How.to.Print.T-Shirts.for.Fun.and.Profit(2012)

PRINTING TECHNIQUES 101

There are other ways to In all cases, they use waterbased ink and hang
print a shirt.... the shirts to dry on long lines (bottom right
photo). To improve the print quality on darker
Yes, there are other ways to print a shirt. In garments they often “flash” between colors. The
many foreign countries, garments are printed as a bottom left photo shows a flash unit that uses an
“cut piece” on long tables. This is called table actual flame powered by propane.
printing. The fronts of the garments are held in
place with an adhesive. The screens are locked in Although this method seems crude in compar-
place at each station using a very basic “stop” on ison to rotary presses and automatic printing
the frame. A printer walks down the row making equipment, many factories can produce over
the print, moves the screen, makes another print, 5,000 finished prints per day with excellent
moves the screen, etc. For multicolor printing, a quality!
second or third printer follow with the next color.
These photos are from the author’s collection
and were taken on a consulting trip to Malaysia.

102 CHAPTER 4

Printing Troubleshooting Chart

One-Color Printing Cause/Remedy

Problem

Print loses detail – Use a finer mesh. Consult Fabric Selector Chart.
or gets shadowed – Too many strokes. Keep strokes same direction.
– Screen fabric loose.
– Squeegee too soft or not sharp enough.
– Printing press loose. Tighten press.
– Not printing off-contact.

Ink coverage too thin – Mesh too fine. Consult Fabric Selector Chart.
– Use more strokes.
– Ink too thin.
– Stroke too fast. Slow down print stroke to let ink flow.
– Loose weave shirt. Use a thicker ink.

Ink color on dark shirt looks – Ink not high opacity. Change ink.
weak and not bright – Improper screen mesh. Consult Fabric Selector Chart.
– Not enough squeegee strokes. Dark shirts may

require more than one stroke.
– Squeegee too hard. Use medium blade.
– Squeegee too sharp. Use slightly rounded blade.
– Stroke too fast. Use much slower stroke for ink to flow.

Multicolor Printing

Excessive buildup on screen – Too much ink on top of garment.

bottoms on light shirt print – Reduce number of squeegee strokes.

– Reduce ink viscosity for better penetration.

– Stroke too slow. Increase squeegee speed.

– Mesh to coarse. See Fabric Selector Chart.

– Squeegee too dull. Use sharp edge squeegee.

– Wrong color sequence. Print light to dark if possible.

– Screens not off-contact. Set screens for slight off-contact.

– Artwork too loose. Use perfect overlays and more under-color-removal.

– Job may need flash-curing. Flash-cure before black.

Prints don't remain sharp – See above "Excessive buildup."
– Too much squeegee pressure. Reduce pressure to lay down

cleaner deposit of ink.
– Squeegee angle too low. Raise angle to make sharper print.
– Black ink too thin. Use thicker black to lay on top of undercolors.

Print on dark shirts not sharp – Ink too thick. Reduce ink slightly and use less squeegee
pressure with a slower stroke.

– Too many strokes. Reduce number of strokes.
– Squeegee not sharp. Use sharper squeegee with slower stroke.
– Underbase not smooth enough. Keep underbase smooth and clean.

Heat applied graphics - also known as HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 103
heat transfers – (known as an Iron-on
or Iron-on Decals in the old days) are HEAT
a very popular way of imprinting items. In fact APPLIED
you can be in this business by simply purchasing GRAPHICS
a heat transfer press! This process is now often
called heat printing. Contrary to popular belief, This chapter covers the Screen Printing process
heat transfers are not a new item. The of making heat applied transfers, and an overview
Kaumagraph Co. in Delaware has been making of sublimation and digital transfers.
hot-melt gravure transfers since 1902! In the mid
1970's, transfers became a standard method used 5.1 A heat transfer is
to decorate T-Shirts. applied with heat and
Although customers may feel that a transfer is pressure to garments
not as good as a direct print, the improved quality and other imprintable
of screen print and inkjet inks and printing tech- items using a heat
nology have made transfers a very popular and transfer press. This is
durable method of decorating garments. In fact, it often referred to as
is now hard to tell the difference between a direct “heat printing.”(Photo
screen print and a heat transfer - and in many courtesy Stahls' ID
cases the customer doesn’t care. All they want is Direct, St. Clair Shores,
their logo on a product. MI.)
With the advent of better inkjet printers, you
can print full-color images on transfers. 5.2 A screen printed
The method of heat printing is widely used for hot-peel transfer has
athletic names and numbers because of the dura- a soft direct screen
bility and you can even use a plotter/cutter to cut print feel because the
the image out of special vinyl and then apply it ink splits during
with heat. More on all of this shortly. application and only
part of the ink stays
What Is a Heat Transfer on the garment and
the rest remains on
There are two different types of heat transfers the paper.
- screen printed plastisol transfers for garments,
and digital transfers made on a computer and out- 5.3 A cold -peel
put on inkjet or wax thermal printers, color screen print transfer
copiers, or plotter/cutters. Digital transfers can be deposits all of the ink
applied with heat to items other than garments, on the garment and
such as metal, mugs, mouse pads and more. generally has a rub-
bery feel to it. Cold-
The major portion of this chapter is on peel transfers are
making plastisol heat transfers. There is a brief once again popular
overview section on digital transfers later in because foil will
the chapter. adhere to them.

104 CHAPTER 5

Plastisol Transfers Puff Transfers
Puff ink is a special ink that will expand and
(Screen Printing)
puff when heated. It is popular on T-shirts and
Basically, you can make a plastisol heat trans- caps and can be printed as a heat transfer.
fer by screen printing plastisol ink on a special
release paper. The transfer is then applied to a Foil Transfers
garment or fabric using a heat press that applies Hot-stamping foil is very popular on shirts. It
pressure and melts the ink so it will bond with the
fabric (5.1). can be applied with a heat press to direct screen
printed plastisol cold-peel transfers.

5.4 Transfers have a Hot-Peel (Hot-Split) Why Make a Heat
wide range of uses There are two basic types of plastisol trans- Transfer?
from baseball caps, to
mugs, short runs and fers: hot-split and cold-peel. The term "hot-peel" If a heat transfer can feel identical to a direct
athletic numbering. or "hot-split" comes from the fact that you actual- screen print why not just print the garment and
ly peel the transfer paper off the garment while it eliminate the extra steps of making the transfer
is hot. Part of the ink stays on the garment while and applying it?
part remains on the paper (5.2). This gives the
design a screen printed feel. Hot-split transfers are It's a good point, but let's look at applications
the most popular transfer system and are very where heat transfers can provide benefits (5.4).
easy to make and apply.
Baseball Caps
Cold-Peel Transfers are great for baseball caps. Even
A cold-peel transfer is made similarly to a
though you can print directly on baseball caps,
hot-split except that you peel the transfer paper heat transfers work very well if the design has
after it has cooled. With a cold-peel, all of the ink fine lines or if you are printing on a dark front
transfers to the garment (5.3). The final product cap. Sublimation transfers on light front caps have
has a more rubbery and slick feel to it. Cold-peel a very bright appearance and soft feel.
transfers are not popular for large T-shirt prints
because they are hot to wear and do not let the Small Orders
shirt breath. Transfers are also perfect for customers who

Cold-peel and hot-peel transfers are actually want to order small quantities on a regular basis.
made the same way with the exception of how If you make extra designs and just stock the print-
you apply them. Cold-peels are popular for athlet- ed transfers you can quickly and easily print small
ic lettering and for foil applications. shirt orders and make more money on them.

HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 105

Event Shirts Making Plastisol Heat
If you work fairs, festivals or events, then you Transfers

already know the value of heat transfers. It is The Paper Watch a video on
much easier to "eat" printed paper than it is to Plastisol heat transfers are printed on special making plastisol
take home pre-printed shirts! Hot-peel transfers heat transfers.
will give customers the quality look and feel they transfer paper. There is only a handful of specific
want, and make things financially less risky. papers for this process and they are readily avail- Part One
able from your local screen print supply company. Running Time 9:10
Stock Designs or Preprinted Shirts
This is where hot-split transfers really shine. If Transfer papers need to have good release Watch a video on
characteristics to let the ink release from the paper making plastisol
you make your own line of T-shirts (called during application. They also need good hold-out heat transfers.
"preprints" or "stock designs") for either retail, characteristics to keep the ink from absorbing into
mail-order, internet sales or small order wholesale the paper during storage. Part Two
businesses, then transfers are the way to go. You Running Time 8:06
can print all the designs on transfer paper and They also need to be very stable to moisture
then just match the proper shirt and size to the and heat to minimize paper shrinkage when the Watch a video on
proper design when the order comes in. transfers are run through the dryer to semi-cure making plastisol
the ink. heat transfers.
Startup Business
If you are just getting into the business and are Most transfer papers are sold under a variety Part Three
of standard names and trade names. Some suppli- Running Time 9:16
looking for the quickest way to offer multicolor ers re-package the paper and give it their own 5.5 There is a wide
designs on shirts without the expense of a multi- name. We have tried to give as many of the vari- variety of specially
color press, making hot-split heat transfers is the ous names that we know of for the same products made heat transfer
least expensive route. Read on and you will see (5.5). papers.
why.
T-75
Athletic Printing T-75 is also known as French paper or
A lot of athletic printing requires you to print
Transfert-75. It is available in 11 x 13 in. (27.94 x
team names and numbers on shirts and jerseys. 33.02 cm) sheets and larger. The cost is approxi-
Heat transfers are great for your Little League mately 6-8 cents per 11 x 13 in. sheet. It can be
orders. Just make up transfers with team names printed on either side, is fairly stable and will not
and numbers and use them over and over every shrink too much when printing multicolor
year! More on this later in the chapter. designs. This was the original paper designed
specifically for this industry.
Mugs, Metals and Signs
Sublimation transfers are great for mugs, met- T-75 can be used for both cold-peel and hot-
peel transfers and is the paper of choice if you are
als and signs and have created an entire industry going to make a transfer that needs to be applied
within the awards, trophy and ceramics trade. both ways.
More on this later in the chapter.
T-55
Aren't They Hard to T-55 is also call soft-trans, trans-soft and
Make?
trans-55 and is designed specifically for printing
In reality, making heat transfers (either cold- hot-peel transfers. It has a longer shelf life than T-
peel or hot-split) is really quite simple if you 75 when printed with hot-split plastisol ink.
already know how to screen print. The only extra
items needed are the proper inks, special papers
and a vacuum table to print on. You can use a T-
shirt press, but printing multicolor is a little hard-
er.

Transfers are printed just like other non-tex-
tiles items such as a posters, decals, etc. You print
one color at a time, but not wet-on-wet as you
would for a direct print on a shirt. After printing
and semi-curing (undercuring) all of the first
color using special plastisol ink on heat transfer
paper, you print all of the second color and semi-
cure it, then the third, etc.

