In honor of Labor Day, we’re listing the top 12 labor-saving devices, handy equipment solutions, hacks, inventions, etc. available over at uscutter.com to do all the heavy lifting for your graphics-making hobby or business!
USCutter.com just wrapped up their most popular webcast ever. If you missed it, check it out here: part 1, part 2.
It was about White Toner printing with Uninet. What is white toner printing?
Well, basically… every other apparel decorating process out there seems to have at least 1 major drawback.
Applying heat transfer vinyl can be a very manual process, especially when you layer multi-color graphics…
Dye-sublimation printing only goes on white and light-colored polyester fabrics and polymer-coated hard surfaces…
Screenprinting is unworkable and unaffordable for small runs…
Only white toner printing has none of the technical drawbacks of the other processes. With white toner printing, you can print full-color photos and other graphics onto cotton and dark colored fabrics!
You can print professional invitations and paper products, as well as hard surfaces like mugs!
No cutting, no weeding, no layering, no need to be an artiste!
The Uninet iColor printer series is the most versatile, capable and proven white toner printing solution on the market. In this technology, Uninet stands alone due to some unique capabilities.
Choose CMYK, CMYW, or other after-market toner configurations such as sublimation(!) and neon!
You can swap out configurations of black and white cartridges to use white toner as an over or under print. The included black cartridge allows you to print TRUE black, and allows you to use Uninet as a normal office printer if needed!
Included TransferRIP software ($600 value) allows you to manage colors, set the order of print layers, and rasterize designs for a better feel of the print on fabric and great toner cost savings!
USCutter.com is a lot of things to a lot of people, but life-changing? That may seem like a stretch, but for one of our customers, Susan Dillon, of the Seattle area, it rings true. We interviewed Susan recently about how personally enriching she’s found it’s been for her to work her way through many of our equipment paths for one-of-a-kind custom gifts for family and friends, and maybe even some products for sale!
1.) Has USCutter changed your life? Please tell us how.
Susan: Oh it sure has! The first time I went to the Redmond location, it was for a trade show. I was curious about the printer I had read about for sublimation. I put my name in the bowl for a raffle and was totally shocked to win the grand prize of a Siser Heat Press! We barely got it in my little car and my kitchen wasn’t really big enough to house the heat press (or the sublimation printer set up I got that day too) so we built a full studio building (she shed) and I went from cutting a few things with my home crafting cutter to a complete vinyl and sublimation studio. I’ve also now added a larger 30” cutter and white toner printer.
2.) What are you doing in dye-sublimation printing these days? Do you use a wide variety of blanks? Do you do any photos or fine art images?
Susan: I’ve done all kinds of project with sublimation. I love it! It’s so wonderful to be able to create one of a kind personalized items in no time at all. My favorite are coffee mugs and those are my most requested items, but I use many types of blanks. I’ve done water bottles, ceramic Christmas ornaments, shirts, mouse pads, door mats, water bottles, and sequin pillows and Christmas stockings for example. If it’s polyester, I will try to sublimate on it!
3.) Do you mainly use USCutter products for business or pleasure?
Susan: My business is still considered a hobby. I have a business name but I keep busy with orders from friends at this point. Right now I’m working on 2 weddings. (I also do custom machine embroidery and have some orders for that too.) But I get all my supplies from USCutter – unless it’s something they don’t carry – then I will purchase elsewhere, but USCutter is always my first go to place for supplies. (I have an order waiting for me right now!)
4.) What advice would you give to someone starting out using heat transfer vinyl on apparel?
Susan: My best advice would be to be prepared to make mistakes. They happen! Don’t get frustrated when they do. Forgetting to mirror image when cutting is something everyone does! Use white uncoated butcher paper to cover the transfers on the heat press. To make sure the transfer is properly adhered to the fabric, look closely at the largest part of the transfer. You should be able to see the bumps of the fabric where the HTV has “melted” into the fabric. I always do an extra press after I take off the transfer sheet with a layer of butcher paper over the design just to be sure it’s stuck. The final advice though is to have fun and enjoy what you’re doing!