In this week’s episode of Embroidery Hub, Willy shows you how to create a unique cap design by doing sublimation printing on top of 3D puff embroidery. This mixed media project is a great way to create stunning designs that will attract tons of customers to your custom apparel business and increase your profits.
***PLEASE NOTE: The Ricoma R550 White Toner Transfer Printer is no longer available. We have replaced it with our BRAND NEW Luminaris 200 White Toner Transfer Printer. At this time, the Luminaris 200 White Toner Transfer Printer does not support sublimation.
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Learn how to hoop and embroider a Richardson 112 cap here: • RICHARDSON CAPS 3D Puf...
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Check out these similar videos on how to do 3D puff embroidery on a Richardson cap:
• Cap Embroidery w/ 3D P...
• WE BROKE A NEW RECORD!...
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For this project, we used:
MT-1501
White Toner Transfer Printer
Ricoma Auto Open Cap Heat Press
Richardson 112 cap
Cap frame
40 weight white polyester thread
75 by 11 Sharp Point needles
Two sheets of white foam
A sheet of copy paper
Teflon sheet
Pins
Scissors
Let’s discuss profit potential:
The hat costs $5, but you can get it cheaper at wholesale. The two sheets of foam came out to $0.50, and the printer toner also cost $0.50. We paid $0.15 for the thread and bobbin. That means it costs about $6.15 to make the cap. Since these caps can sell from $15 to $45, the profit potential is around $9 to $40.
For digitizing make sure there is no underlay under any letters or else the foam won't look puffy. And make sure to start the design from the bottom up and to the center out. The last thing you have to do is set the density to 0.1. This will help cut out the foam and make it easier for you during the cleanup process.
Now hoop the cap and insert it into the machine. Go to the panel, Press File, choose your design and press OK. Then select your hoop as the cap hoop and press OK. For color selection, just select the white thread and press OK. Center the design using the arrow keys, lock the machine, and press the trace button. Then place two sheets of foam on the cap and hold it down with two pins. Once you do all that, press Start. When the machine finishes embroidering the design, remove the pins, take out the first layer of foam, and remove the cap from the machine.
To print with sublimation ink, just open up the white toner transfer printer, remove the cartridges already in the printer, and insert the sublimation ink cartridges. Now to print the sublimation sheet, use the software that came with your printer to drag the design over and make it fit on the page by pressing Fit to Page. Then center it and press Print. Make sure you already have regular copy paper in the printer.
Now place the cap on the heat press, secure it in place, and set the cap heat press to 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 seconds. Cut the design to make it fit on the cap. Once you cut the paper, place it facedown on the cap and put the Teflon sheet on top. Then press for 40 seconds. Take the cap off the heat-press, remove the Teflon sheet, and let the cap cool down for 15 to 30 seconds. Then you can peel off the design and remove the last layer of foam. If there are still little foam pieces stuck to the cap, make sure to pick them out.
And that’s it! You now have a beautiful cap that your customers will love. We hope this project inspires you to think outside the box to create unique designs that combine embroidery and sublimation printing.