106 CHAPTER 5

T-55 claims better hold-out characteristics, Paper Size
meaning that the plasticiser in the ink will not Transfer papers are sold in a wide variety of
migrate into the paper as much as it will with T-
75. sizes. T-75 is generally available in 11x13 in.
(27.94 x 33.02 cm),and 25 x 38 in. (63.5 x 96.52
Although some suppliers recommend using T- cm), while other papers are sold in 12½ x 12½2
55 for both hot and cold-peel transfers, it does not in. (31.75 x 31.75 cm) to 25 x 38 in. (63.5 x 96.5
peel cleanly enough to produce a good cold-peel cm). Most papers are sold in 1000 sheet cartons.
transfer.
Which Paper To Use
Super-Trans If you are confused by the number of papers,

This is a newer paper designed to work for all simply use T-75 in the beginning. It works for all
applications including hot-peel, cold-peel and types of transfers and is readily available. When
with water-base puff inks where excellent hold- making puff transfers use a paper with better
out is important. It also leaves more ink on the hold-out such as Super-Trans.
garment when hot-peeled and is an excellent
choice when making hot-peel transfers for dark Papers are also available with different grains.
garments. This may be under different names If you are printing multicolor transfers you need
from different suppliers. to specify long grain paper for less shrinkage.

Parchment Heat Transfer Plastisol

In the old days, we used to buy Patapar from Most general plastisols can be used to make
baking supply companies to make transfers. It good cold-peel transfers, but when making hot-
was a parchment paper that would shrink ½ in. split transfers, use a plastisol designed for this
(1.27 cm) in both directions on a 25 x 38 in. (63.5 purpose. Some ink companies make an all-in-one
x 96.5 cm) sheet. However, it had excellent ink for direct printing and hot-split and cold-peel
release characteristics and was great for one-color transfers (5.6).
transfers!
High-opacity ink (white and gold) designed
This paper almost disappeared when Transfert for dark shirts generally will not work well for
75 was introduced over 30 years ago but it has transfers because it doesn't re-melt properly. Most
now gained popularity as a good translucent paper ink companies make a special high-opacity heat
that is great for team names, numbers and for cap transfer ink.
transfers, where it is helpful to see through the
paper. Some manufacturers offer a hot-peel additive
that can be added to their regular plastisol to
Sparkle make it a hot-split.

This is another paper like parchment that was It is important to lay down a thick deposit of
popular in days of glitter and combo transfers ink when printing a transfer. Because of this, you
(later 70's and early 80's). It has a very shiny sur- should avoid thinning the ink, if possible.
face and gives the surface a glossy look when the
transfer is applied. If you want to use the thin and transparent
process colors for transfers you must first print
This paper is also called Sparkle-Trans, and under-cure a special splitting clear plastisol
Transprint-Duplex and Trans-Gloss. on the paper. Then print the process colors.

Like parchment, it is again popular for use The Artwork
with glitter inks, crystalina or shimmer inks and
other inks where a high gloss is needed. Artwork for transfers should not be too
detailed. If the artwork has a lot of detail, try to
5.6 For less inventory, put a backing color such as white or clear behind
use an all purpose ink the detailed area to hold this ink on the garment.
that will work for both If there is no backing color, it may be necessary
direct printing and to make the lines on the artwork heavier.
transfer making.
Artwork for hot-peel transfers should not use
heavy trapping. Since the ink film splits in half
during application, under-colors will show
through.

It is possible to use halftone dots, but care
must be taken when handling the paper between
colors not to rub the dots off the sheet (5.7).

If you must use halftone dots, keep them large
such as 35 to 45 lines per inch.

HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 107

When making puff transfers, be careful of Mesh Selection
small letters and art areas that will close up. The
puff will expand slightly and you may lose detail. The mesh selection will vary depending on the
It may be necessary to choke the puff art 1/32 type of ink and transfer you are making. The fol-
inch to compensate for the gain you will get when lowing guide gives the recommended meshes:
the ink expands.
Standard Plastisol** 86 to 110
The Screen
(34 - 43 cm)
Since the ink film splits when making a hot-
peel transfer, it is important to lay down a thick Detailed Plastisol** 92 to 125
deposit of ink. Screen meshes will be in the range
of 60 to 125 (24 - 49 cm). (36 - 49 cm)

Wrong Reading Stencil Opaque Plastisol** 60 to 74

A transfer screen is exposed wrong reading so (24 - 30 cm)
that when the transfer is applied it becomes right
reading. If the films are not wrong-reading, you Water-based or Plastisol Puff* 60 to 74
will not have image-to-emulsion when exposing
the screen, causing undercutting around any detail (24 - 30 cm)
or halftone dots. You need a wrong-reading
image-side-up film positive. Glitter+ 25 to 33

If you have a computer graphics system, sim- (10 - 13 cm)
ply flip the design over before printing it out.
** Hot or cold-peel
Use Direct Film
* Hot-peel only
Although direct emulsion works well, capil-
lary direct film is a much better stencil choice + Cold-peel only
because it provides a thicker stencil (for a thicker
ink deposit) and has better edge definition for a Screen Frame and Tension
sharper print with less sawtoothing. Obviously, the better the frame and tension

For best results use a 40 to 80 micron capil- the better the print. In some cases you will be
lary direct film. ganging a number of designs on one sheet or pos-
sibly printing oversize sheets. Use a sturdy screen
frame and properly tensioned fabric.

Gang Screens
When printing baseball cap transfers, save

money by ganging a number of images on one
screen.

Printing Equipment

Transfers can be printed on an existing T-shirt
printing press. In fact, a T-shirt press is more than

5.7 This hot-peel
transfer is a good
example of the type of
detail that can be held
with careful handling
of the printed sheets
and good artwork.
(Shirt courtesy
Modern Designs,
Bristol, TN.)

108 CHAPTER 5

you need because a transfer is printed one color at Printing Technique
a time. A simple one-color press will do.
Unlike T-shirts, heat transfers (and other non-
If you plan to print a lot of transfers buy or textile items) are printed one color at a time. If
build a vacuum table that will hold the paper in using a standard T-shirt press you will need to use
place. This is how most non-textile items are a light coat of spray adhesive to hold the paper in
printed. You can either build a simple vacuum place.
table from the plans in figure 5.8 or you can buy
an attachment for your printing press (5.9). The reason they aren't printed wet-on-wet is
that the paper does not absorb the ink and the
Larger manufacturers use semi-automatic flat- uncured colors will smear. It is common to print
bed presses or a special “cylinder press” often all of the first color and then re-register and print
called a “Sakurai” for higher production and bet- all the second color, etc. Transfers should always
ter quality prints (5.10). be printed off-contact for the best print quality.

5.9 A vacuum attach- If this sounds difficult or too time consuming,
ment is available that it really isn't. Since you are not loading a shirt
will fit most manual you will find that production rates of 200 to 300
printing presses. prints per hour are possible. Even lining up the
(Photo courtesy additional colors is quite fast using simple regis-
Workhorse Products, tration methods.
Phoenix, AZ.)
One-Color Transfers
5.10 Larger manufac-
turers print transfers These are easy (5.11)! Simply clamp your
on semi-automatic screen on the press (the image should be wrong
flat-bed presses (Photo reading) and ink the screen with a hot-peel plasti-
courtesy Lawson, St. sol.
Louis, MO.) and on
Cylinder Presses. Use a medium squeegee with a sharp edge
(Photo courtesy and set the press for off-contact, with either the
Sakurai Graphic standard adjustment or the cardboard shim under
Systems Corporation, the end of the screen.
Tokyo, Japan)
Spray the board lightly with spray, or if using
a vacuum table simply turn on the vacuum. If pos-
sible, attach a foot-switch to the vacuum so it can
be turned on and off as needed.

Next, place the paper in the correct location
on the board or vacuum. Once the correct location
is determined, mark the board with thin pieces of
masking tape so that the paper can be positioned
in the same basic location every time .

Now, simply lower the screen and make a
good, clean stroke. Try to do just one stroke and if
you need to do another, make sure it is in the
same direction. This is not as hard as printing on a
shirt where the ink is driven into the garment.
You are just laying the ink on top of the paper.
Place the print on the dryer or under a flash-unit
and make the next print (5.12).

Curing

After printing, the goal is to only partially
cure or soft-cure the ink. This is also referred to
as under-curing the ink. Soft-curing happens at
around 220° F (93° C). The soft-cure stage is
achieved when the ink just passes the wet point.
To find the proper soft-cure temperature, use
paper thermometers to get the proper belt speed
on a conveyor dryer or time under the curing unit.
If you are not sure, find the point where the trans-
fers come out wet and start slowing down the belt

HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 109

Vacuum Table Plans

Drill 1/16" holes every 1½ in. in the top piece of
plexiglass only.
Drill a 1½ in. (approx.) hole in the bottom piece of
plexiglass and use epoxy glue to attach the vacu-
um hose to this hole.
Use a ¾ in. square strip of wood as the spacer
between the top and the bottom.
Any household or shop vacuum will work. If pos-
sible attach a foot switch that can be used to turn
the unit on and off when in use.

5.8

110 CHAPTER 5

5.11 Set your wrong
reading screen on a
press, adjust for off-
contact, use a light
mist of spray under
the paper and make a
print!

5.12 Place the print-
ed transfer on the
dryer or under a
flash-cure unit. Make
sure to only partially
cure the ink.

5.11 5.12

5.13 You can use a Multicolor Plastisol
standard heat press Transfers
to under-cure the
transfers. Simply Multicolor transfers are printed the same as
block the element one-color except the additional colors must be
open and slip the lined up to the first colors printed.
printed paper under
it for a few seconds. The darkest or outline color is printed first
because it will be the color on top of the print
or increasing the time under the curing unit until after the transfer is applied.
you get just past the wet stage.
Three Point Registration
It is hard to tell the difference between under- The most popular method of registration is the
cure and full-cure! The best way is to apply the
transfer to a piece of material and see what hap- three-point registration system commonly used
pens. If it has been under-cured properly, the ink when printing decals, posters, etc. Simply tape
will re-melt when applied and it will penetrate three thin cardboard stops or guides (two across
into the cloth. An over-cured transfer (full-cure) the back and one on the side) to your printing sur-
will not re-melt properly. It will tend to sit on top face. These can be a simple cardboard "Z" that is
of the garment and can be easily picked off! folded and taped in place (5.14). Commercial reg-
istration tabs are available from screen print sup-
On multicolor jobs, there is a potential for ply companies. Position each piece of transfer
overcuring the first colors down. If the job calls paper snugly up against these stops before print-
for more than four or five colors, try to put a ing (5.15).
backing color (usually white or clear) behind all
the other colors to hold them on the garment even If you load/place all the sheets in the stops the
if the first colors are overcured. same way, then your images will all be in the
same exact location from paper to paper.
Generally, you can get away with a little over-
curing of a hot-peel transfer. They can even get After you have printed and under-cured the
up to 240° or 260° F (116° or 127° C) and still first color, tape one of the first color prints to the
work. board in the guides and line-up the second color
screen to it. Remove this alignment transfer and
You can also under-cure transfers with a ink up the screen (5.16).
flash-cure unit or even a heat transfer press by
simply setting the element so that it has a ½ in. Now, if you slip each first print under the
(1.27 cm) opening when it is closed. Then, slip guides and make a print, the ink will go in the
the wet transfer under the element for 4 or 5 sec- correct location on each print (5.17). Again, this
ond making sure to only get the print just past the is how all non-textiles items such as posters,
wet stage (5.13). decals and signs are printed.

