Skateboard Heat Transfer Material

[Mr. Signboy]

We currently print a decent amount of skateboard grip tape and are trying to expand our business in that market. A large skateboard company reached out and asked if we can print heat transfer graphics for the bottom of the board. Do any of you know where I can source that media? I’ve used heat transfer for clothing before but never this application. Also, I would need something that can be printed using UV or latex ink. We would just be supplying the prints not actually applying them to boards. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Solventinkjet]

I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure those skateboard guys are all using dye sub. Get one of those Epson Eco Tank printers from JohnsonPlastics.com that they put dye sub ink in. That would be the perfect size for your application. As far as UV and latex goes, you can only really make a sticker, or in UV's case, print directly to the board itself which doesn't sound like the workflow you're looking for.

 

[Mr. Signboy]

I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure those skateboard guys are all using dye sub. Get one of those Epson Eco Tank printers from JohnsonPlastics.com that they put dye sub ink in. That would be the perfect size for your application. As far as UV and latex goes, you can only really make a sticker, or in UV's case, print directly to the board itself which doesn't sound like the workflow you're looking for.

That’s what I was afraid of, I know dye sub is a common way they’re done but I wasn’t sure if it was the only way. Definitely don’t want to print directly on the boards, that seems like a can of worms not worth opening lol. I have a roll to roll UV printer also but it doesn’t sound like that’s an option. We will probably just stick to printing the grip tape. Thanks for advice, I’ll still look into the printer you mentioned.

 

[Greg Kelm]

Roland made a htm that was solvent printable, but was terribly expensive. DTF an option? https://dtgpro.com/ciccategory/uvdtf-printing.php

 

[SGC]

We currently print a decent amount of skateboard grip tape and are trying to expand our business in that market. A large skateboard company reached out and asked if we can print heat transfer graphics for the bottom of the board. Do any of you know where I can source that media? I’ve used heat transfer for clothing before but never this application. Also, I would need something that can be printed using UV or latex ink. We would just be supplying the prints not actually applying them to boards. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

It's not dye sub. You'll also not be able to produce them at a price that's competitive to the china import model they all use. Trust me, I've been in the skateboard industry for 11+ years. Run, run fast from that.

 

[BigNate]

My kid's skateboard came with vinyl stickers on the bottom - looks like very thin and no laminate.

 

[SGC]

My kid's skateboard came with vinyl stickers on the bottom - looks like very thin and no laminate.

A professional skateboard is never made with vinyl, so that’s a problem right there.

 

[BigNate]

... checkout the boards a WallyMart - lots of 'stickers', 'decals', 'water slide', 'heat transfer vinyl' on their boards - basically something printed on a different substrate then adhered to the board - call it what you want, there is a media with printing on it that is affixed to product - "Vinyl sticker"... and being that they are sold at a huge retailer, I think they would be considered professional - maybe the problem lies elsewhere?

 

[SGC]

A professional skateboard, the deck itself, sells more more than the walmart completes. The walmart products are introductory products, and are made with various different materials and printing methods that aim to control unit price, not achieve high quality results.

A professional, correctly produced skateboard deck is made with heat transferred inks directly to the surface. No carrier agent, vinyl, decal etc is included in this transfer, it's just ink left on the boards surface.

We print skateboards in my facility, and have for the last 8 years. If you can peel off the graphic, it's not make correctly.

 

[Solventinkjet]

A professional skateboard, the deck itself, sells more more than the walmart completes. The walmart products are introductory products, and are made with various different materials and printing methods that aim to control unit price, not achieve high quality results.

A professional, correctly produced skateboard deck is made with heat transferred inks directly to the surface. No carrier agent, vinyl, decal etc is included in this transfer, it's just ink left on the boards surface.

We print skateboards in my facility, and have for the last 8 years. If you can peel off the graphic, it's not make correctly.

Are you hydro dipping then?

 

[BigNate]

... Oh, so people who make product to sell at large retailers are not professional? good to know. I thought we were using standard English, I will make notes.

 

[SGC]

... Oh, so people who make product to sell at large retailers are not professional? good to know. I thought we were using standard English, I will make notes.

