Many would say that the dye based ink jets are best when it comes to printing inject heat transfer paper for garments which are light. The reason behind this is that pigment inkjet inks would sit on top of the inkjet transfer’s polymer layers rather than completely penetrating into them like a dye might. The older dye inkjet usually works better with other type of substrates.
Another factor that contributed to incompatibility of pigment inks is the bleeding of the colors in the inkjet heat transfers and at times, saturation of ink volume. It is quite logical to assume that the layers of the polymer adhesive which are porous will only accept much ink. You can try using the standard ink settings or switch to draft settings in order to eliminate or reduce bleeding. However, the bottom line is that as long as the heat transfer is not wet when it goes out of the printer, it should quite be fine and the bleeding that occurs afterward is unavoidable. You can deal with bleeding by prewashing the t-shirts before you wear them. You can use and extra cold water for the size load for the first wash. It should be fine after doing this.
At times, pre-pressing your garments even before pressing the transfer into them will improve the application by eliminating the moisture in the fabric. Avoid having water in the apparel when pressing since this will vaporize and will greatly affect the quality of the heat transfer process which will in turn affect the durability as well as the longevity of the transferred image. If you are situated in an area with high humidity like in coastal regions or in wet inland environments, this can be a very helpful procedure.
There are different kinds of inkjet heat transfers for black and colored garments. These usually have heavy backings that will serve as the white under base. This will cause the transfer to acquire a rubbery or thick feel to it. The transfers are printed differently and then are pressed to the shirt in a slightly different way.