If you're using a conveyor dryer, just set the For additional information on this procedure,
prints on the belt and let them fall into a box at talk with your local screen printing supply com-
the end of the dryer. pany.

Vacuum Table Registration
Although you can use a three-point registra-

tion system, the easiest way to print multicolor
transfers on a vacuum table is to place a print on
the table (this becomes the registration print) and
line up the images to it. To do this, take the soft-
cured main print and position it on the vacuum

HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 111

table in the same position as it was printed. Place 5.14 Make three indi-
a sheet of clear acetate over this print and tape it vidual thin cardboard
in place (5.18). Use a pen or nail to poke holes in "Z's" and tape them in
this acetate to allow the vacuum to still hold paper place across the back
down. and one on the side.

The reason for the clear plastic top with a light 5.15 Slip each piece
underneath should be obvious now. You will be of paper against the
able to register the second color on this print cardboard guides as
when a light shines through the clear plastic and you make the print.
through the paper of the main print.
5.16 Align the screen
Here's how it works: to one of the prints.
As just mentioned, run all of the first color as
if the job were a one-color print. 5.17 Bring it down
Turn on the vacuum table light, line up the and make a print and
second color screen using the main print that has the second color will
been placed under the acetate as a placement be in register to the
guide. Secure the screen. Pour the proper ink first. It's that easy!
color in this screen.
Now turn on the vacuum and place one of the 5.18 Place one of the
already-printed first-color prints directly on top first prints on the vac-
of, and in register with the print taped to the vacu- uum table and cover it
um table. Lower the screen and make a print. The with a protective piece
color should be in the proper place and in register of acetate.
on this sheet.
Don't let the description bog you down. It is If the job has tight registration you will need
very simple once you've tried it. to carefully pre-shrink each sheet of paper by lay-
Positioning the main prints with the vacuum ing them individually on the conveyor belt and
going may take a little getting used to but with a running them through the dryer. Paper can grow
little practice you can make the prints almost as back to it's original size in less than 10 minutes so
fast as the first color!
Print all of the second color in this manner.
When you're finished, remove the screen and line
up the third color on the black print taped to the
vacuum table (the same as for the second color).
Print all of the third color. If there is a fourth
color, print it next, following the same steps.

Registration Problems

Since transfers are printed one color at a time,
the paper is subjected to a number of passes
through the dryer. Paper will shrink when it is
heated for the first time, which may cause regis-
tration problems on multicolor designs. To com-
pensate for this problem, avoid artwork with
heavy trapping around the colors if possible.
When ganging multiple designs on one sheet,
don't fill up the entire sheet because the transfers
along the outside edge of the paper will be more
out of register than the inside transfers.

The most common solution is to preshrink the
paper. You can easily do this by running the
paper through the dryer or placing it under a
flash-curing unit before printing. Simply fan out a
stack of paper and run it through the dryer. If you
don't print the entire job in one day, wrap up the
transfers in a plastic bag to keep the moisture in
the air from being reabsorbed into the paper and
allowing it to grow to it's original size.

112 CHAPTER 5

make sure to either wrap the paper up and work in are cold-peel only and should not be used on T-
small batches or do what the professionals do and shirts because the ink is not as stretchy and it
have a small hot box next to the press that keeps tends to sit on top of the material rather than
the paper at 85° to 90° (33°-35° cm). being driven into it.

Another solution is to print only one color per The powder also helps make the ink much
day (on a multi-color job) and allow the paper to more opaque on dark front caps.
sit out in the air overnight to grow back to its
original size. Powdered adhesive is available from most
suppliers for approximately $10 per lb. One
Plastisol Transfers for pound will coat 500 - 1000, 11 x 13 in. (27.94 x
Caps 33.02 cm) transfer sheets.

A special powdered adhesive can be applied Puff Ink Heat Transfers
to wet transfer ink prior to soft-curing that will
help hold a plastisol transfer on unusual surfaces Puff transfer ink is available in either water-
such as nylon mesh (not jackets!) and baseball based or plastisol. It is generally used as a back-
caps. The powder is available in two grades – fine ing behind a standard hot-peel transfer although
and coarse. you can make stand-alone puff transfers.

To use the powder simply pour it into a shal- To make a puff transfer you will need to use
low box and pull the wet transfer through the the correct paper as covered earlier. You will also
powder (5.19). Then run the transfer through the need to back the puff portion of the transfer with
dryer as normal to under-cure the ink. either coarse powdered adhesive or a clear adhe-
sive coating.
For multicolor transfers, use the fine powder
after printing the last color. The powder transfers If using the water-base puff as a backing to a
regular plastisol hot-peel transfer, you will need
5.19 Apply powder to to powder the transfer after you have printed the
plastisol transfers by puff and then let the ink air dry before applica-
pulling them through tion! Using puff ink as a selective backing in this
the powder and then fashion will add a terrific three-dimensional look
soft-curing them. to your designs.

5.20 Sublimation If using a special plastisol puff transfer ink,
transfers work well on you can make the print, powder it and then run
caps, metal signs, and the print through the dryer to partially cure the
mugs. puff (make sure not to puff it yet!).

Because these inks are more specialized from
manufacturer to manufacturer, make sure to con-
sult their technical data sheets about the correct
use.

Digital Heat Transfers

In the mid 90’s, the term Digital Transfer
started to be used for any transfer that was made
by outputting the artwork to an inkjet printer, wax
thermal printer or color copier. There are a num-
ber of digital transfer methods. This section will
give you a brief overview of the process. For the
latest developments and product information con-
sult the various manufacturers mentioned here.

These products and techniques could be an
entire book by itself. It has almost become a sepa-
rate industry because of the fact that you can use
digital methods to decorate non-textile items.

Many screen printers have discovered that
there is a huge market for “one shirt” that can
only be profitable using digital transfers.

Sublimation Transfers
Sublimation transfers are made from special

sublimation dyes that penetrate synthetic materi-

HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 113

5.21 Images can be
made in any computer
graphic program and
printed as sublimation
transfers on standard
inkjet printers and the
latest laser/inkjet
printers using special
sublimation ink car-
tridges. They can be
applied to a wide vari-
ety of items. (Photo
courtesy Coastal
Business Supplies,
Inc., Maryland
Heights, MO.)

als like polyester when you apply heat and pres- T-Shirt Transfer Papers 5.22 The sublimation
sure. During the transfer process, the dye heats up process is great for
and turns into a gas that bonds with the synthetic You can also, purchase “T-shirt” papers that creating vibrant full-
portion of the fabric. These transfers only work work in wax thermal and inkjet printers. (This is color images in small
well on material with at least 65% polyester! In not sublimation.) These papers have a special quantities on special
addition to synthetics, sublimation transfers can wax-like coating. When applied with heat to a T-shirts and polo
also be applied to specially coated metals (for tro- garment the wax coating and ink both transfer. shirts called SoftLink™
phies and awards), coated mugs, tote bags, poly- The only drawback to this method is that in some from Hanes.
ester satin jackets, synthetic bumper stickers and cases the washability is not good and the image Sublimation transfers
lots more (5.20). can have a stiff feel to it. Again, not bad for short work excellent on
runs and one-of-a-kind shirts and the papers have 100% polyester racing
You can make sublimation transfers using come a long way in improved feel and washabili- jerseys, mouse pads
screen printing methods or standard offset print- ty - and you can get special papers that work on and more. (Photo
ing methods (the process used to print business dark shirts, too (5.23). courtesy The
cards, letterhead, etc.). Sawgrass Company,
Mount Pleasant, SC.)
Sublimation transfers can also be printed on
wax thermal printers that use a special sublima- 5.23 Special heat
tion ribbon and on inkjet printers using special transfer paper designed
sublimation ink cartridges. This means you can for light and dark shirts
create a quick design on the computer and imme- that work with most
diately print a full-color heat transfer. Although inkjet printers are
expensive to make, this process has revolution- available from industry
ized the instant T-shirt business and is great for suppliers and at office
short runs, events and retail type sales (5.21). supply stores.

In fact, you can get special T-shirts and Polo
shirts that are knit specially for sublimation trans-
fers. These shirts have a polyester yarn on the out-
side to accept the transfer and a cotton yarn on the
inside for comfort (5.22).

While sublimation transfers have excellent
washability, they only work on certain materials
and do not work on dark fabrics without some
sort of white base. Most busy screen printers and
garment decorators have added sublimation to
their processes because it allows you to really
never turn away any type of customer. You can
even now sublimate on flip-flops, iPhone cases
and much more.

114 CHAPTER 5 Full-Color Copiers

5.24 Shirt designs can Another popular method is to make T-shirt
be made mirror-like transfers using high-end full-color copiers and
by applying a special special heat transfer paper. These are generally
hot-stamping foil to a done at copy services and are fairly expensive.
cold-peel transfer or Like the wax thermal printers, they are great for
direct screened adhe- short runs.
sive.
Litho Transfers
5.25 Apply a cold peel
as normal. In the late 70’s and early 80’s these are the
transfers that really made this industry what it is.
5.26 Lay a piece of From images of rock ‘n roll bands like KISS, to
special foil over the Farah Fawcet on a shirt, the “litho” transfer made
transfer with the col- it all possible. These rubbery transfers also helped
ored side up. Place a kill the transfer business in the early 80’s because
piece of cloth over the after a few washings you might end up with a
foil. piece of white rubber on the front of the shirt.

5.27 Apply the foil for The good news is the quality got better and it
2 to 5 seconds with is common now to see “litho” transfers on shirts
medium to heavy pres- and be called the “retro” look!
sure at 350° F (177° C).
Foil and Transfers
5.28 Let the foil cool
and peel it away. It If you ever saw a shirt with a mirror-like foil
will only stick to the print on it, it was probably just a cold-peel trans-
plastisol. fer that had hot-stamping foil applied to it with a
heat press (5.24).
5.29 Foil is available
by the roll in a wide Special foils are available that will stick to
variety of colors from plastisol and foil adhesives. The process is quite
most industry screen simple to produce and the look is stunning!
print supply companies.
To apply foil to a transfer, simply apply a
cold-peel transfer to the shirt as normal (5.25).
For best results, try to apply a transfer that is a
color similar to the foil. If the foil flakes off
slightly after a few washings, it will not be as
noticeable if the ink color underneath is the same.

