Is it your impression that it's more consistent near the surface than down deep within the material?

OK, are you telling us that both the white and the solid color Chinese stuff have consistency issues, but the sandwich color Chinese stuff does not?

Parchment paper transfers on SLQ work great for me.

Toner or inkjet? No heat at all, I presume?

Toner or inkjet? No heat at all, I presume?

No heat and inkjet. I do cover my transfer with mustard colored Stazon after the transfer has aged for a day or two and then let the Stazon age for another day or two.

Have you tried any sort of pretreatment? I would try A) cleaning the surface with a household spray cleaner before transferring, or B) an acetone scrub.

I have tried acetone and also a light sanding, but neither made a difference. There really is no sheen or noticeable coating, so I wouldn't expect that to affect the transfer. It is odd, but the jumbo dollar store erasers react the same way -- there again, based on visual and feel, one would expect the heat transfer to take well, but no luck.

Something else that might be the difference is cutting depth.

This is a thought as I do cut rather deeply. But, on the other hand, someone (FloridaFour I think) mentioned they have the drag issue on SLQ using a gouge, and that is not deep cutting.

Maybe because it is a struggle for you with the wire knife, the smooth spots are infrequent enough that you are not noticing them because you're still bogged down in the drag -- honest, it like the difference between butter and half-dried glue for me.

OK, are you telling us that both the white and the solid color Chinese stuff have consistency issues, but the sandwich color Chinese stuff does not?

I have not tried the white, only the solid colour Chinese blocks. But otherwise, yes: drag problems with the solid colour ones, smooth carving on the sandwich.

Toner or inkjet? No heat at all, I presume?

No heat and inkjet. I do cover my transfer with mustard colored Stazon after the transfer has aged for a day or two and then let the Stazon age for another day or two.

I discovered that if I transfer with the inkjet, dab the image with a light orange dye-based ink, let it sit for a few hours, then gently rinse the rubber under the faucet, I am left with a lovely carveable image.

This process seems to bind the inkjet ink to the stamp (though it will smear if I rub it really vigorously). The rinsing removes any excess inkjet ink plus the sticky stuff from the dye-based ink.

I mean it feels smooth on the outside surface, but when I gouge it, it skips. Looks being deceiving.