Let’s take a look at what style t-shirt you want to design. Exploring the obvious a bit further, learning what that process is now will make all the difference when obtaining the right tools to achieve the right end result later. This is no different in screen printing as it is the same with any medium involving design. That being said, let’s look at another obvious truth about designs: each design has its process. Essentially, it’s the universal appeal of screen printing. It’s the connection to your customer platonically speaking of course. The designs make you relevant in this business. It would be kind of weird if you did weird and a bit creepy…awkward pause…aaaand moving on. You didn’t start screen printing because you enjoy the smell of the ink. It sounds like such a moot point to even bring up, but humor me. When you think about it, the very center of screen printing – the all-powerful, grand design of screen printing – is the design itself.
If the print lost ink or faded during the wash, run another test until you find the right combination. If they’re both the same, your print is most likely cured correctly. Now, compare the washed half of the print to the unwashed half.
Be sure to take extensive notes during this stage because, if it works, you’ll want to duplicate the steps exactly – “Test #1 – Cured with flash dryer for 45 seconds.”įinally, cut the cured print in half with scissors and run one half through a full laundry cycle (wash and dry). For example, plastisol is cured at (or around) 320 degrees. Second, cure the test shirt in accordance with the curing parameters with which you’re most comfortable. This should ideally be printed on the same type of garment you’re planning to use for the final run. Here’s how it works.įirst, print a test shirt. Well, there is! It’s called a Wash Test, and it’s as self-explanatory as it sounds.
Imagine sending out an order of 300 improperly cured shirts. As if this wasn’t enough to worry about, an improperly cured print can fade in its first wash. There are so many variables that contribute to a print’s final cure – ink film thickness, effectiveness of equipment, quality of ink…even the color of the ink and garment are a factor – that it’s difficult to always be sure when your print is cured. Curing, of course, is the process of hardening or solidifying the ink to complete the transfer to substrate, therefore reducing the ink’s ability to wash out. Each of these inks has their own unique curing parameters. There are many different types of inks and dyes used in textile printing – plastisol, water-based, discharge, process…the list goes on.