My first time

 After months of staring at them, worried and intimidated, it took the lack of fabric to finally dive into it.

I have the type of personality that if I am going to do something it must be something I can "master". Failure is not something that I do.

After a few hours of setting up and asking someone who has done this for 35 years and temps. Because I was not going to screw this up. I got it all set up.

At this point, our local fabric land was finally opening back up after what felt like an eternity of being closed. Masks were in high demand and fabric choices were in low supply.

I went into fabric land and bought 10 meters of 100% polyester. I had confidence. I told myself YOU WILL NOT SCREW THIS UP. It cost way too much to get it set up to blow it.

I decided it's small, it's a mask I got this. For months I had been reading and researching I GOT THIS!

I printed off my first print, I put it in the press for 60 seconds, but had my press set for vinyl pressing and it wasn't enough pressure. SIGH

This is how it looked, it was okay but I wasn't happy. 

Okay, let's fix this issue, we have an older than dirt heat press which means it is a pain in the rear to change the heat setting on and almost impossible to change the pressure setting and I surely wasn't going to change the pressure setting every time I needed to switch from vinyl to sublimation.

Solution: Add a folded piece of flannel that I am never going to use again to the bottom of the heat press this way I can remove it when I need to put something thicker than a mask in the heat press.

Put the temp 5 degrees lower than 400 and the vinyl won't melt, it will be good to go and I won't have to change it!!

Okay, heat press 390-395 degrees. Extra flannel on press for the pressure we are good to go.

Step 1) heat the press fully

Step 2) put parchment (butcher paper) on the flannel

Step 3) put your fabric on the parchment then your image then more parchment (You have to change the parchment with EVERY SINGLE PRESS yes it seems like a waste but you can't use the Teflon sheets you do for vinyl)

Step 4) close the press and set timmer for 60 seconds

Step 5) open press give it a second because dang it's hot (Imagine that right?)

Step 6) love it!!!

Now we don't have to worry about the fabric shortage we can just do it!

Clogged Print Heads

 

 

https://epson.ca/For-Work/Printers/Inkjet/WorkForce-WF-7720-Wide-format-All-in-One-Printer/p/C11CG37201

 

This won't apply to many of you if you don't have a printer or do sublimation.

In January 2020 I started the process of buying everything I need to start doing sublimation I was so excited.

Finally, when I built up the courage to actually put everything together and give it a try I became addicted.

I print every day so when they tell you that not printing every day will cause your print heads to clog that isn't true. For the past 2 days or so I have been fighting with my printer and it having a blocked magenta head.

A few months ago it was a black one. With a few hours of fighting and cleaning it, I got it fixed.

This one was a horrible block, it took me days of flushing it and letting it soak for it to actually clear, I was starting to think I was going to have to replace my not so cheap printer.

Today in the last-ditch effort I consulted Dr. Google. I came across a website that said to do something I had not tried before but figured it was worth it if it worked.

Now I am cheap I don't use or buy print head solutions. I use rubbing alcohol that I get from the dollar store. I buy 50% or higher compound.

I use the syringes that came with the ink when I ordered.

Qtips and cotton pads are something I use as well.

Steps:

1) Remove Cartridges

2) Check to make sure your cartridges actually have ink in them. Also, check and make sure they are primed and don't have air in them. (If there is air in them you can use your syringe and suck it out)

Stop here do a print head test to see if the problem is fixed. If nope onto the next

3) Remove cartridges

4) Soak a cotton round with the rubbing alcohol and squeeze it onto the head(s) that are clogged and leave it squished on it for an hour or two.  

5) Time-lapse for 2 hours. Clean up any excess liquid. Reinstall the cartridges, do a head check print.

At this point, I hope your good to go if not onto the next.

6) Turn the printer off then back on with the lid lifted. Unplug the printer mid startup with the cartridges sitting in the middle. This will make it so you can move the cartridges back and forth.

7) Remove the cartridges.

8) Where the cartridges normally sit you will see what looks like small sponges gently blot those with a paper towel, they might be super full.

9) Fold a paper towel up but keep it thin. Get it wet with warm water and rubbing alcohol (not soaking wet) and place it on the track, slide the print head over it.

10) For this step I had to jimmy rig something to work with it because I didn't have the special tube for it. I took the bottle lid to one of my refills that was the perfect size and placed it over the print head of the blocked colour. I put the syringe with rubbing alcohol in it and pushed it into the bottle lid that is fitted over the print head (i did order the right tube to do this so I will not have to jimmy rig it in the future).

Stop here do a print head test to see if the problem is fixed. If nope onto the next.
 I am thanking my lucky stars that this one worked for me.

11) Next is calling your local ink shop and seeing they do professional cleaning or just buying a new printer the choice is up to you!


Yes, it took until Step 10 to order to get my printer fixed and working again. It was a long process but for me worth it!

When you print every day, with clients waiting for orders it is really hard to be without your printer even for a day.

Please click this link for full details and pictures of everything.

I did order the proper tubes from amazon just to make my life easier for when this happens again, and yes in the sublimation world it is going to happen A LOT!

Good luck!