Next, lay a sheet of foil over the cold-peel
transfer with the colored side facing up (5.26).

Cover the foil with a protective sheet of blank
transfer paper or piece of cloth. This prevents the
edges from curling during and after application.

Now, simply close the press for 2 to 5 seconds
(5.27).

Open the press slowly and let the print cool
for a few seconds. Peel away the foil and it will
have stuck wherever there was plastisol (5.28).

You can also get creative and crinkle the foil
for an antique look, or apply different colors of
foil in different locations.

You can also apply foil to direct screen print-
ed plastisol ink or special foil adhesive.

Washing Directions

For best results you should give your cus-
tomer specific washing directions for foil shirts.
Although they wash well, you may experience a
slight dulling after the first washing and the foil
may eventually start to flake.

Simply use wording similar to the label on the
next page and print it on a label or sticker and
apply them to every shirt that you foil.

Where to Get Foil HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 115

Foil is available from most screen print sup- 5.30 There are thou-
pliers. It comes in a wide range of colors includ- sands of excellent
ing pearlescent and rainbow. The average cost is stock designs available
5 to 25 cents per foot (5.29). as transfers. A listing
of suppliers is in
Garment Care Instructions Appendix A.

This garment has been carefully printed with a 5.31 It is almost easier
special foil process. to simply order custom
heat transfers. Some
Turn garment inside out and wash in cold water companies off 24 hour
on delicate cycle. Line dry. Foil print will soften turnaround on orders!
(Photo Courtesy
and dull slightly after the first washing. Stahls’ Transfer
DO NOT DRY CLEAN Express, Mentor, OH.)
DO NOT BLEACH
DO NOT IRON DESIGN 5.32 Athletic printing
(Your Company Name) can be hard and time
(Your Toll Free Number) consuming when doing
numbers, team names
Stock Designs and player names.You
can have these made
There are dozens of companies offering stock for you ready to apply
designs as heat transfers (5.30). This part of the with a heat press.
industry has exploded with thousands of hot (Photo courtesy Stahls'
graphics. You may find that there is a lucrative Transfer Express,
market in just buying stock designs and imprint- Mentor, OH)
ing a name drop of your city, resort or state on
them! 5.33 Die-cut letters and
numbers can be used on
Custom Heat Transfers athletic uniforms. (Photo
courtesy Stahls' ID
If you don’t want to make your own transfers Direct, St. Clair Shores,
- no big deal. There are a number of companies MI.)
who will do custom transfers for you and some
offer 24-hour service. The price is very affordable
and frankly, you can get in this business with just
a heat transfer press (5.31)

Athletic Transfers

This is an area where you might consider not
making a heat transfer. There are a number of
industry suppliers who will sell you everything
you need to decorate uniforms with numbers,
individual player names, team names and more.

116 CHAPTER 5

That’s because there are a variety of heat transfer
materials (including neon, reflective, glitter, holo-
graphic, and metallics) designed for use on almost
every type of fabric - from cotton and poly/cotton
blends, to nylon mesh and woven nylon.

Some inkjet printers will print the image and
then cut out the shape so you can apply full color
graphics using your printer/cutter (5.35).

5.34 Vinyl cutters/plot- Heat Transfer Equipment
ters are widely used to
cut the image into spe- There is a wide range of heat transfer presses
cial heat applied vinyl on the market, from very low priced manual units,
that can be heat pressed to large, high production presses that cost thou-
onto a wide variety of sands of dollars.
items.
You generally get what you pay for in heat
5.35 Combination inkjet presses. If you pay less than $500 for a T-shirt
printers and cutters can press you will probably get a light-weight press
be used to print full that will do a marginal job of applying a transfer.
color and then cut out
around the image before Most presses will apply a cold-peel transfer,
it is applied with heat. but you need good pressure and even heat to
apply a hot peel properly.
(Photos courtesy Stahls'
ID Direct, St. Clair Lower priced presses may also have warped
Shores, MI.) heating elements or not enough rods in the ele-
ment to give even heat. Stick with the companies
who have been in the business for a long time and
you can't go wrong (5.36).

Most presses have digital readouts and some
will actually open on their own using a timer.
Others can be set to hover over a garment rather
than apply pressure.

You place the order with the details of the job and
a few days later you have custom transfers ready
to apply (5.32)

You can also purchase special die-cut trans-
fers that can be used to number athletic uniforms
and jerseys (5.33). These transfers are very
durable and are widely used by sporting goods
stores. You can get them in any number size and
style and any team color you want. You can also
get alphabet die-cut letters so you can apply your
own player names.

Cad-Cut® Heat Printing

5.36 Well built T- If you own a vinyl cutter, also referred to as a 5.36
shirt, baseball cap and plotter, you can say yes to any job, even if it’s just
mug presses are worth one nylon jacket or one personalized shirt. The
the extra expense cutter will cut the image out of special heat appli-
because they will cation vinyl. With a vinyl cutter and a heat press,
apply a transfer prop- you can take advantage of the many different
erly. (Photos courtesy types of heat transfer materials designed for tex-
Hix Corporation, tile decoration.
Pittsburg, KS., Geo.
Knight Co., Brockton, Vinyl cutters are ideal for lower quantity runs
MA. and Stahls' ID and individual personalization. Using a computer-
Direct, St. Clair ized cutter and the right heat transfer material,
Shores, MI.) you can personalize everything from team uni-
forms to corporate wear, nylon jackets, caps, gar-
ment bags, banners, and much more (5.34).

CAD-CUT® is a registered trademark of Stahls'

HEAT APPLIED GRAPHICS 117

Application of Screen Printed Transfers

The following listings are application times for Photo courtesy Hix Corporation, Pittsburg, KS.
the various types of screen printed heat trans-
fers. Times and temperatures will vary for digital
transfers. For those, consult your supplier of
paper or transfers. The following directions may
vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Consult
your ink company for their specific recommenda-
tions.

Plastisol transfers apply well to 100% cotton,
50/50 cotton-polyester blends, and any other
porous surface. They do not apply well to water-
proofed nylon jackets!

Sublimation transfers apply to anything that
has a high percentage of polyester or synthetic
fiber.

Powdered adhesive transfers apply well to
baseball caps and open weave materials such
as nylon mesh, golf shirts, jerseys, etc.

Cold-Peel Transfers 9. Garments decorated with heat transfers
should be laundered without the use of
1. Use on 100% cotton, cotton-polyester bleaching agents.
blend or 100% polyester fabric. Do not use
on waterproof nylon. Hot-Split Transfers

2. Set your transfer machine at 350-375° F 1. Use on 100% cotton, cotton-polyester
(178-191° C). blend or 100% polyester fabrics. Do not use
on waterproof nylon.
3. Lay the garment over the Teflon pad of
the heat press. Smooth out wrinkles and 2. Set your transfer machine at 375-400° F
remove any lint or foreign material from the (190-204° C).
surface of the garment.
3. Lay the garment over the Teflon pad of
4. Place the transfer in the desired print the heat press. Smooth out wrinkles and
position with the printed side down against remove any lint or foreign material from the
the fabric. surface of the garment. Preheat the gar-
ment by lowering the heat press onto the
5. Lock the heating element into print posi- shirt for a few seconds.
tion for 15 seconds, making certain that the
pressure setting is fairly heavy for good 4. Place the transfer in the desired print
adhesion. position with the printed side down against
the fabric.
6. Release the heating element and return it
to the open position. Do not raise the ele- 5. Lock the heating element into print posi-
ment too quickly since this may lift the tion for 10 seconds, making certain that the
paper and separate the ink from the fabric pressure setting is fairly heavy for good
while it is in a hot and soft state. adhesion.

7. Cool the paper by firmly rubbing the hot 6. Release the heating element and return it
print with a rag shirt or a chalkboard eraser to the open position. Immediately reach in
for 10-20 sec. and smoothly pull the paper off the transfer.
(If you take too long to do this, the transfer
8. Remove the transfer paper in a slow, cools too much and will peel like a cold
even motion by pulling from a corner diago- peel.) Don’t pull straight up.
nally across the design. Don’t pull straight
up. 7. Garments decorated with heat transfers
should be laundered without the use of
bleaching agents.

118 CHAPTER 5

Application of Screen Printed Transfers

Powdered-Adhesive Puff Heat Transfers
Transfers
1. Use on 100% cotton, cotton-polyester
1. Set the cap press to 325° F (163° C) with blend or 100% polyester fabric. Do not use
fairly light pressure. on waterproof nylon.

2. Place the cap on the cap heat transfer 2. Set your transfer machine at 375-400° F
press. (191-204° C) with moderate to heavy pres-
sure.
3. Lower the heating element and preheat
the cap for a few seconds. (Some caps 3. Lay the garment over the Teflon pad of
shrink slightly under heat and preheating the heat press. Smooth out wrinkles and
will preshrink the cap.) remove any lint or foreign material from the
surface of the garment. Preheat the gar-
4. Lay the powdered transfer on top of the ment by lowering the heat press onto the
cap. If it will not lay flat, lightly crease the shirt for a few seconds.
center of the transfer.
4. Place the transfer in the desired print
5. Lower the heating element and lock it in position with the printed side down against
place for 10 seconds. the fabric.

6. Open the press without raising the ele- 5. Lock the heating element into print posi-
ment too quickly. tion for 3 to 5 seconds for a one-color puff
transfer or 8 to 12 seconds for a hot-split
7. Immediately cool the paper by rubbing transfer that is backed in puff ink.
lightly with a rag or chalkboard eraser. If
any of the ink splits when opening the Note: Too much time will cause the puff ink
press, make sure to press this ink back to overheat and collapse. Too little time and
down onto the cap. the adhesive will not melt and hold the
transfer in place. You will need to experi-
8. Peel off the paper after it has cooled 10- ment with these times.
20 seconds.
6. Release the heating element and return
9. Certain hard-surfaced caps such as golf it to the open position. Immediately reach in
caps require just the right amount of pres- and smoothly pull the paper off the transfer.
sure, temperature and cooling to achieve a As you pull the paper, the puff ink will
good print. expand and puff.

10. If you're printing on a dark front cap, 7. Garments decorated with heat transfers
you will get a brighter print if you use less should be laundered without the use of
pressure. bleaching agents.

NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 119

NYLON JACKETS
BASEBALL CAPS
AND OTHER
IMPRINTABLES

This chapter covers printing on Nylon Jackets, Caps
and other Screen Print products.

