T-shirt Transfer Printing BN-20

Setting up the file to print

On the desktop PC attached to the printer, open Adobe Illustrator. Open the file you want to print. It can be in any format that Adobe Illustrator works with, including .ai, .pdf, .jpg and more.

Cropping the Image to be the size you want to print.

Click on the image. Right-click to bring up this menu. Select Crop Image. Draw a box around the image you want to print. Press Enter to crop the image.

Changing the Size of the Image to Print: Scaling

On the right-hand palette, under Properties, check the width and height to make sure it's the size you expect. If you want to scale it larger or smaller, be sure to hold the SHIFT key on the keyboard when dragging the selection box, to make sure you don't distort the image.

Add a Cutting Line Around the Image

Any line in a file can become a cutting line for a T-Shirt Transfer. In this example, we will draw a box around the entire image and change the settings for that box to turn it into a cut line. The BN-20 will cut the lines after it finishes printing the image.

In the left-hand palette, select the Rectangle

1. Click on the top-left corner

2. Drag a box to the bottom-right. It should entirely cover your image.

1. On the right-hand palette, select the box to the left of Stroke. A small pop-up window appears.

2. In the bottom-left, select the library menu. A list of palettes appear. Select Roland VersaWorks from the list.

Select the Fuscia color for the color of the Stroke line. It is called "Cut Contour".

It usually fills in the box with pink. Click the curvy arrow on the left palette to swap the Fill and Stroke colors.

Next, change the Stroke line thickness of your rectangle to 0.1pt

When finished, the settings for the rectangle border should look like this:

Change the size of the page to match your design.

Click on the white box area around the outside of your image. On the right-hand palette you will see a box that says Edit Artboards. Click that button.

It will let you change the size of the page. Scale it down to be just slightly larger than the image you want to print. It should be a tiny white border around the image. Use the white squares to resize Artboard 1. Do NOT create a second artboard. You should be editing Artboard 1:

When finished resizing the Artboard 1, click Exit:

Saving Your File for Printing

Go to File -> Save As...

Change the File Format to Adobe PDF

Take note of what folder you are saving the file into.

Click Save.

A second Save Adobe PDF window will appear. Be sure to Click Save PDF.

Opening Your File in the Roland Versaworks Dual Software

In the tray on the desktop, you will find the Versaworks Dual Software. This is the queuing software for the BN20 printer/cutter. Go to File -> Add to Queue A.

Locate and Open your PDF file.

Setting up Cutting Options

Once it's open, you will want to turn on the Cut Options.

Double-click on the name of the file in the left-hand column.

You will see a preview of it on the screen. In the left-hand column:

Click on Cut Controls
turn on Cut Passes 1.
turn on Cutting Conditions Settings
Change Cutting Force to 150 gf for t-shirt transfer paper

Sending the File to Print

Before you print, make sure the correct paper is properly loaded in the printer. This is a video about how to load the printer. There are different rolls for thermal t-shirt transfer, vinyl, and photo paper.

On the left column, make sure your file is the one that is highlighted.

Click on the Blue/White V Icon on the bottom to send it to print.

It will take a good while to print, and will cut after it finishes. It will need to dry for about 10 minutes afterward. Do not touch the print with your fingers. You will want to cut it off the roll after it dries.