Month: January 2012

Breaking Down Industry Terminology

While on the phone with customers often they will ask me the meaning of a word I have chosen to describe a product or a property of the product. So I forwarded this idea onto my manager and, in turn, he asked everyone here at Coastal to think of words that are often used in conversations that might be unknown to the customer. And this is what everyone came up with!  I hope that this helps in breaking down some of the words used when talking about a product or process.

  • Auto Pop Up: This is a feature on a heat press that allows it to automatically open once the timer is done. When the timer goes off the heat press “pops” open allowing access to the item being pressed.
  • Bleed: Extending a printed image beyond the size of the intended product to ensure of the product will be completely covered by the transfer. Continue reading “Breaking Down Industry Terminology”

More Sublimation Tips from Unisub

The following notes are designed to help you get the best results using sublimatable materials. While these products are designed specifically for color sublimation, proper preparation of the transfer and heat press is critical to achieving optimal quality.

Please refer to the manuals provided with your printer and sublimation supplies for detailed instructions on configuring and troubleshooting your system. In preparing full color sublimation transfers it is essential to disable color matching from your graphic design software. You should utilize the color correction solution designed for your printer and brand of sublimation ink. The colors of the sublimation transfer may appear washed out. This is normal and the desired result of color adjustment for the transfer process. Equipment and conditions do vary, therefore the suggested times are given as good starting points from which you may experiment and find the conditions that give you the best results from your system. Continue reading “More Sublimation Tips from Unisub”

Heat Transfer: the Short Run T-Shirt Solution

Do you want to decrease the monetary impact of short runs in your t-shirt shop?  The answer to this problem is, quite simply, heat transfer.

Heat Presses:
Using transfers are much cheaper than traditional methods, such as screen printing, when it comes to short runs. In fact, the most expensive thing you will need to invest in is a heat press and you will find that it soon pays for itself many times over. There are many brands to choose from as well as many levels of heat press to enter into. What determines your entry point would be factors such as the size needed to accommodate your garments as well as the quantity you plan to produce. Some of the best brands available are Hotronix and Maxx, which are both by Hotronix, as well as Hix and Insta. Continue reading “Heat Transfer: the Short Run T-Shirt Solution”