This is weird...

[ArtyGamer]

I've ran forums with introductory threads for many years, but never actually joined a forum that wasn't mine so never had to post an introduction. I feel a bit kinky.

Right, so.. Scottish chap who lived in Kent for years but moved back up to get away from the blistering heat and dodgy meat. I miss the fresh veg but it's a fair trade-off to get decent cuts of meat again. Been a musician, gamer, and artist for more than half of my 41 years and got annoyed several years ago when I couldn't find any t-shirts I liked so I designed my own and had them made by Spreadshirt. They were crap. Grainy, far too much dithering, peeling off after a few dozen washes and went a bit sticky too after a while... so I bought some cutting gear and a heat press and have never looked back.

Then last year, probably around October or thereabouts, I figured I'd give sublimation a shot and really liked the results. Felt like an idiot though as I wasted so much paper and ink that first night going "Why the hell do the prints look like this? Where's all the bloody colour??" until the next day I thought I'd waste some stock and just see what it looked like after printing. That's when the penny dropped... it looks weird before it sublimates. Yeah yeah... laugh all you like; I had no instructions and all the videos I watched prior to buying in all the gear did that thing where they're ABOUT to show you the print out and then it does some crappy fade or wipe to them placing it on the heat press. So I had no idea it should look under-saturated when it came out the printer.

Anyway, dipped my toes in 3D sublimation in November but was wasting too many cases (mottling effect, cold spots, and the gold film really doesn't hold the colours as well as regular paper does) so I pulled away from 3D for a while until I could afford enough blanks to keep trying different techniques. Got it sussed in February, and now most of what I sell is phone cases. Loads of fun. Happiest moment was when I'd stopped wasting polymer plates and finally worked out how to get full coverage so I could print Scooby Doo plates for my little girl's second birthday. Worst moment was when the vacuum press packed in yesterday.

So that's all about me... what about you? A/S/L? (don't... that was another bad joke).

Mark

[Scotty@BMS]

Hi Mark, music and gaming, doesn't get much better than that!

[Justin]

Hi Mark and welcome to the forum

Justin
DSF Admin

[ArtyGamer]

Thanks, guys

Music and gaming have sadly given way to parenthood over the last couple of years. My guitars and bass are pretty much display items, my drums get played more by my two-year-old girl than me, my keyboard hasn't been powered up in three years and the last time my mic was used it was so my little girl could sing the Spider-Man theme tune and hear herself through the headphones. I do admit to several 3am finishes this past week thanks to becoming engrossed with inFamous: Second Son though; one of those games I got on a whim and haven't been able to put down.

One change to come from doing sublimation is that this year when I go to E3, I won't have to wander around with a lanyard promoting some crap game. I can make my own and put whatever I want on it. Probably some promotion for an equally crap game! Or just "I bet you wish you had this lanyard, don't you?".

[Scotty@BMS]

Thanks, guys

Music and gaming have sadly given way to parenthood over the last couple of years.

That sounds spookily familiar!