This chapter covers printing on textiles, jackets have a much heavier treatment in order to Watch a video
garments and imprintables other than lower the import duty and they will tend to shrink about printing on
T-shirts. Once you know how to print and distort excessively when run through a dryer.
a basic T-shirt, it isn’t much harder to print on Nylon Jackets.
other material. Generally, all you need to know There is also a wide variety of new jacket
are the specifics about ink selection, curing material on the market. Make sure you know what Part One
requirements, mesh recommendations and any ink system will work with the new exotic nylons. Running Time 10:30
peculiar properties of the material.
Checking for Waterproofing Watch a video
Nylon Jackets If you see a note in your supplier’s catalog about printing on

Everyone likes to make jacket printing into stating that a particular jacket style is “stain resis- Nylon Jackets.
something that it really isn’t. Printing jackets isn’t tant” or “waterproof,” it’s a good indication that
that hard! If you know some of the tips and tricks the jacket has been heavily treated. The only real Part Two
and follow good printing practices, you can print way to test for excessive coating is to pour water Running Time 10:12
jackets as well as the next printer. Following are onto the jacket and see if it actually holds it. A
some key points to successful printing on water- lightly treated jacket will let the water drip 6.1 If the jacket is
proofed nylon jackets. through in a matter of minutes. A heavily treated heavily treated with
jacket will hold the water all day. If the jacket has waterproofing, rub the
Problems with Printing on Jackets been heavily treated, you may need to remove this print area down with
Nylon jackets present problems because they coating with rubbing alcohol prior to printing. rubbing alcohol.
(6.1). Some manufacturers recommend using ace-
generally have a lining in them, are constructed of tone, but acetone is so flammable that you really
waterproof material, are much more expensive should avoid it.
than most other garments and can’t take as much
heat as a T-shirt. For these reasons, they are hard-
er to print than T-shirts.

Jacket Material
Most jackets are made from duPont 6,6 nylon.

This material can take up to 375° F (191° C) and
may be coated to make it “waterproof” or “water
repellent.” A water repellent jacket has been light-
ly treated, while a waterproof jacket is designed
to actually prevent water from leaking through for
up to 24 hours. The majority of the jackets on the
market are water repellent.

If possible, try to buy American-made jackets.
They are generally only lightly treated. Imported

120 CHAPTER 6 Equipment
In order to keep a lined jacket from moving
6.2 A good jacket hold-
down is very expensive, while it is printed, you will need a jacket hold-
but well worth the down (6.2). Without a good holddown you might
money! as well give up. There are other ways to hold
down a jacket (get your employees to hold it
6.3 An optional holding while sitting on the floor, etc., etc.) but if you
method is to use heavy- want consistent results then use a holddown. It
duty spring clamps will make your quality better and reject rate
around the jacket. lower! Pretty simple. If the jacket doesn’t have a
lining, then regular spray adhesive is all you’ll
6.4 The most popular need to hold it in place.
nylon jacket ink sys-
tem is a special bond- If you don’t want to spend $400 on a hold-
ing agent that you add down for your press, then look at other compa-
to regular plastisol. nies’ holding devices. Some manufacturers offer
less expensive holddowns that will fit a variety of
presses.

One option to using a holddown is to use
spring clamps around the outer edge of the jacket
(6.3). These will make the process go a little
slower than a standard holddown would, but will
work if you are on a budget. These clamps are
available from most hardware stores and have
rubber end protectors so they won’t damage the
jacket.

Use the Correct Screen
You can use the same screens for printing

jackets that you use for T-shirts. The only differ-
ence is that you will not need to use as low a
mesh count for dark jackets since they do not
bleed like shirts.

In most cases, you can use a 125 (49 cm)
mesh for dark jackets and 180 (70 cm) or higher
for light jackets. The tighter the fabric, the better
the print. You can use either direct emulsion or
capillary direct film for your stencil.

Nylon Ink Systems
This is an area where you want to be very

careful. Since nylon is very slippery and tightly
woven, you can’t use a standard plastisol on it. It
will not adhere to the material. There are a num-
ber of nylon ink systems on the market, some of
which work better than others. Remember, you do
not want the ink to come off the jacket!

The most popular ink system consists of a reg-
ular plastisol with a special bonding agent that is
added to the ink (6.4). The bonding agent is like a
urethane glue that helps the plastisol stick to the
nylon and also makes the ink much more durable.
Most manufacturers offer these systems. The
beauty of them is that you don’t have to stock a
variety of special inks just for jackets. You can
mix the bonding agent with any of your all-pur-
pose plastisols!

NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 121

6.5 Printing Technique 6.6
It takes a good feel for the squeegee to get a
Since the weight of plastisols vary depending 6.7
on the color of the ink, you need to add the bond- good print. You need to do a stroke that is not too 6.5 Make sure to mea-
ing agent by weight when mixing it (6.5). If you fast or too slow. An even stroke that cleans off the sure the bonding
can’t mix by weight then make sure to add more screen is very important (6.7). Your screen should agent/plastisol mixture
bonding agent to lighter, more opaque colors. obviously be adjusted to sit slightly off-contact by weight.
Once you add the bonding agent, the mixture over the jacket (not just the shirtboard) for the 6.6 For better ink
must be used within 8-12 hours or it will harden. best print quality. adhesion preheat the
Just mix what you need for a job. If you add too jacket before you print
much bonding agent, it may harden faster, but if Use a medium squeegee with a very sharp on it.
you are in doubt as to how much you need to add edge. Too much pressure on the squeegee will 6.7 Print with a firm,
– add more. Each ink manufacturer has different allow the ink to press out around the stencil, giv- slow stroke to allow
mixing directions, so be sure to ask for the pro- ing a slight ghost to the print. Always try to do the ink to flow through
duct’s technical data sheet when you order it. just one stroke. If you must do two strokes keep the mesh onto the gar-
them both in the same direction. ment.
The biggest problem with a plastisol/bonding
agent mixture is that the ink becomes much thin- Sometimes a lined jacket will stick to the
ner. In fact, it is sometimes too thin to print. If screen when it’s lifted. As the print peels from the
you are printing on a light-colored jacket with a screen, you get a ring or circular mark in the
lining, the ink may penetrate through the nylon image. A good technique is to do a clean stroke
and print on the lining. and then quickly snap the screen upward. This
snap releases the screen quickly from the print and
There are a couple of ways to make the ink gives a sharper image. It’s all in the wrist. This
thicker. You can put the mixture in a refrigerator snap technique may not be necessary if your ink
to make it colder or you can let it sit for a few is flowing correctly and the jacket is releasing on
hours to slowly thicken. In addition to this, some its own during the stroke.
brands of ink are thicker than others and you
should try to use a brand that is thicker to start
with.

Flash-Curing Jackets
A flash-cure unit is a must when printing

nylon jackets. Not only do you need it to print
multicolor, you also need it to preheat the nylon
before the first print. Preheating shrinks the nylon
for a tighter fit in the holddown and also softens it
and partially burns off sizing, stabilizers and
waterproofing. This will help your ink adhere bet-
ter!

To preheat the jacket, simply place the flash
unit over it while it’s in the holddown. If you
have the unit set 2 in. above the jacket, you
should be able to preshrink and preheat it in less
than 10 seconds (6.6).

Running a jacket through the dryer is not the
same as preheating it on the holddown. You
defeat the purpose of shrinking the jacket to pro-
duce a tighter surface while on the holddown.

122 CHAPTER 6 Multicolor Printing Techniques
Because nylon is non-absorbent, you can’t
6.8 You must cure
between colors when print multicolor designs wet-on-wet: you need to
printing multicolor flash cure between colors. The flash time can be
prints on nylon. fairly short (5-10 seconds) – just enough to gel
the ink so it is dry to the touch (6.8). Since nylon
6.9 Make sure to shrinks when heated, you must preshrink the jack-
increase the belt speed et under the flash-cure unit before making the first
when curing the print. print.
It may require more
than one time through Curing the Print
the dryer. After printing the jacket, run it through the

6.10 When printing a dryer. It may take more than one trip through to
chest print you should get the ink dry to the touch. Although the plastisol
raise the print area portion of the ink will cure when it goes through
with a small block of the dryer, the bonding agent needs 72 hours to
wood. fully cure! Be very careful that you do not give
out the jackets for a couple of days after printing.
6.11 Special die-cut Also, be very careful about stacking them. They
letters and numbers may feel dry but not actually be cured. The best
work well if applied approach is to dry them through the dryer and
properly. then hang them for a few days to fully cure.

Set your dryer belt speed a little faster than
normal. The thickness of the material places it
closer to the heating elements and can cause it to
burn if you run it the same as for a T-shirt (6.9).

Problems and Solutions
You may encounter some problems when

printing jackets. If the print does not adhere well,
the jacket may be heavily treated and require that
the waterproofing be removed before printing. If
the jackets are already printed or customers are
returning them, take all of the jackets to a dry
cleaner and ask them to try to remove the print.
Believe it or not, dry cleaning will sometimes
remove the print. There may be a slight shadow
from the previous print. If so, you will need to
reprint the design in the same exact location.

Printing on the front of a jacket is difficult
because of the snaps, pockets, collar, seams and
other obstructions. Raising the print area with a
small block of wood or sponge rubber will help to
make this task a bit easier (6.10).

Applying Heat Transfers to Jackets
We do not recommend applying plastisol heat

transfers to nylon jackets. They do not adhere
well, even if you use the nylon bonding powder
that many suppliers carry. One option is to buy
specially made die-cut letters and transfers from
suppliers who specialize in these products (6.11).

Sublimation transfers are excellent for light-
colored jackets (especially satin finished polyester
jackets) and can be custom made for you or print-
ed from inkjet printers with special sublimation
dyes. See Chapter 5 for more details on sublima-
tion transfers.

NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 123

Printing Caps visor of the cap to stay up when the cap is printed. 6.12 Special printing
Hold caps in place with spray adhesive and take presses are available
Caps have become a standard commodity in care when loading them so you don’t distort the that are designed specifi-
this industry. They can be decorated in a variety front. cally to print on baseball
of ways including heat transfers, direct screen caps, golf caps and sport
printing and embroidery. We will cover direct To achieve the best print quality on light-col- caps. You can also do T-
printing methods here. For information on making ored cap fronts use a monofilament mesh count of shirts on the same press.
heat transfers for caps, see Chapter 5. 200-250 (78-100 cm). By printing through fine (Top photo courtesy
mesh with a plastisol ink that has been reduced to R. Jennings Mfg., Glens
Caps are available in different styles and a very creamy consistency, using a sharp Falls, NY. Bottom photo
materials, such as polyester baseball caps, poplin squeegee and printing with one or two passes in courtesy Workhorse
golf caps, cotton painters caps and even visors. the same direction, you can get a very respectable Products, Phoenix, AZ.)
The difference in printing technique generally has print!
to do with the type of material and how the cap is 6.13 Most manufactur-
constructed. On dark cap fronts you will have to go to a ers offer inexpensive
lower mesh count such as an 86-94 (34-37 cm). attachments for holding
Direct Printing or Heat Transfers? Use a high-opacity low-bleed plastisol ink and a cap front flat during
print with two or three strokes in the same direc- printing. (Right photo
Direct printing is certainly the quickest deco- tion. The print will not look as sharp as on the courtesy Hix Corp.,
rating method. It does not always produce a sharp Pittsburg, KS.)
edge to the print though, because of the soft print-
ing surface. Direct printing is more difficult when
printing multicolor work if you have to flash-cure
between colors because might need a special
curved cap heater or use a heat gun. Direct print-
ing is the only method to use if you are going to
print with puff inks. Direct puff prints are far
superior to transfer puff prints.

