butterflywing

hello omak,

from what i've read here on this thread, yes, the bubble jet works way better than the sheets that are ready to be printed on. i know what you mean about that second liquid: it's a rinse that bonds the ink to the fabric that final time.

someone here asked if she could use those pretreated ready-to-go sheets along with the bubble jet because she was dissatisfied with the pretreated sheets, and i said i don't think so, because the chemicals may not be compatible. i would not risk it. you would lose the bubble jet and the fabric and the rinse and the time.

omak

okay, that is a different picture, isn't it? The pre-treated sheets are so expensive, three sheets for $12 is way out of my league. The pre-treated sheets are adhered to a backing that is similar to freezer paper to enable it to go through the printer ... and, I would assume they are already treated with the bubble jet ... pays to read the small print, eh? The rinse doesn't improve a light printing .. it cannot put more ink on to the fabric .. it can only set what is there to be set.

Swan Song

I have used bubble jet set quite a bit. I print 1 sheet (standard paper size) at a time generally. I bought one of those disposable plastic baking pans and pour enough to cover the fabric. let it dry, iron to freezer paper, run thru the printer and then wash in bubble jet wash, let it dry and then heat set it with an iron. Then I wash it with an old white towel in the washer with laundry detergent. If it's going to run or bleed I want it to do it before I use it. So far I haven't had it fade, wash out, bleed or run. After I wash it I toss it into the dryer on cotton, then I iron again.

This was done with that process. The photo is actually not sharp the printing is very sharp. The blue behind the dogs is also printed on.

amma

Swan Song, I LOVE your dog block!!!! Did you run the fabric through the printer twice?? Once for the blue background and a second time for the dogs?? I love how you made the center lighter....it made my wheels start turning in directions I never would have though of on my own!!

Swan Song

I did the drawing of the dogs and then put them over a blue starburst pattern in paintshop pro-you could use photoshop, psp is just what I use. I only printed once. The blue around the square is fabric I tried to match to what I printed. That was as close as I could come to it. It's a bit lighter but it works I think. That square went thru the process I described. It was washed in warm water and detergent and dried in the dryer. The colors all stayed true.

butterflywing

that's the way i thought it should work. not with those pretreated sheets.




:thumbup: :thumbup:

omak

Somewhere I read, maybe on the instructions on the rinse? I read that before you do the rinse, the print will do better if you allow the printing to dry for half an hour. I figured it was like using newspapers for foundation; newspapers should lie around for at least two weeks to ensure that the print on the paper won't transfer to your fabric. As Colonel Potter often said: Timing is everything! LOL

Swan Song

Those instructions are on the Bubble Jet Set. Those are basically the instructions I follow. I print, let the fabric sit for about 5 minutes then take the fabric off the freezer paper, let the fabric rest for a half hour (usually a bit longer since I tend to multitask). I then do things a bit differently. I heat set the piece before I hand wash with Bubble Jet Rinse after that I let that air dry. Then I heat set it again. Then I beat it up by throwing it in a washing machine on delicate in warm water with the towel and then into the dryer on cotton. I figure after all that the printing can take anything someone can do to it. So far I have not had a problem with losing any color or print quality.

I also on occasion use those pre-done sheets but only for quilt labels. I have found Printed Treasures brand to be the best. Still not as good for print quality as using the Bubble Jet Set so I would not print art work to it. When I use those sheets I do the same thing I do with the Bubble Jet Set. I print let sit 5 min. take off the backing let sit 30 minutes or so and then do as above, heat set, wash in Bubble Jet Rinse, etc.

Hope that helps anyone trying this out for the first time.

Mousie

LOL! now that's an idea...Blue, sometimes I need my big ironing board, and the only place to put it, is in part of the walkway to dining room/kitchen, or, against end of table, going into hallway...hubby says, "could" you get this out of here, sometime today? (He is much, umm, larger than I),...so I set up, and move, and set up, and move.
Now, hubby as a quilt scarecrow...like that idea!! I'll put one over his piehole!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

omak

When I was doing the 250 gavel passing logos, I went to the hardware store and bought one of those wooden clothes dryers ... they fold almost flat, but stand up almost five feet tall with (if I can remember) over a dozen "poles" to drape the labels on. The one I bought was covered with a formica type lining, so I didn't have to worry about the conflict (possible) between chemical and wood. It is thirty inches wide, so you could hang a lot of printings at one time. The poles are offset, so there is good air flow. I put a bunch of newspapers down, set the clothes dryer up, and then just let the logos dry ...
just one way of getting along with people who aren't as intrigued as we are with various techniques <g>