I think you are misunderstanding what the word professional means in this context. A PROFESSIONAL skateboard deck is made specifically for the purpose of long lasting, rigorous use as demanded by professional skateboarders. The skateboards sold in stores like walmart and target are beginner, introductory products made with lower quality materials as a means to get the price down to a place that justifies the floor space. You're finding offense in words I'm not saying, which is strange, sorry about that. Have you not experienced different quality grades of products in your lifetime? They exist in vinyl, in printers, in bread at the store, everywhere. Wild.

 

[BigNate]

btw, I have also put graphics on skateboards since before Toenails and Carlsbad were closed. There have been many ways to put ink on wood (or fiberglass, acrylic, aluminum, etc..) Just because you choose a specific method does not mean that the other methods are wrong.

 

[BigNate]

... and for long lasting? I have a Bane board from about '74 that still has all the original graphics still all clear and readable... so were Bane boards "Professional"?

 

[SGC]

Are you hydro dipping then?

No, hydro dipped boards introduces moisture to the boards that alters the way they feel while riding. People do hydro dip for decoration purposes though, I've seen that. Same goes for direct surface sublimation, the amount of time and heat to even potentially get the ink to transfer would remove the usable moisture from the wood leaving it incredibly susceptible to breakage.

 

[SGC]

btw, I have also put graphics on skateboards since before Toenails and Carlsbad were closed. There have been many ways to put ink on wood (or fiberglass, acrylic, aluminum, etc..) Just because you choose a specific method does not mean that the other methods are wrong.

Again, you are putting words in my mouth for whatever reason. The proper, current, and current best way to apply skateable graphics to a skateboards deck is an ink-only heat transfer. I'm not saying a skateboard graphic can't be printed 900 different ways. It can be screen printed, which some are, but the industry has largely moved on from that method.

This is a very strange conversation. Just sharing the knowledge of how it all works now.

 

[BigNate]

So, to the OP, all the info you give is "a large skateboard company". So, if this is a "PROFESSIONAL" company, please do not try vinyl as it may offend them. But depending on their market, they may be very receptive to contour cut vinyl graphics for their boards. If they insist on a heat transfer material, try the Forever Paper hard good product - it will transfer just the image.

You can also get a lot of normal printed vinyl adhesive that is referred to as 'heat transfer' as a huge segment of the people who can plot vinyl learned through heat transfer for shirts - never-mind no heat is needed to apply. There are also 'waterslide' decals that allow for just the ink to transfer to a hard object.

 

[tbullo]

About 9 mins in you see a heat transfer being used. Don't know if they call out what it is though.

 

[SGC]

So, to the OP, all the info you give is "a large skateboard company". So, if this is a "PROFESSIONAL" company, please do not try vinyl as it may offend them. But depending on their market, they may be very receptive to contour cut vinyl graphics for their boards. If they insist on a heat transfer material, try the Forever Paper hard good product - it will transfer just the image.

You can also get a lot of normal printed vinyl adhesive that is referred to as 'heat transfer' as a huge segment of the people who can plot vinyl learned through heat transfer for shirts - never-mind no heat is needed to apply. There are also 'waterslide' decals that allow for just the ink to transfer to a hard object.

This is the wrong advice. Direct surface screen printing or ink-only transfer are the only means acceptable to the skateboard wholesale industry at-large. The company asking for heat transfer production, are asking for the pro-skateboard style transfers, this I can 99.9999999% promise. A skateboarder, the person using the final product can see, feel, and experience when the skateboard graphic isn't correct. You use real ink because real ink slides and wears off, not bunch up or tear like vinyl would. A large skateboard company asking a domestic company for printing services is a domestic company serving skateboarding. This is all factual information. I gain nothing commenting or sharing this, other than ensuring a skateboarder doesn't receive a board with vinyl on it and regret their purchase.

 

[SGC]

About 9 mins in you see a heat transfer being used. Don't know if they call out what it is though.

It's a PET release film with inks screen printed or digitally printed on it, with a white layer screen printed the back that bonds to the skateboards surface when ran through the roller style heat transfer machine and the surface brought to the temp required by the specific release film used.