam in specific output devices.

Additional advantages of Self-WeedingTransfers:

• work with foil – foil will drop and adhere only to toner. So if you print and press a black only image, you can heat press foil (gold, silver, white, colored) to the toner.  The result is a foil printed shirt – custom, quantity of one, … that withstands washing, … and requires NO CUTTING.
• work with white, light and mid-range colors.  Check out this image including the yellow color on a holiday green 100% cotton.
• 
• work with dark shirt colors.  AutoARTransfers is currently beta testing AutoARTransfersDARKs version 2.  AutoARTransfersDARKs enables you to transfer white.  Given successful testing, we will re-establish the AutoARTransfersDARKs product offering.

AutoARTransfers Transfer Paper - TShirt Laser Transfer Papers

Why Users Prefer DuraCotton 50 TShirt Laser Transfers

DuraCotton 50 NO Cutting TShirt Transfers feature significant benefits relative to other T Shirt Transfers, including:

1. Extended Wash Durability (20+ washes before fading commences)
2. Invisible Polymer on White, most Light Shirt Colors - NO Cutting Required
3. Slight Hand Before Washing; Virtually ZERO Hand After 1st Wash
4. Strong, Vibrant, Lasting Transferred Colors
5. Works with Photos (including light and dark colors), Text, Logos, Line Art
6. Press at 375 F / 190 C degrees - well below shirt scorching temperatures
7. Prices near 50% below most traditional transfer papers

DuraCotton 50:

1. delivers excellent color quality, ease of application at exceptionally low pricing.
2. has a relatively low melting temperature.  It is important to run this paper in the relatively thin paper settings of your output device.  Start test printing with PLAIN PAPER.  If you encounter loose toner (termed ‘toner offset’), then go to the next thicker paper setting.  Repeat if necessary until the toner is correctly fused to the transfer polymer.
3. works with excellence on Oki, HP, KonicaMinolta, Xerox Printers, most Xerox copiers, Ricoh printers copiers.

For Instructions, click:  DuraCotton 50 Instructions

To shop, click:  Shop DuraCotton 50

AutoARTransfers Transfer Paper - TShirt Laser Transfer Papers

Self-Weeding TShirtTransfer Papers -

AWESOME KnockOUT

and KnockOUT HD

1.  Press Self-Weeding TShirtTransfer Papers to target substrate between 330 F / 165 C degrees and 350 F / 175 C degrees.

Within this temperature range, the polymer will release easily and will cover only the toner of the transferred image.

You may have to adjust your temperature of your heat press to achieve the above desired results.  A specific temperature – say 340 F / 170 C degrees – on your heat press may not be equal to the same specific temperature on another heat press (even given identical heat presses from the same manufacturer).

Be sure to test and adjust the temperature to achieve easy release without excess polymer (visible) dropping:

If your heat press is too hot, then excess polymer will drop.  In most cases, excess toner will drop around the edges of the image and or text.

If your heat press is too cold, then the tshirttransfer papers will not release easy.  You will stretch the fabric when removing the paper and may tear the carrier paper.  These same results can also occur if you are too slow peeling the paper.

2.  AWESOME KnockOUT and KnockOUT HD Self-Weeding TShirtTransfer Papers are not the ideal transfer paper for light-colored pictures, logos, line art, text, …

These self-weeding papers require strong dark colors to draw down the maximum amount of polymer.  Dark colors ensure maximum wash durability.

Light colors – such as a light blue sky or beach sand – will NOT pull down sufficient polymer to survive multiple washings.

3. AWESOME KnockOUT and KnockOUT HD Self-Weeding TShirtTransfer Papers will work on white, light and many mid-range colored fabrics.  Under AutoARTransfers Samples you can see such an example with yellow on a holiday green colored tshirt.  You best test for transferred color results on mid-range colors before heading into mass production.

AutoARTransfers Transfer Paper - TShirt Laser Transfer Papers

Selecting Transfer Paper for your requirements can be accomplished in many manners. Below is our decision path which we follow with new prospects interested in AutoARTransfers products.

Firstly, we ask questions:

What do you want to press?  material(s) – 100% cotton,  100% polyester, canvas, ….

fabric colors – white, light colors, dark colors

Some papers are superior to others based on the fabric and fabric colors.  For example, the course weave of canvas often requires a thicker polymer coated paper; transfer to darks requires a white color addition.  Some papers do not work with dark colors; some require two-steps or cutting.

What quantity per month / annually?

This tells us that you will press every day or occasionally.  An occasional transfer operator likely is better off with a simple-to-use paper versus a two-step solution demanding precision temperature and peeling settings.

What size?  8.5″ x 11, 11″ x 17″?

(Larger) Size can often indicate a high level of capability, confidence and experience.

What will you transfer?  clip art, logos, line art, pictures

If you plans include pictures, then the transfers must be able to place and hold during washing all color spectrums – from light blue skies through to the darkest blacks.  If you desire pictures, then self-weeding transfers are not for you (light colors do not attract sufficient polymer to sustain repeated washings of the light colors).

What printer – copier will you print with?

Transfers work with toners – by targeting printers – copiers, we attempt to identify which toner you will be using.  Wash durability varies with toner.  To recommend the most suitable paper for you, it is critical to match your printing device with a suitable transfer paper.

For instance, HP toner works extremely well with DuraCotton 50 (as does Oki, KonicaMinolta, Xerox, Ricoh) but lacks wash durability with AutoARTransfers Self-Weeding KnockOUT HD and AWESOME KnockOUT papers.

What is most important to you?

Wash Durability, Color Depth and Vibrancy, Color Accuracy with Computer Screen, Price per Sheet, Ease of Application, Self-Weeding versus Traditional Rectangle Patch requiring Manual Cutting around image area, Excellent Results with your Existing Printer – Copier, something else?

Secondly, based on your answers of wants and needs, we will recommend specific transfer papers to fulfill your requirements.

Learn more about AutoARTransfers, click About AutoARTransfers

AutoARTransfers Transfer Paper - TShirt Laser Transfer Papers