Flex Soft (No Cut) Instructions

2 Paper System

Textile Selection:

• Always select a less stretchy fabric when working with cotton fabrics (no spandex or lycra).
  Reason: This helps to prevent cracking when pulling or stretching the fabric apart.

Transfer Press:

• Always place the transfer media in the middle of your heat press.
  Reason: Some heat presses do not have uniform heat & pressure distribution on the edges. The further you go to the edges, the more likely processing errors will occur, due to this lack of pressure on and around these areas.
• If existing, remove the Teflon sheet from the upper and lower plates of your heat press.
  Reason: Teflon absorbs too much heat and leads to faulty and inconsistent results.
• Make sure that your silicone pad is faultless and is glued properly to the lower plate.
  Reason: If the upper and the lower plates of the heat press are not touching each other in a pure vertical movement, but also partially in a horizontal (slide) movement, this may lead to an incomplete transfer of the B-Coating to the A-Foil, especially by large, full-scale designs or pictures. This might happen due to a mechanical fault, where the closing device is worn out, loosened or defect.
• Make sure that the press has reached the set temperature on the heat plate. Leave your Swing-Away press closed until the lower metal plate is HOT to the touch.
  Reason: Only with sufficient heat on both plates, you can consistent results. We advise that you keep your Heat Press in the closed position when not in use. This keeps the Lower Plate hot and ready for your next application.

Separation of the A & B Media:

• Seperate the A & B Media in a flat and consistent motion.
  Reason: The media should remain flat on the press during the separation- producing perfect transfers each time.
• Do not separate the A & B Media too fast.
  Reason: A too fast separation may lead to torn-out areas on the image edges or other critical areas in your design.
• It is necessary to leave the A & B Media on the press during the separation. Reason: Otherwise, cold air will flow under the media and will cause the transfer to cool down rapidly. If the media cools down too fast, parts of the design will transfer from your A-Foil to the B-P aper – which is not desired.
• Rub with a piece textile for 5 seconds over the media after opening the press, to accelerate the cooling process.
  Reason: The coating on the A-Foil causes the toner to stay hot longer. Rubbing helps to decrease the temperature, which is important for a good seperation.

Transfer to the Substrate:

• Cover your transfer with a sheet of Matt Finish Economy.
  Reason: To avoid unintentional lifting of the transfer from the opening heat press.
• Tape all four corners of the transfer (A-Foil) with a heat resistant tape and cover it up with 1-2 sheets of silicone paper.
  Reason: While opening the press or removing the textile from your press, it may happen that the corners of the A-Foil lift up from the fabric. This leads to undesired hot-peeling and to incomplete and faulty edges.

After the Transfer Process:

• Peel the A-Foil once it is ABSOLUTELY COLD.
  Reason: If you remove the A-Foil while still warm, it will lead to an incomplete and faulty transfer. If you use the inside of your hands and roll the A-Foil away, you will get the best possible result. If you peel the foil upwards, some small pieces of the toner will come away from the garment.

1. Printing

• Print your design in Mirror Image Mode on the Coated Side of the A-Foil.
• Make all sides of the A-Foil 1 cm smaller by trimming around the image.

   

  IMPORTANT: Make sure that the image drum & fixing unit are not worn out! This prevents even toner coverage on the A-Foil.

2. Preparation of the Heat Press

• Pre -heat your Heat Press until the Lower Plate is HOT!

Table 1: B-Paper to A-Foil

3. Transfer (B-paper to A-Foil)

• Place 1-2 sheets or Regular copy paper on the lower plate to protect your silicone pad.
• Place the trimmed A-Foil in the middle of the lower plate (Printed side facing up)
• Place the B-P aper LowTemp on top of the A-Foil (coated side facing down)
• Cover all with 1-2 sheets of Regular Copy Paper.

   

  NOTE : It is essential that the B-P aper LowTemp is slightly larger than the A-Foil to avoid mistakes.

• Press the A-Foil & B-P aper together (see TABLE 1):

   

  TEMP:              130 – 145°C (266 – 293°F)

  TIME:               A4: 90 Seconds or A3: 120 Seconds

  PRESSURE:    2-3 bar (30-40 PSI) Medium Pressure

• After opening the press, Rub the B-paper with a cloth for 5-10 seconds. Next, separate the B-P aper LowTemp from the A-Foil without lifting them up from the lower plate. Work in a slow, low & fluid motion (do not stop).

Table 2: Textiles & Other Substrates

Application on the Garment:

• Place the garment on the lower plate of the heat press.
• Place the transfer on the garment and tape the corners of the A-Foil with Heat Resistant Tape.
• Cover it with a sheet of Matt Finish Economy.
• Press using the parameters shown in table 2.
• Remove the A-Foil after it is completely cold.

Table 3: Matt Finishing & Fixing

Finishing:

• For Extraordinary Good Washability with a Matt or IMPORTANT that you repress with a sheet of Matt Finish Economy or Glossy Finishing Paper (See TABLE 3).