Heat transfers will produce very sharp prints
that look good on both light and dark cap fronts.
If you use the powdered adhesive mentioned in
Chapter 5, you can print fine-detail designs on
caps. Transfers will take longer, however,
because you have to make the transfers first and
then apply them.

If the job calls for a simple one- or two-color
design on a light front cap, or if the job requires
puff ink, then use the direct printing method. If
the image has lots of colors or is going on a dark-
front cap, then make a heat transfer. Your cus-
tomer really won’t care, and you should use the
best method for the job.

Direct Printing Caps

The problem with printing directly on the cap
front is that you are printing on a round surface
that is soft. The two main ways to directly print a
cap are curved screen systems and flat screen sys-
tems. Both systems work fairly well. Plan to ruin
dozens of caps before you get the hang of loading
the cap straight and printing on such a small, soft
surface.

Both systems are available as stand-alone
units just for caps or ones that also have standard
shirtboards (6.12). In fact, most manufacturers of
printing presses offer inexpensive cap attach-
ments (6.13). Flat screen attachments are so inex-
pensive that one can be placed on each printing
arm for high production – while one person prints
another loads and unloads. For a flat screen setup,
use a frame that has one thin wall (strip of alu-
minum) so that the image can be positioned close
to the edge of the frame (6.14). This allows the

124 CHAPTER 6

6.14 Special thin-wall Painters Caps
screens are needed for These are easy to print because they don’t
direct printing on
baseball caps. have a foam lining and are not stiff. Just use your
regular cap attachment and the appropriate mesh
light caps. If you’re using a puff ink, use the stan- for either light or dark material.
dard 86-94 (34-37 cm) mesh.
Curing and Drying Cap Prints
Some of the stiffer golf and poplin caps are Caps with visors present some problems. The
harder to direct print. They generally have a plas-
tic liner that gets in the way, and they do not bill gets in the way when using a flash-cure unit
always want to lay flat. You may ruin a few (although some manufacturers do make a small
before you get just the right technique down with cap heater). Some dryers are designed just for
these caps. caps, while some multi-purpose dryers have an
High Density Images additional heater on the side for caps. You can
also use an industrial heat gun if you are careful.
Chapter 7 - Special Effects Printing, covers
the use of high density prints. This “3-D” effect is If you want to run the caps through your regu-
very popular on baseball caps and allows you to lar dryer, try placing them so that the crown is
even print on caps with seams (6.15). facing up slightly by stacking them against each
Corduroy Caps other (6.16).

Corduroy caps present a special problem Art Preparation
because of the grooves of the corduroy material. The only other helpful tip for cap printing is to
The only effective way to print these caps is to
use the direct print method, and by mixing a little make the art simple and readable, and to keep the
puff additive to regular plastisol. Just mix enough print area smaller than 4 in. wide x 3 in. high
so that the print will puff slightly and actually fill (10.16 x 7.62 cm).
in the grooves.
Printing on Fleecewear
6.15 High density
images have a 3-D Printing fleece is definitely not the same as
look and can be very printing a T-shirt. Because fleece is a much thick-
effective when printed er material with a looser knit, more ink needs to
on a cap. (Photo cour- lay on top of the garment to make the print look
tesy R. Jennings Mfg., sharp and full (6.17). For this reason, you will
Glens Falls, NY.) need to modify the artwork, use different meshes
at higher tensions, change squeegees, rework your
6.16 Stack the caps printing technique and inform your customers of
against each other when the differences!
running them through a
standard dryer. Here are some quick tips for good fleece print-
ing.

Artwork Detail
Keep detail to a minimum for fleece designs.

This sounds so simple, but it’s hard when the cus-
tomer brings in the art. If you can, encourage your
customers to keep detail to a minimum and use a
much coarser than normal halftone dot. Since
everything is going to gain in size on the fleece,
try to plan for the gain to improve print sharpness.
Remember, bold and thick prints are much better
than thin and detailed.

If you’re printing on raglan-sleeved sweat-
shirts, remember to check the size of the design.
Some sweatshirts have set-in sleeves which leaves
more room on the sweatshirt for the artwork.

Screen Making
To achieve a good print on fleece, you need to

lay down more ink without using too much pres-
sure. This means lowering the mesh counts. If you
use a 180 monofilament mesh (69 cm) for light
shirts, then go down to a 125 (49 cm). If your nor-

NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 125

6.17 Prints on fleece
will not look as sharp
as normal T-shirt
prints. The print on
the left is on a sweat-
shirt. The one on the
right is on a regular
T-shirt.

Manufacturers offer
special fleece with a
smooth top surface
that holds detail
almost as well as a
T-Shirt.

mal job calls for a 125, lower it to 86 (34 cm) for and print again (the same color). Or print an
fleece. Granted, you may lose some detail, but underbase of white (either low-bleed or fast
these are the rules. fusion) to give you a smooth surface for the top
colors.
Also, you will get the best results when using
retensionable frames because a higher-tensioned Use Lots of Spray Adhesive
screen transfers the ink with less squeegee pres- This is not what the health conscious want to
sure. This means that the screens should be at 20-
25 newtons and you can marvel at how that sharp hear, but most of the time, you will have to use
print lays on top of the fleece. spray adhesive after every garment. Another pop-
ular method is to use pallet tape or pallet paper
Squeegee Selection which has adhesive on both sides. To use, glue it
Use either a medium or medium-soft squeegee to the platen and replace it when the adhesive
wears out by re-papering the board An alternative
blade. A hard blade will require more pressure to is to use a pallet cover which has adhesive on one
get the ink through the screen and will drive it side and you apply spray adhesive on the other.
into the garment, which is not where you want it! When the cover gets too loaded with lint, you just
strip it off and re-cover the platen. It’s a lot easier
If the design does not have much detail, you than wiping the platens.
can even dull the edge of the squeegee slightly (a
little sandpaper will do). Press Set-up and Printing Technique
As usual, you must print off-contact to
Inks for Fleece
Hopefully, you have been reducing inks to achieve a clean print. You may need to set the
off-contact a little higher than normal to account
achieve sharper prints on light shirts. But this for the thicker material. Remember, it is very
isn’t going to work on fleece. The ink needs to be important not to drive the ink too deeply into the
a little thicker (straight from the can in many garment. Using a lighter stroke (maybe two if
cases). If it is too thin, it will gain and fall into the needed) is much better than trying to muscle the
material. Remember, you want the print to sit on ink.
top of the fleece. If the ink is too thick to print
without adding reducer, try stirring it first to make Dryer Settings
it more creamy. Proper dryer temperature is important because

Minimize Bleeding light-colored (white fleece especially) can scorch
When printing on a 50/50 fleece, you should and dark 50/50 sweats may bleed. Try to keep the
surface temperature of the garment around 325 °
use a low-bleed ink. The garment dye may still F (160° C).
bleed into the ink (even days or weeks later), so
be sure to test. For best results, print, flash cure

126 CHAPTER 6

If you are printing a base of white, the gar- ink that penetrates into the terry-cloth and has a
ment may actually move or shrink slightly. Use soft hand when dried. These inks will dry in the
plenty of spray adhesive and keep the flash-curing screen if the right printing technique isn’t
time to a minimum. If there is too much move- observed. Also, they will need to be heat cured
ment, pre-flash the garment before printing it. with air flowing around them in order to hold up
when laundered.
Communicate with the Customer!
Poor communication can get you in trouble. Printing Technique
When using any water-based inks, a firm print
The customer has certain expectations about the
quality of the print. When printing a job for first stroke should be used. Raise the screen and then
time fleece customers, make sure to let them do a light flood stroke to lay ink over the image
know the limitations. The print will probably not area on the screen and keep it from drying. Water-
look as good on fleece as it does on a shirt. If the based ink is appropriate mainly for light-colored
job calls for some T-shirts and some sweatshirts, terry cloth because the ink is not very opaque.
tell them that there will be a difference in print
appearance. What Else to Print

Terry-Cloth Towels Printing on unusual textiles can be challeng-
ing. The main considerations are what ink to use,
Terry-cloth items like towels, bibs and what screen mesh is appropriate and how to hold
bathrobes present peculiar problems because the the item in place. Once you find those answers,
surface is so irregular. Don’t get too detailed you can print on almost anything from van tire
when creating art for terry-cloth fabrics. Keep the covers to patches, can coolers, flags, back-packs,
art simple and avoid the need for tight registra- fanny-packs, aprons, tote bags and much more.
tion. Some manufacturers offer a wide variety of non-
standard imprintable items and will give you the
Screen Selection printing specifications (6.18). Experiment and
The best overall mesh for printing on terry- have fun!

cloth is a 125 monofilament (49 cm). You will Generally when printing on any material that
need a stencil system that is water resistant. Dual- is more porous or rougher than a standard T-shirt
cure photopolymer emulsions will hold up for such as aprons, totes, and denim you should use a
runs of up to 750 prints before they start to break lower mesh count. This helps deposit more ink
down. Emulsion companies also offer special into the grooves of the material and gives better
water-resistant permanent emulsions that are good coverage. Don't print with ink that is too thin for
choices for longer runs. these items either. If the material is heavy, the ink
may bleed too much and give a ragged edge to the
Ink Selection print. You can use plastisol on most textile items
Although a very thin plastisol ink can be used as long as the material will withstand the curing
temperature.
if the image isn’t too big, a water-based ink deliv-
ers a softer feel. The best choice is a water-in-oil

NYLON JACKETS, BASEBALL CAPS AND OTHER IMPRINTABLES 127

6.18 There is a wide
variety of specialty
imprintable items that
are fairly easy to print
on. For cotton or cot-
ton/poly materials you
can use plastisol. For
nylon type materials
like chair backs you
can use plastisol with a
bonding agent.

128 CHAPTER 6

SPECIAL EFFECTS PRINTING 129

SPECIAL
EFFECTS
PRINTING

This chapter covers Screen Printing
special effects inks on garments.

