Heat Printing Zone at SGIA featuring Ted Stahl
Oct/110
Visitors to the SGIA Expo in New Orleans will experience many interactive exhibits, from hands-on demonstrations to product giveaways. Don’t miss out on your chance to interact with industry pioneer and Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame member Ted Stahl.
Ted will be hosting question and answer sessions in the Stahls’ Heat Printing Zone on Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday, October 20 at 1:15 pm. Ask Ted any questions you may have on heat printing and garment decoration and benefit from his over 35 years in the garment graphic industry.
So get to the Heat Printing Zone and see Ted – he wants to hear from you.
Find the complete schedule of events in the Heat Printing Zone here.
Decorator Converts Home Into Shop, Showroom & Tiki Bar
Jul/110
When most decorators want to entertain a client, they might take them out to a nice local restaurant. But Tim Hoffman, owner, Hoffman Embroidery, had a better idea. He built a tiki bar.
After paying big rent at the Annapolis Mall in Annapolis, Maryland, for years, Hoffman and his partner decided they’d had enough of that. So the embroiderer, who lives in a three-level house, gutted 1,000 feet on the first floor and built his shop, a showroom, and an outdoor tiki bar instead. It’s now home to his one singlehead, one four-head, and two two-head embroidery machines and two Stahls’ Hotronix heat transfer presses.
The tiki bar garnered media attention from a local newspaper The Capital, Annapolis, Md., November 13, 2010 issue and March/April 2011 issue of Stitches magazine where it was the cover story.
“It looks just like a tiki bar you’d see on the beach in the British Virgin Islands,” says Hoffman. “We have water in the back yard. It’s enclosed in the wintertime so we can use it year-round.”
Although Hoffman doesn’t sell drinks, it’s used for entertaining clients and friends for all kinds of occasions. “It looks like a real bar, and we have mixed drinks,” he notes. “We throw big neighborhood parties and watch all the big sporting events. It’s a perfect man cave.”
In addition to offering embroidery, Hoffman also is a regular customer of Transfer Express. When he gets multi-color print jobs, he has found transfers the best way to go. “When we get an eight-color job for a dark shirt, if you screen print it, that’s eight screens plus a white underbase. When it’s a left-chest size design for 100 shirts, the only cost-effective way to do it is using Transfer Express CAD-PRINTZ™.”
“We’ve used them for a multitude of orders, and they have always done a great job with outstanding service at a price that is affordable,” says Hoffman. “We also get quick turnaround. We’re glad to have them on our team.”
Owner Tim Hoffman and production manager Amy Lynn Hall sit on a stool in the outdoor tiki bar that is used to entertain clients throughout the year. Hoffman built it at the same time he transformed the first floor of his three-story house into his shop and showroom.
Wrestling Singlets Can Be Heat Pressed
Nov/100
Do you need to decorate the high school or local wrestling group’s logo on hard to print on apparel? Worried about your transfers stretching after being heat applied? CAD-PRINTZ™ digital heat transfers make printing on wrestling singlets easy. CAD-PRINTZ can be applied to polyester, Lycra spandex and nylon. This product has tremendous stretch and durability needed for wrestling matches. With CAD-PRINTZ, there is no limit to the number of colors you need that affects cost. The price is based on size and quantity only so your wrestlers will look like winners before they step on the mat! They apply at a low temperature for easy application in just 10 seconds. You can use our Easy Prints® wrestling designs or send us your own art.
CAD-PRINTZ full color digital transfer applied to a Lycra Wrestling Singlet
Decorating Zipper Hoods
Apr/090
With the popularity of zipper hoods increasing, customers want to know what is the best way to heat print this type of apparel? Our plastisol transfers apply easily to this apparel and there are a couple of alternatives. The heat will not damage a metal zipper. If it is plastic, check with the manufacturer to be sure it will not melt with the heat.
The easiest way to heat print a zipper hood is to avoid the zipper completely. We’ve shown two ways to do this using our Easy Prints® layouts. A left chest gives the traditional look, but by using one of our leg/sleeve designs you can give your zipper hood a unique look that is done easily.
If your customer wants to go completely over the zipper as we shown here, leave the hood completely zippered up. Set your heat press to firm pressure to compensate for the zipper. Pre-press to remove moisture, wrinkles and also to get the seam around the zipper to lay flat. Position the transfer, press and peel using the directions supplied with the transfer. Remove the release paper and gently unzip to separate the ink where the zipper zips. Take a cover sheet (extra transfer paper, Teflon of Kraft paper), cover and press again for a few seconds to seal the edges. Your zipper hood is ready for sale!
Applying Split Front Custom Transfers
Mar/090
QBA-32
With baseball season here, your teams will want their screen printed transfers applied to a split front jersey. Heat printing on these jerseys takes a little more time, but is easy to do. Try to order jerseys that have buttons that are spaced at least 6″ apart. These work best for printing. When ordering your screen printed transfers be sure to request the middle of your image that will be between the buttons is sized to fit that area.
(Photo – Layout QBA-32 – White On Navy Polytrans transfer)
To apply:
 |
1. Cut your print into two parts just left of center, so the cut matches the split front on the shirt. Try to avoid cutting through a letter if possible. |
 |
2. Keep your jersey fully buttoned and place on the platen of your heat press. Turn pressure up to compensate for the buttons. |
 |
3. Pre-Press your jersey. |
 |
4. Position the two halves on your jersey, lining up the edge of the transfer to the split. The grid lines will help you line up your two halves. |
|
5. Press. |
 |
6. Remove the release paper from the right side only. |
 |
7. Unbutton the jersey. |
 |
8. Open the jersey, leaving only the left half on your platen. |
|
9. Press again. |
 |
10. Remove the release paper from the left half. |
Your team is now ready to Play Ball!
