I use dye sublimation inks in an Epson inkjet printer. Using a heat press, the inks actually fuse with polyester fabric. The results are beautiful and last as long as the fabric stays intact. There's a good chance that someone in your area does dye-sub work. It's the same process used to put photos on coffee mugs. Other than fabric, the materials cost is about $1.50 per sq ft. Bill -----Original Message----- From: "Emily L. Ferguson" <elf@xxxxxxxx> Sent: Nov 21, 2004 12:12 PM To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: printing onto fabric My best friend died three days ago and I'm making Tibetan Prayer Flags for solace. I went out to Staples and bought a package of those iron-on inkjet transfer sheets. They're pretty lame - they dull the color and stiffen the cloth, since one prints to a sheet of think tacky plastic on a carrier of paper and then use heat to make the plastic adhere to the cloth. Has anyone tried to put a piece of fabric through a consumer type Epson inkjet printer? If you can get it to start, does the ink go right through and mess up everything? Does the ink actually stain the cloth or sit on the surface? Does the ink wash out? Any alternative ideas for how to get a picture onto fabric without learning how to do serigraphy or getting worked up about batiking? This is solace, not a new career! -- Emily L. Ferguson mailto:elf@xxxxxxxx 508-563-6822 New England landscapes, wooden boats and races, press photography http://www.vsu.cape.com/~elf/
