Another call or note we often receive from customers is, "what's better to work with ink-jet or laser?". The question would be like asking what's better a Porsche or a BMW? They are both top of the line automobiles, both will get you from point A to point B quickly and comfortably, it really depends on what you want to do with the car. Well think of the question about ink-jet and laser in a similar manner.
Ink-jet has some qualities that we like in that the initial color vibrancy and overall color retention is typically better than laser. With light ink-jet you can use the Jet-Pro SofStretch and after one wash the background is essentially undectable and the product offers an incredibly soft hand. However, ink-jet is more costly because it's slower and the ink doesn't stretch as far as toners in a laser will go.
To the point above, laser is faster and there are self weeding paper available in laser, specifically the Neenah ImageClip line for lights and darks, which eliminate all trimming/weeding and the need for a plotter cutter. This is especially useful with dark garments as dark ink-jet requires trimming unless you want to have a big white block on your shirt whereas the ImageCLip for Dark Laser allows you to transfer only the image and not the unprinted areas of the transfer.
The answer to the question posed in this article really comes down to "what do you want to do with the transfer?". If you have a business where you're doing small jobs 5-10 shirts, mostly light garments, I would probably tell you to stick with ink-jet. If you do orders of 50 or more shirts, light and dark garments, then I would say invest in a good color laser printer and eventually use the ImageClip papers to produce your garments. Either way, at tshirtsupplies.com we offer papers for both processes from multiple vendors so visit the store for your next order.