Hello again. Here are some of the replies I’ve received so far from people in the P/O field concerning the making of personal transfers for Orthotics. I’ll post any more responses I receive. One of the Orthotists I work with has contacted a company for samples of images made with sublimation ink. I’ll post the results and any info such as printer/software /paper they use (if they tell us).

* I called friddles and spoke with someone there and got the whole low
down on the process. sublimation ink is what you use along with sublimation paper. check out the link below they are the industry leaders in sublimation, I have an Epson c80 printer and they are making cartridges for my printer. if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at my number below.
Try this website: http://www.sublimation.cc/index.htm
* I know for a fact that dye sublimation is what’s happening. xxxx
who makes the transfers himself does it and has told me so. Basically the process is the one like when you go and get a picture put on a mug. I’m sure you’ve seen this type of thing usually at malls where you give them a picture, they scan it and then transfer it to a mug. The reason works is because the ink transfers from the paper and sinks into the hot plastic. (The mugs have a very thin layer of this same plastic.) I talked to a fellow in Sault Ste. Marie who sell the printers. They’re about $ 2000 CAN. I took an afo with the design on it and he said no problem. If you can find ink that is dye sublimation type for a regular printer then I think it could be done with a normal bubble jet (Cannon, Epson,.. ) style printer.
* I figured out how to do this on an inkjet printer, and set up a
small business
for my wife. I spent around $700 on a printer, inks, and software to get
started doing the transfers. It really depends on what kind of printer you
want to use, but you don’t need $2000 to do it. If you already have a program
to handle graphics, you could do this for around $200(US). An inkjet is much
cheaper to start with, but there are a few tricks you need to know to make it
work. A laser printer will work fine but costs a lot more to start out with.
A print shop with the right inks can make the transfers for you, but they
sometimes have a hard time getting the colors right.
* This may not be what your looking for but I know of a possible
option. I talked to Positive Image Orthotics, Inc., in New Jersey, and found out that they can do custom prints. I can’t remember the exact cost or the amount of prints included but I think that it was about $1000.00 minimum for a custom image order. I believe this was a quarter page print with only one color. If you are wanting to make many single prints, this will definitely be too costly. Although, if you wanted a descent quantity of a single print from time to time, this may be an option. If you are interested, they can be reached at 732-286-0690. Something to try: An orthotists I work with was given a package of Crayola fabric crayons by one of his clients. One of the techs colored a picture on plain photocopy paper with these crayons, and then applied it to a piece of hot polypropylene (sprayed with silicone). The image transferred onto the plastic. We don’t believe it penetrates as far and good as a commercially printed transfer, but it could be an alternative. We have not tried it on an actual AFO, so we don’t know how long it will last, fading, etc. If you try this, don’t apply the crayon transfer to any area that needs to be eased, because the heat of the flame just destroys the picture. Might be okay on the backs of the AFO’s. The company that sells this crayon is Dritz. http://www.dritz.com Thanks for all the replies.

Greg Hamaoka R.T.P.O.(c)
Orthotics Department
Bloorview MacMillan Centre
Toronto, Ontario
M4G-4R8
(416) 424-3826