DSF

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me how they are securing the subli paper to the plaque please?

The reason I ask is that I currently hold the paper in place with heat tape but every time I come to peel the paper and tape off the plaque the mahogany edge comes off with the tape. I have wasted so many plaques now it is driving me mad

Thanks,

Matt

Well until an expert comes along with the right answer, this total newbie has been thinking about this and wonders if you could not make a cardboard template that could sit on the press with a hole in it the shape of the plaque so that the plaque would sit snugly inside the template. Then you could heat tape the sublimation paper to the cardboard template instead and not the plaque itself. I cannot see that this would not work. I suppose you might be able to do it with the plaque just sat on top of say a thin silicon sheet so it didnt move and tape onto that instead.

MattP;46641 wrote:Hi all,

Can anyone tell me how they are securing the subli paper to the plaque please?

The reason I ask is that I currently hold the paper in place with heat tape but every time I come to peel the paper and tape off the plaque the mahogany edge comes off with the tape. I have wasted so many plaques now it is driving me mad

Thanks,

Matt

I tend to place plaque on paper and then use tape to hold from the back of the plaque.

try wrap your transfer to the back and then tape it.

Like others I tape on back - I put plaque face down on image, fold paper back round and hold, then hold to light with paper held tight to see print is central (with the tapered edge of the plaques I find you can't line up perfectly from viewing from above) I adjust if necessary then still holding paper tight, apply tape - so far so good! Only 'spoilt' one so far (now a 'sample' - by forgetting to check which way was 'up' - i.e. the hanging hole that is routed into the back :redface: ..... then some weeks later saw a video on Conde site where they said on a sales visit they had met a client who did the same thing quite frequently - his solution? to buy a new router to cut a new hanging slot! Like his style :biggrin:

really like the plaques - biggest problem I find is I due to their thickness I can't get the adkins press closed properly and hence have to manually apply consistent pressure - not ideal. Any one else had this problem and any ideas to solve it - short of buying new press!

Thanks for the comments, am just about to give it another try.

Hugh, I purchased the Deep Impact Platen from Xpres. Basicly it's a platen with the rubber removed and a teflon sheet over it. Once the plaque is in place you can lock the press down. http://www.xpres.co.uk/p-7953-deep-impa ... .aspx?p=62

Well, I rapped the paper round and taped it at the back as recommended and all is well. I even increased the time of the press by an extra 30 seconds and the quality was much better.

Job well done,

Thanks

MattP;46705 wrote:Well, I rapped the paper round and taped it at the back as recommended and all is well. I even increased the time of the press by an extra 30 seconds and the quality was much better.

Job well done,

Thanks

Excellent news MattP! And thanks for the link to the deep impact - why hadn't I thought of keeping up to date on platen designs, I had thought of scraping off rubber on an old platen for extra height but not getting a custom one! Doh! :redface:

I designed the artwork to the exact size of the plaque face and then increased by 1/4" and cut out with a guillotine type paper cutter, then I use a quick spray with Conde's adhesive spray, line the transfer up and press smooth, after I peel the transfer off a quick wipe down with rubbing alcohol and any sticky residue comes right off. I tried and tried to wrap the transfer around the plaque but my design was almost right up to the edge and was too bloody difficult to align correctly, the spray adhesive is the only thing that's worked consistently perfect! I made 48 plaques for a high school senior recognition banquet in an evening and everything ran smooth and easy doing it this way.