Help!!! Photo transfer bled
 

After many hours of preparing our guild's logo in color and saving it to a JPG file, I transferred it to fabric (Moda snow) that had been prepared using Bubble Jet Set. I pretreated the fabric, ironed it to the freezer paper sheets and put it through my HP printer. Looked great. Set the colors with an iron, peeled off the freezer paper and used the post-printing solution that is part of the Bubble Jet package. The ink bled badly. arrrrrgh.

i have followed this same method many times before (successfully).

Any idea what went wrong? This is the same technique I use for photo quilts and labels...

Is it possible the chemicals had deteriorated with time?

Can anyone recommend a brand of pretreated transfer sheets that are foolproof (and where the inks don't bleed or wash out)?

Btw, these logos were going to form the center block in four signature quilts that we are making for our guild members whose homes were badly damaged in Superstorm Sandy. All this planning...and now a major roadblock!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions...

Marcia at the Jersey Shore

The attached is an earlier version of the colored logo... The beach plums are actually a reddish purple color...lots of ink I guess, but even the green leaves bled.

Did you wash the fabric to get all the chemicals out before starting?

I followed the instructions on the Bubble Jet set. It did not say to pre wash the fabric before pre-treating it, which I would assume is all that was needed (and all I did in the past). Do you pre wash before using Bubble Jet set?

I've always let mine dry for at least 24 hours prior to rinsing in the jet set solution. I have found that it works better with some fabrics than others. I've never tried Moda fabrics. I have usually just used a white sheet.

Don't have any good answers. Interested in this thread. I've heard to use 200 thread count PFD fabric.

Correction: it's Kona Snow (not Moda), although I don't know what difference that would make. I was using that fabric because it's what was used in the signature blocks. I noticed that one of my four pieces is useable...but no idea why it's different. Wondering if I should have blotted them immediately after taking them out of the rinse, because the bleed seemed to occur during the drying process. However this occurrence does not bode well for the future wash ability of the quilt...

i've always pre-washed the fabric---to remove sizing/chemicals/oils/soil first...with detergent- no fabric softener- then press it (steam's ok- no starch or sizing-you just removed all that) then treat it- following the instructions on the product (i've used bubble jet set-but have had better luck with soda ash)
did you by chance purchase new ink since the last time you did it (when it worked)? not all inks are created equal- refill's, off-brand cartridges do not tend to work well- the inks are made to wash out-
i always make sure i get the expensive HP permenent ink cartridges- then i let the pictures sit for at least 24 hours to *cure* allow the ink to saturate the fibers- then i heat set & rinse in cold water...i've never had any luck with the expensive pre-made packaged printer fabric sheets- they are made for wall hangings= projects that won't be washed- and they still fade in a fairly short period of time- so i always make my own- i generally use a bleached muslin- but have used other fabrics-even prints for some labels

When did you buy the BJS? I called the company a couple of years ago to ask about shelf life. The bottle if been opened is 1 year and less if you treated fabric and didnt use it right away. You may want to call them and see what the current info is.

I may be wrong but I think the secret is in letting it set for a day or two and giving it a quick ironing several times. It seems any time I get in a hurry it will bleed. After a couple of days I have always been able to spritz it with water and it doesn't run.

Wow, you are all so helpful! I don't have time to wait for a new bottle of Bubble Jet Set so I am starting over with those I have on hand, hoping that wasn't the problem (although I will order some). Prewashed the fabric and did the first treatment with the chemical. When it's dry and ironed onto freezer paper I will run it through the printer. THEN I will wait a day or two, ironing it a few times, before putting it through the rinse process. One thing I might have done wrong before was not rinse it long enough, so there was still "loose" dye that bled. Also, I will pat it with a towel as soon as I take it out of the rinse, so that any loose dye will bleed into the towel rather than the surrounding fabric. I'll let you know how I make out.

I also plan to look into soda ash (washing soda, according to Wikipedia) ... is it available in supermarkets? I see some Soda Ash Dye Fixer on Amazon. Same thing? I assume you use that for the first step, to prepare the fabric for the ink/dye?

How do these products/chemicals compare with Synthrapol and Retayne?

I hope your solution works out. It's so frustrating when something you have done before does not work that same as it did on another project. Also, I just wanted to say that I am originally from Jersey (South) and my family used to pick beach plums in Cape May every year and make jelly with them. Oh how I miss Beach Plum Jelly. I should try to see if I can buy some on the web. Thanks for producing those memories and again, Good Luck with your project.

The soda ash is used when dying fabrics - not printing with inkjet printers.

I second that about the ink refills...learned the hard way that the refills will bleed all over, even on the pre-treated printed treasures! I've had very good luck with the printed treasures, but do find it difficult to hand stitch thru. I usually add fabric borders before adding to a quilt or labels. I've used them on many quilt labels for quilts that have been washed frequently and no problems with massive fading. I have heard that the "Electric Quilt" ones are nice, bit I haven't tried them yet.

i also agree that you have to pre-wash to remove all sizing etc.

Update: although I think I need new chemicals and will order them, I tried again using your suggestions. Prewashed the fabric, pretreated as directed, used genuine HP cartridges in the printer, let the printed fabric dry for a few days ironing occasionally. When I used the rinse I kept it in for three minutes, agitating with my hands. And this, I think, was important:I immediately blotted the fabric to prevent bleed and even used a hair dryer to make sure it would dry before running (the one, of four, that I didn't use the hair dryer on bled a little bit but is acceptable).

Here is a pic of one of the finished blocks.

Thank you all for your help.

Oddly, when I look at this post on my iPad (from which I uploaded the pic), the photo is oriented correctly, but from my laptop it's sideways :-(

Your block looks wonderful! Your border color really sets the center design off nicely. I am so glad that you were able to work this problem out to a good conclusion. After reading your original post though, I had a great urge for Beach Plum Jelly .... my parents made it every summer from Cape May picked beach plums. I went on a search for it and found I can order the jelly online. See what you started? Sure would love to be a Beachplum Quilters guild member. Ha!

Turned out GREAT!

Glad it worked out! I've had BJS for years and years now -guess it's no good and I had no idea :D

Has anyone used Blumenthal photo fabric that comes on a roll? The amazon reviews say it is softer than the photo transfer sheets. Would you use the Bubble jet rinse after printing on this?