This chapter will deal with all of the ter- Art Preparation
rific special effects inks such as puff
ink, metallic, glitter, suede, shimmer, Puff ink expands in all directions when you
fragrance and discharge ink. It will also cover heat it, causing the garment to pucker when the
how to work with foil and how to create a “hand- ink puffs. Because of this, you need to plan the
done” or wearable art shirt. artwork with this phenomenon in mind. If possi-
You can use special effects to enhance the ble, try to avoid large block design areas.
appearance of a shirt and turn a boring design into Anything more than 1/8 to1/4 in. wide would be
an eye-catching one. Most special-effects inks are considered a block area.
actually fairly simple to use. Once you know the
correct mesh to use, proper curing techniques and You may need to change areas larger than this
any unusual printing characteristics, you will find into either a 60% halftone dot, a mezzotint (a ran-
that these inks become just one more way to dom squiggle pattern), stippling or thin lines. The
enhance an image on a shirt. puffing will be more uniform with less puckering
Some topics in this chapter are only covered (7.1). When the ink puffs up, these thinner pat-
very briefly to give you an overview of how they terns will actually rise and touch, making them
are done. For more detailed information on wear- appear to be a solid area.
able art, shirt-dying treatments and airbrushing,
consult the industry trade magazines and other If you are using a computer graphic system to
resources listed in the back of this book. create a design you need to print the block area as
a halftone by making an areas of solid black into a
60% tint of gray.

Printing with Puff Ink Heavy solid areas may pucker
and puff unevenly.
Puff ink is by far the most popular special
effects ink. It is used to give a design a more Solid converted to a 60% tint at a 20 7.1 Artwork for puff
three-dimensional look or to add a raised border line halftone dot will puff more uniformly. printing may need to
or highlights. Puff ink is very simple to use and be modified by con-
should be an essential part of your ink inventory. verting heavy solid
areas into a pattern or
Puff Ink texture.
Plastisol puff ink is sold either premixed or as

a puffing agent you can add to your regular plasti-
sol. Although purchasing the additive will help
keep your ink inventory low, it is important to
mix it correctly.

If you add too much puffing additive, the ink
will actually rise too high and not be durable or
abrasion resistant. The best choice is to buy your
main puff colors premixed and have some addi-
tive on hand for mixing the occasional odd color.

130 CHAPTER 7

7.2 Be careful when Avoid using letters and artwork that will close direction). A slightly rounded squeegee may also
printing tight letters up when the ink puffs. You may occasionally help. Rather than printing on a hard platen, use a
that may close up need to re-work the customer’s art so that it will soft printing surface. Putting a piece of 3/16 in.
when the ink expands look correct after it has been puffed. This may silicone foam rubber (available from local gasket
in all directions. mean going to a thinner lettering style or thinner companies) on the platen will soften the printing
lines in the artwork (7.2). surface, which will allow more ink to lay on top
7.3 When printing of the garment. (This tip may help brighten prints
multicolor puff ink it is When creating multicolor separations do not on dark garments too!)
necessary to partially overlap colors. Either butt register the colors or –
cure (but not puff) the better yet – place a small gap between the colors. Curing Puff Ink
first colors. This takes Since puff ink is a plastisol and it will need to
only a few seconds. Screen Making
A good multipurpose mesh for puff designs is be brought to at least 300 ° F (177°C) to cure.
Because the ink film will be thick, it may be nec-
an 86 (34 cm) monofilament. For a thicker puff, essary to run the print through the dryer more
you can use a 60 (24 cm) monofilament. In than once to get a deep cure and to get a good
designs with a lot of detail you can go up to a 110 puff. With puff ink, a longer tunnel time is very
or 125 (43-49 cm) monofilament mesh. helpful.

Use a wooden, rigid metal or retensionable Multicolor Puff Printing
frame with direct emulsion or capillary direct Although puff ink can be printed wet-on-wet
film.
in multicolor work, with fair results, flash-curing
Printing Techniques between colors will give the best print quality.
Unlike general printing, where the ink is dri- This is because the wet-on-wet process tends to
transfer the ink layer from the garment to the back
ven into the garment, with puff printing, the ink of the screens. Printing wet-on-wet also presses
should lay on top of the garment. This allows the ink into the garment. Both problems prevent
more ink to puff up from the garment, giving it a good puffing.
sharp, high-loft look.
Puff ink can be flash-cured without puffing it,
To keep the ink on top of the garment, use one but you’ll need to experiment with the dwell time
or two light print strokes (always in the same and distance of your flash-curing unit because
there is a very fine line between the temperature
that gels the surface of the ink and the tempera-
ture that causes the “blowing agent” to puff up.
With most flash-cure units, you can achieve the
proper gel in less than 10 sec. The ink will turn
from a wet look to a lighter, more pastel appear-
ance as it puffs. Flash-curing between colors will
keep the ink film smooth and thick, and ensure
even puffing of all colors (7.3).

A second option for printing multicolor puff
designs is to print a base of white puff ink through
an 86 (34 cm) monofilament, flash-cure this puff
base and then print the multicolor design with a
regular plastisol directly on top of the gelled white
puff. Use a 180 (70 cm) monofilament for the
multicolor screens. If the artwork has been
designed for wet-on-wet printing, you could print
the top colors without having to flash-cure
between each color. When the print is run through
the dryer the white puff will rise making the
entire design look like a multicolor puff print.

If the artwork for the white puff ink is
“choked” (make the overall edge of the design
smaller), the white puff will not show around the
top colors and no one will know that you only
used one puff color!

If you want to print a multicolor puff design
without flash-curing, you can maintain fair print
quality by staggering the mesh counts. Use a 60

SPECIAL EFFECTS PRINTING 131

7.4 If you apply foil to
a puff print with medi-
um heat press pressure
it will just stick to the
tops of the puff giving
the shirt a rich look.

(24 cm) mesh for the first color, 74 (28 cm) for of the other colors, and the foil will adhere to
the second, 86 34 cm) for the third, 94 (37 cm) for more of the puff and less of the regular plastisol.
the fourth, etc. Change your sequence to print as Your outlines and detail areas will be more pro-
the smallest print area first, to the largest printed nounced with this method. If the puff ink is black
last (if possible). Print the most dominant color and a gold foil is used on top, it will give the print
last since it will have the best and cleanest puff. a rich, antique look.

If you need a puff ink that is really durable Artwork Preparation
and will take a lot of wear-and-tear and abrasion, For the best results, create the artwork specifi-
try adding a puffing agent to the special athletic
plastisols. Athletic plastisols are very stringy and cally for this type of print. Use the puff portion of
stretchy, and will make the puff prints more the design for outlines and as a texture under or
durable. over colors. When the puff rises it will make any
top color look pastel and give it a multi-shade
Because puff ink is not very bleed resistant, color. Create the puff separation by using a stip-
you may need to print a base of low-bleed white pled effect in the artwork, and by using thin lines
ink, flash-cure it and then print the puff ink on top just for areas where you want puff and where you
when printing on dark garments. want the foil to stick (7.5).

For extremely high puff, you can also print the Screen Making
ink, flash-cure it and then print the puff ink again For light-colored shirts, use a 60-86 (24-34
directly on top. The layering of two flash-cured
coats of puff ink makes the puff really stand out cm) monofilament for the puff print and a 160 -
from the garment when fully cured. 200 (63-78 cm) for the top colors. For dark shirts,
use a 60-86 (24-34 cm) monofilament for the puff
Printing with Puff and Foil print and a 86-125 (34-49 cm) for the top colors.
You can use either capillary direct film or direct
Another very popular effect can be achieved emulsion for the stencil.
by combining puff ink with foil. It is a simple
technique that will really make a puff print jump 7.5 Create the artwork
off the shirt (7.4)! for the puff/foil combo
prints by using thin
The basic principles involve printing a base of lines and stipple
plastisol puff that is just for outlines and detail effects. The puff can be
parts of a design. After flash-curing the puff ink printed under or on top
(without puffing it), print the other standard plas- of regular plastisol.
tisols wet-on-wet on top of the flash-cured puff.
The entire print is then run through the dryer to
puff and cure the inks.

Next, take the print to a heat-transfer press
and place a sheet of foil over the print. By using
very light pressure, the foil is only applied to the
top-most areas of the puffed print and the print
has a great shine – resulting in a very nice effect.

Other Options
Another option is to print the puff ink last in

the sequence (after you flash cure the undercol-
ors). This will give a very high puff print on top

132 CHAPTER 7

Press Setup of it (7.6). The foil is placed with the color side
Set up the press the same as for a normal up. Since the foil will curl when it’s heated, this is
prevented by laying a piece of blank heat-transfer
underbase job. The job should be set up so the paper or cloth on top of the foil (7.7).
puff can be flash-cured first (but not puffed) and
the remaining colors printed lightest to darkest, Next, lower the heating element so that there
wet-on-wet. For the best foiling effect, you want a is minimal pressure on the foil and leave the press
really high loft to the puff print. To achieve this, closed for 10-15 sec. When the time is up, raise
print the puff ink, flash it, then print and flash the press head and quickly cool the foil with a rag
again (without puffing the ink), before the other or eraser (just like when applying a normal heat
colors are printed on top. Because the finished transfer). Let the foil cool for 15-60 seconds and
print will have a heavier ink deposit than a normal peel it off. It will stick to the top areas of the
design it should go through the dryer twice to puffed ink and will give the design a rich and
achieve full puffing and curing. shiny look (7.8).

Applying the Foil If the foil did not stick to enough of the puff
This is the fun part. We use a heavyweight ink, use a little more pressure. If the foil sticks to
the regular plastisol too much, you will need to
hot-stamping foil that is available from almost reduce the pressure. Don’t get frustrated. You will
every screen print supply company. The foil will need to play with the settings and times. Just plan
cost from $.05 to $.20 cents per 12 x 12 in. (30.48 to ruin a few shirts until you get it right.
X 30.48 cm) sheet. Foil is sold in a 200ft roll
(60.96 m). The foil is available in a wide variety If you want the entire puffed image covered in
of colors including pearlescent, rainbow and foil (very nice look), clamp the press down all the
shimmer. way.

Set the heat press to 350° F (177° C) with Washing Instructions
very light pressure. Place the cured print on the To help the print withstand washings, it
heat press platen and lay a sheet of cut foil on top
should be washed inside-out using warm water
7.6 Place the shirt on with a gentle setting, and the dryer setting at
the press and a piece of warm. You should provide written washing
foil over the print with instructions to the customer. Although hanging a
the colored side up. shirt to dry is preferable, it is not always practical
to recommend this. A low heat clothes dryer set-
ting is an acceptable option. The foil actually
washes well although it may dull a little after a
few washings.

A sample washing label is provided in
Chapter 5 – Heat Applied Graphics.

