Screen Printing Tip of the Week: Heat Transfer Machines

February 08, 2012
By Ed Branigan, Contributing Writer

Many screen printers own heat transfer machines and use them mainly to transfer CAD-cut or printed designs or foil.  While there is nothing wrong with that, a heat transfer machine also can be used in conjunction with crinkled Teflon paper to create cool print effects.

For example, try printing a design with a puff or spongy ink (i.e. 3810 BlowOut Base), cure the ink, then press the print in a heat press using crinkled Teflon paper covering the print (350ºF, 25 psi, for 25 seconds).  This technique also works with flat prints, but the puffier inks create more interesting textures.

Try printing a leather-colored patch with a puff ink and press it after curing. The result will be a cool effect!

Ed Branigan is the print applications manager at International Coatings and has extensive experience in screen printing inks and technology. For more information, visit iccink.com and read the company’s blog at internationalcoatingsblog.com.



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