What do you do to material to pretreat for labels.
 

I want to print out some labels on my ink jet printer. What do you use to pretreat the fabric befor you use the freezer paper? Does anyone have info on this or suggestions? Thanks

For best results you will want to use a product to pretreat your fabric before printing. There are several to choose from, Bubble Jet Set is the only one I can think of off the top of my head. You should be able to find it at Joann's and other fabric stores.

There are great instructions here:
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/bubble-jet.html


and Caryl Bryer Fallert uses it and has a page full of information here:
http://www.bryerpatch.com/faq/bjs_q&a_page.htm

You can also use pre-treated fabric sheets from "Printed Treasures" or "Electric Quilt Company". I buy the PT at Joann's when they have coupons.

I just use plain old tone on tone fabric, wash it with plain old laundry soap without any additives, dry it without any dryer 'stuff' like Snuggle or such.

Then I iron it flat with out any sprays or additives and iron it onto freezer paper. The rest is in my written tute here on the QB. Here it is: http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutorials-f10/making-your-own-quilt-labels-t117667.html

ali

prewash fabric=with detergent- no fabric softener- you can pre-treat with bubble jet set- or retayne....or prepare for dyeing with soda ash.
after printing-set aside to *cure* so the ink can absorb into the fibers-i usually give it 24 hours
then heat set= rinse in cold water to make sure it is going to last-
use good quality inks *not the refillable's*

I thought that the Bubble Jet Set was for after you printed the label?


Also, I was reading the fabric packs in the LQS last week, and it said you immediately set it into water, after printing ... not let it "cure". Is it different from one brand to the other?

The LQS owner said, she doesn't set it into water, just holds it under the tap and let's the water flush it.

I have been wondering , for you that print labels--Do you print multiple labels on one sheet or do you print one label and waste the rest of the sheet? The labels I need are only about 4" x 4" ; and I need it when I have a quilt finished. So how can you run the paper through the printer more than one time?

It's a two-step system; you pre-treat the fabric with Bubble Jet Set and let it dry. Then you run it through your printer and treat it a second time with Bubble Jet Rinse.

Please note this product does not work with all printers. The printers have to use dye-based inks.

Thaks Peckish .. I didn't realize there was Bubble Jet Set as well as Rinse!
Now another question ... is dye-based inks the same as pigma-based?

And then ... when you say the printers have to use dye-based, are you meaning if you are using Bubble Jet? or are you meaning to print anything on fabric?

I'm having a hard time responding to you, I keep getting an error that says my message is too long. And it's not, at 927 characters, it's WELL under the 10000 character limit!

Weird!
At times like that, I just clear the cache, then shut everything down ..... then a hard boot to reopen.
Often time that solves the problem!

I'm leaving the office shortly. Thanks for "trying" .... I'll check in later and see if you've had success!

Okay, trying this again.

re: your first question (which apparently I can't quote) - I'm not sure what the difference is between dye-based and pigment-based inks. I did a quick search and found generic information that says pigment-based inks tend to be more vivid and permanent, but I didn't find anything that addressed how these inks work on fabrics. You might contact the manufacturer of Bubble Jet Set to see what they say, just to be safe.

re: your second question - I meant if you're using Bubble Jet Set. I have no personal experience with simply printing on untreated fabrics, although I have a couple of friends who have tried it and tell me their items have faded.

Thanks!
I'm soon buying a new colour printer and want to make sure I have no regrets being that it'll do double duty in the office .... and more importantly for my quilting!

I have a greeting card program on my computer. I use a card shape that you would fold twice from one sheet of paper. I marked which quarter is which and print my label on one of the quarters. I save the sheet for next time and print another label on one of the other quarters. My printer knows which quarter I'm using so skips the other quarters, which may or may not still be there. Clear as mud?