4. Printing Directly from Applications

4-7. Removing the T-shirt from the Platen

(1)Hold the shirt slightly to allow are to get between the shirt and the platen.

(2)Hold both shoulders of the T-shirt, and then pull it out straight from the Platen. Hold the T-shirt by the printed area on your side, which is easier to deal with the wet T-shirt safe.

<Note>

Be careful not to get "wet" ink on your hands or printed material. Wash your hands or clothes with soap if stained. You cannot wash away the stained ink on the material because the ink may be absorbed into the fiber.

4-8. Curing the Ink onto the T-shirt

To cure the ink onto the T-shirt, a heat press is handy and convenient in time and temperature control. The condition to cure ink is 180°C (356°F) in 35 seconds. When you print with White ink, use release paper. Use conveyor oven (tunnel) for mass production; it takes longer but the washability is a little improved, and the feel of the surface is softer than cured by a heat press. The condition is 160°C (320°F) at the printed surface in 3 minutes and 30 seconds by the conveyor oven shown below. Follow the instruction manual that comes with your Heat Press and conveyor oven, and be sure to confirm the actual conditions (temperature inside and the actual curing test) before you start production.

<Note>

zThe actual conditions of the heat press and conveyor oven may be far from your expectations. The temperature in the tunnel part may not be even. To keep the washability, calibrate your conveyor oven and do test print.

zThe colors may be faded by washing and rubbing when the curing conditions is not appropriate.

zThe hat press and the oven should be used in a well ventilated environment. When curing the White ink, better to use an oven with much ink on the surface. The surface of an T-shirt by an oven feels more natural and by an heat press more flat and glittering.

zAfter using the Heat Press, always confirm if the ink is completely dry and cured.

zMake sure the surface of the Heat Press and glass cloth sheet or fluorine coated sheet (Teflon Sheet) are clean before and after curing the T-shirts.

zDepending on the material, curing conduction may vary, be sure to test new materials before you use. Pretreated garment is easier to be burnt than the normal garment.

zPrinted colors may transfer when a printed surface rubs on a white or light-colored synthetic leather made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). When printing CMYK-only garments, the CMYK ink may transfer to the White-only printed garment when they rub against each other. In those cases, clean the stains with a soft cloth or toothbrush with a household cleaner or alcohol.

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GT-3 Series