Back Print Guide

Of all the support emails and calls we receive, I think one of the most frequent has to deal with the variety of backprinting on the heat transfer papers and why? Luckily, it is one of the easiest questions to answer, but we realize it does take time to draft an email or dial the phone, which of course would be unnecessary if we provide a quick backprint guide for your review. So, here is a link to a downloadable .pdf that contains the backprint options for the papers available on T-ShirtSupplies.com. Click Here

We have posted a few answers to this question on T-ShirtForums.com, but want to try and sum it up in a quick blog post.

Basically, there are only a handful of heat transfer paper manufactures in the US and WorldWide (maybe a future blog post, interested, leave a comment?), and they all create their products in Master Rolls of paper each being a very large size and quite unusable until they are converted into the sheet sizes that we all expect (8.5x11, 11x17, A3, A4, etc.) Up until this point, the paper that is coated with the chemicals that make these papers work are the same according the individual manufacturers formula, of course each manufacturer keeps their respective formula(s) a trade secret.

Now comes the tricky part that causes so much confusion in the marketplace! Most of these manufacturers use a distribution network to get their products into your hands, or rather heat presses. The distributors, more often then not, use a different naming convention, ergo IronAll may be used by a handful of distributors while MiraCool, Translucent, etc. are used by others. However, they are the same product. What does this have to do with the backprint?

Well, it goes along with the same concept. Some distributors have the ability to purchase product in the aforementioned Master Rolls and others choose to purchase product that is already converted/sheeted. This, too, adds another confusing layer of complexity because it enables the back of the paper to be customized with “brandable” backprinting an additional nuance that can make the product different in appearance from a sheet that comes from the same manufacturing facility.

What does this mean? It may mean you are buying the same paper from different sources, even if it is in the form of sample packs it adds to your cost of acquiring the product(s.) At T-ShirtSupplies.com, we will gladly tell you what product comes from a specific manufacturer or make every attempt to make sure you are not buying the same product under another name. Also, we would like to mention that over 90% of our heat transfer products are produced by Neenah, definitely amongst the top in the industry based on quality, safety (environmentally, etc.), consistency, etc.

In the meantime, we are working to avoid any confusion with our products. We will not deliver an alternate product using the same name, or intentionally confuse anyone. If you have any confusion, drop us a line and we will be more then glad to explain the process in more detail.

Regards,
Mike @ T-ShirtSupplies.com
http://www.tshirtsupplies.com/
"Your Source for Heat-Transfer Supplies"