How to Mask and Apply Colorprint Soft Opaque with TTD High Tack Mask

My morning started off the same way as most people, by dreaming about stuffing my face with donuts. That’s how your day starts, right? …or is it just Homer Simpson and me that have this in common?

Pretty much my current situation.

My first art project of the day was this…

I created this design in Adobe Illustrator

In the beginning of this year, we launched a brand new print and cut material called ColorPrint Soft Opaque. ColorPrint Soft Opaque is the “brother” or “sister” (whatever you prefer) of ColorPrint Soft (Clear). ColorPrint Soft (Clear) is an extremely thin translucent material. It is fantastic if you wanted to apply it to a white or very light colored garment. Here is a video to explain the whole application process for ColorPrint Soft (Clear.)

Essentially what we did is take the formulation of ColorPrint Soft (Clear) and added opacity to it, so you could apply it to any color garment you wish. The difference in thickness of material is: ColorPrint Soft (Clear) – 30 Microns/ 1.18 Mils and ColorPrint Soft Opaque – 45 Microns/ 1.7 Mils.

I don’t want to go too technical and off topic, I just want to stress how thin this new print and cut material is…….mmmmm, donuts……. Oh yeah, TTD High Tack Mask! So, we decided to launch a “new” mask for the ColorPrint Soft Opaque. I use quotes around “new”, because… *drum roll please* …it is just our Evolution Mask renamed to TTD High Tack Mask! If you aren’t familiar with our Evolution Mask, no worries. It’s a much stickier mask than our TTD Easy Mask, and it’s now rebranded as TTD High Tack Mask.

Having the extra stickiness with the TTD High Tack Mask will alleviate any issues you may have when masking your ColorPrint Soft Opaque.

*To avoid making this blog post longer than it needs to be, I printed my design with my Eco Solvent Roland VersaCamm printer on ColorPrint Soft Opaque, I weeded away my excess material, and now…*

Let’s queue the masking picture montage…

Look for “TTD High Tack Mask” inside the roll.

I cut my TTD High Tack Mask a little larger than my transfer.

I peeled the paper backing off of the mask, but save the paper backing for later. You’ll see why.

On a smooth flat surface, lay the mask down with the adhesive side up.

Starting from one end, lay your printed transfer down on the mask.

Now get your Siser Squeegee. Starting in the center of your transfer, take your Siser Squeegee and with firm pressure slide from the center out. Remove any air pockets to create the firm bond between the transfer and mask.

Peel the polyester backing off in one swift motion by holding the transfer at a 45° angle and peeling downward. (it will make a loud noise)

The TTD High Tack will take a little more force to pull the polyester than what you may be used to with the TTD Easy Mask.

If you don’t plan to apply the transfer right away, lay the transfer down on the shiny side of the paper backing you peeled off your mask.

When ready to apply, have your heat press set to 311° F/ 155° C with a Medium-Firm pressure set on your platen. Preheat your garment for 2-3 seconds. Place your design down, lay a cover sheet over the transfer, and press for 15 seconds.

After the application is done, with TTD High Tack Mask, we recommend performing a warm peel instead of a hot peel. This is because, when hot, the adhesive of the carrier has a tendency to pull at the garment. In this case I am using a cotton t-shirt, and the carrier may pull up those fibers if peeled too hot. When warm, it’s easier to peel. Just remove the garment from the heat press and wait about 10 seconds before peeling the carrier and the results will be much better.

Well, I never did get a donut, but I did get this rad shirt!

You can inquire about the TTD High Tack Mask when you’re looking to purchase ColorPrint Soft Opaque. The TTD High Tack Mask will work with all of our other print and cut materials, and may be a great remedy when masking larger designs or overly detailed design.

…someone send me a donut, please. <3