DTF adhesive edges visible after first wash

[Timux]

Hey folks,

I've been on the DTF journey for about 3 months now. Everything's been smooth sailing, except for this
little adhesive problem I cannot get rid of.

Just look at the attached images (a little visual treat, if you will) to see what's been bugging me.
It appears that these adhesive edges are already present directly after printing,
but they make their grand appearance after the first wash.
This is of course more of a problem on black garments.

Now, I did some detective work and found that this issue is more prominent when I use
colors. When I only print white, the problem is, well, less problematic.
I've also seen a wet line around the print right after printing, and that's where I think the problem originates, because the powder sticks to it.

For those curious, I'm using an Epson L1800 with Cadlink, and I cranked up the max white setting for this particular print.

It would be great if someone has a solution for me, because I cannot sent prints out like this.
Looking forward to some genius tipps!
 

[johnson4]

8 hours ago, Timux said:

Hey folks,

I've been on the DTF journey for about 3 months now. Everything's been smooth sailing, except for this
little adhesive problem I cannot get rid of.

Just look at the attached images (a little visual treat, if you will) to see what's been bugging me.
It appears that these adhesive edges are already present directly after printing,
but they make their grand appearance after the first wash.
This is of course more of a problem on black garments.

Now, I did some detective work and found that this issue is more prominent when I use
colors. When I only print white, the problem is, well, less problematic.
I've also seen a wet line around the print right after printing, and that's where I think the problem originates, because the powder sticks to it.

For those curious, I'm using an Epson L1800 with Cadlink, and I cranked up the max white setting for this particular print.

It would be great if someone has a solution for me, because I cannot sent prints out like this.
Looking forward to some genius tipps!
 

If you are not letting the printed film sit at all before curing then I would suggest a different film or less ink. Some inks/films don’t work well together. 
 

if you see that “ bleeding” line around the print it will have powder there. It’s usually too much ink, or film isn’t able to “absorb” that much ink. I’ve also seen certain inks not work well with certain films. 
 

Overall, try less ink, and or try a different film. I ran across this often in my search for the best film/ink. 
 

 

[Ichii]

You can have to much humidity whilst you printing.

[johnson4]

8 hours ago, Ichii said:

You can have to much humidity whilst you printing.

Humidity has nothing to do with a wet ring around the ink on film. I have first hand tested that as well as many others. Humidity also does not affect finished transfers in any way. 
 

Humidity does affect your printer nozzle/consistency. dry air dries the ink faster when printing. 
 

humidity does affect the powder clumping but does not ruin the powder.
 

the oil in the ink causes the powder to get sticky if you reuse it often with a bad balance of ink percentage for your film.This oil makes the powder stick and become very thick on the media. 

 

Humidity has absolutely nothing to do with this issue.
Lower the ink percentage, preheat the print before powdering and fully cure the print directly afterwards. No more ring. sometimes bad film coatings do this. Expired or almost expired white ink can make this problem worse.
 

good luck with your DTF adventure. 
 

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by johnson4