7.7 Lay a piece of Other Foil Options
cloth or blank heat
transfer paper over Foil over Direct-Print Plastisol
the foil to keep it from Although foil looks the most brilliant when
curling under the heat.
applied to a heat transfer, it can also be applied to
7.8 Let the foil cool direct-print plastisol or direct-print foil adhesive
and peel it away. It (7.9) (prints are cured first.). If you’re applying
only sticks to the tops foil to adhesive or direct-print plastisol, make sure
of the puff ink. to print a thick coat of ink to minimize the pitting
effect you will get from an uneven ink surface. In
the Chapter 5 - Heat Applied Graphics, you were
told to apply foil for 2-5 sec with a heat press.
When applying foil to direct prints, you need to
increase the time to 10-15 sec.

Foil and Water-Based Ink
One great property of foil is that is does not

adhere to water-based ink. This enables you to do
a multicolor print with water-based ink and then
use plastisol as an accent or outline. The print can
then be foiled for 10 seconds and the foil will
only adhere to the plastisol (7.10).

SPECIAL EFFECTS PRINTING 133

7.9 Foil can also be
applied to direct print
plastisol and foil adhe-
sive with a heat press.

7.9 7.10 Since foil will not
stick to water-based
Metallic Ink ink, you can create
interesting effects by
Metallic inks are simply finely ground metal combining water-
flakes that are suspended in a clear plastisol base. based ink and plastisol
They can be used as accents in a design or as the and then foiling it.
entire print. Metallics are supplied either pre-
mixed or as a separate powder and clear base 7.11 Metallic inks are
(7.11). They are available in a variety of colors, finely ground metallic
but gold and silver are the most popular. powders that are
mixed with a plastisol
Print metallics through a 110-125 (43-49 cm) clear base to give the
mesh or lower. If the mesh is too fine, you will print a rich look.
push the clear base through the screen, but the
metallic flakes will get caught in the mesh.
Because the flakes are opaque, you can use
metallics on both light and dark colored garments.
Since the base is plastisol, simply run the shirt
through the dryer or flash-cure it after printing.

One of the biggest problems with metallics is
that some brands dull and tarnish badly after the
first washing. Some brands encapsulate the flakes
so they stay brighter after washing. Try different
brands and make sure to tell the customer that the
print may become fairly dull after the shirt is
washed.

Glitter Ink 7.12 Glitter inks are
glossy mylar flakes that
Unlike the small metal flakes in metallic inks, are mixed with clear
glitter inks are made of much larger mylar flakes base plastisol. They are
that are suspended in a clear plastisol. Because printed through a very
the flakes are made of mylar the print will always coarse mesh and give
retain its bright, shiny look. the design a shiny,
reflective look.
Since the flakes are so big in glitter inks, you
need to print through a 30 or 40 (12-16 cm) mesh, of a multicolor design and should be printed last
and it may require a number of strokes to get a if possible to avoid getting glitter flakes on the
good print. bottom of the other screens.

The glitter ink is thick. You may need to Glitter is available in a wide range of colors
reduce it slightly just like you would a regular including silver, gold, green, red, etc. This ink
plastisol. It also may require more than one trip was very popular in the early 80’s and then disap-
through the dryer or a longer time under a flash- peared from overuse. It has made a comeback
cure unit because the print will be fairly thick. every ten years and has been popular the last few
years with the advent of all-over prints and the re-
Glitter works great as an accent on both light birth of foil.
and dark shirts (7.12). It can also be used as part

134 CHAPTER 7 Color Change Ink

Before Color change inks are designed to either
change color or turn clear when heat is applied to
7.13 Color change them. They are called Thermochromatic inks.
inks will either turn to They are great as a novelty ink that makes a
a different color or design either come to life or reveal itself when the
turn clear when they print reaches about 100° F (7.13). Because the ink
are heated up. They is fairly expensive, use it as a small accent or nov-
are a great novelty ink elty part of a design.
that work best on "con-
cept" or "theme" Thermochromatic ink is supplied a variety of
designs. ways. Some suppliers offer it as a premixed
water-base formulation while others offer it as an
After additive for a clear plastisol base. Consult each
manufacturer for detailed information and to
7.14 Crystalina or obtain a technical data sheet for specific informa-
Shimmer is an over- tion on the use of their ink.
print ink that has a
pearlescent transparent Fragrance Ink
look to it that accents
the color underneath it. This is an ink that you may never use because
of the expense but it is great as a novelty or con-
7.15 Suede ink is a cept ink. Imagine a shirt with flowers or a bowl of
plastisol ink additive fruit you can smell. Fragrance inks are supplied
similar to puff. It is ready-to-use and will withstand up to ten wash-
printed through a fair- ings before the fragrance disappears. (They lose
ly fine mesh and raises about 10% of their scent with each washing.)
up when run through These inks are printed just like all-purpose plasti-
the dryer to give it a sols and should be used as small parts of a design
suede feel. to minimize the expense.

Shimmer or Crystalina

Crystalina (also known as Shimmer and
Yellow Sparkle) is very much like glitter ink
except that the mylar flakes are more translucent
in a clear base. This ink is designed to overprint
other flash-cured colors and requires a coarse
mesh such as a 33 or 40 (13-16 cm).

Crystalina ink is a nice accent over colors that
gives them a rich-looking pearlescent sparkle.
These inks are fairly thick (like glitter) and can be
reduced slightly for easier printability (7.14). You
can create a great effect by printing an underbase
of puff ink, flash-curing it, printing with regular
plastisol on top, flash-curing it, and then over-
printing with a solid coat of shimmer. The entire
print is then cured.

Suede Ink

This is terrific stuff! It prints like a puff ink
and has a real suede feel to it (7.15). Suede ink
works really well with designs that are created
with it in mind, such as animal or nature prints.

Suede ink is actually made by putting an addi-
tive in regular plastisol ink. This means you aren’t
limited to just brown. You can mix the additive
with red, blue, green or whatever color you want.
Before mixing, check with your supplier, or the

SPECIAL EFFECTS PRINTING 135

manufacturer, for specific directions. Generally, 7.16 Discharge ink
you mix 20-50% of the suede additive with your removes the dye from
regular ink. If you add too much the print will the shirt and replaces
flake and lack durability. it with a color. This
gives the print a very
Print suede ink through a 230 (90 cm) mesh. It soft hand. These inks
will take a couple of firm strokes to get good cov- are popular for all-
erage and it also helps to print on a soft printing over prints where soft-
surface. ness of the ink is
important.
It takes a longer than normal tunnel time for
the ink to “suede,” so run the shirts through the This print is also
dryer twice and turn the belt speed way down. If called a “belt print”
you lay down a thick enough coat, you can get or “all over” print
excellent coverage on a dark shirt too. because it was printed
on large automatic
Like puff ink, suede can be flash-cured with- machines using a wide
out puffing it, so you can use it as part of a multi- conveyor belt to hold
color design as long as you flash-cure it before the shirt. The ink is
printing any other colors. actually printed right
off the edge of the
Discharge Ink shirt.

Discharge inks are special formulations that 7.17 Wearable art is
remove the dye from the garment (discharge it) the term coined for
and replaces it with an ink color. This ink only free-form hand-done
works on certain brands of 100% cotton shirts and shirts that have an
is designed to provide a softer hand to the print "artsy" one-of-a-kind
than standard plastisols (7.16). Make sure to ask look to them.
your shirt supplier if their garment will discharge.
7.18 To mass-produce
Discharge inks are generally used for designs wearable art shirts you
that cover the entire garment (all-over printing) can screen print the
because of the softness of the print. They are also basic design and then
used as spray-on or roll-on inks to provide special use hand methods to
free-form background effects to a garment. finish decorating the
garment.
Because discharge inks are water-based, they
require the use of a durable, water-resistant sten- have been hand decorated with squeeze-bottle
cil. They also need to be mixed prior to use and ink, hand-applied glitters and other embellish-
generally will not last longer than 24 hours after ments such as cloth, jewels, foil, puff ink and
mixing. more (7.17).

Print discharge inks through meshes ranging Wearable art shirts sell for more money than
from 60-160 (24-63 cm). The prints must be heat standard screen printed ones because of the time it
cured for two to three minutes. They require a takes to create each one. Many people start out in
longer tunnel time than most small dryers can this business making wearable art shirts and then
offer. Another option is to use a standard heat- progress into screen printing, where they can print
transfer press for the discharge process. Pressing the basic design and then decorate the shirt using
the garment for 35-45 sec with light pressure at “wearable art” methods. This combination gives a
375° F (190° C) is all that is needed. If you are one-of-a-kind custom look that can be mass pro-
not sure if your conveyor dryer is discharging the duced (7.18).
ink properly, use a heat-transfer press to test a
shirt to see what the print should look like when
the proper heat and time are used.

The brightness of the print will vary from ink-
brand to ink-brand and certain brands will have a
noticeable rotten-egg odor. Try to purchase a low-
odor ink and make sure to use a very heavy stroke
to get good penetration.

Wearable Art

An entire book could be written on wearable
art shirts, which generally refers to shirts that

136 CHAPTER 7

7.19 Shirt treatments
such as tie-dye can be
combined with screen
printing for interesting
effects. (Artwork and
shirt courtesy Logo
Jack.)

7.20 100% cotton shirts
can be taken to dye-
houses for special dye
treatments. This shirt
has been dyed and print-
ed with a puff and foil
special effects print.

7.19 7.20

Most arts and crafts stores carry a complete Because this ink is made of a clear base, these
line of hand-applied inks. They are also available inks only work on light or white shirts. If you are
in larger quantities for mass production from a going to print them on a dark background you
handful of industry suppliers. must use an underbase.

Shirt Treatments Typically, the amount of ink you lay down has
an effect on the amount of glow. Use a 110 (43
Other shirt treatments and dyeing processes cm) mesh if you need a lot of glow and go up to a
such as tie-dyeing (7.19), dip-dyeing and mar- 230 (90 cm) for highlight areas or if you need less
bleizing can be used to achieve interesting effects. glowing. Remember, these inks are very expen-
You can use these enhancements on the entire sive so you need to weigh the cost of the ink with
garment and then screen print on the shirt. It’s a the amount of effect.
great area in which to be creative! Many manu-
facturers offer ready-for-dying shirts that can be For glow-in-the-dark prints to be the most
taken to dye-houses for a stone-wash, acid-wash effective they should be taken outdoors and acti-
or other treatments. These 100% cotton shirts are vated in sunlight for a few minutes.
special because rather than using polyester thread
in the seams, cotton thread is used that will take DO NOT offer glow-in-the-dark shirts as safe-
the dye (7.20). ty shirts. The glow isn’t bright enough. Offer
them as a novelty item only.
7.21 Glow-in-the-dark Glow-In-The-Dark
ink is great for novelty Reflective Ink
shirts. It is very transpar- These are the shirts you generally see at
ent and must be printed Halloween with skulls and skeletons on them. These are the prints that reflect light back to
on a white underbase if Glow-in-the-dark ink is actually phosphorescent its source using millions of small silver-coated
used on dark garments. powders that are mixed with a clear plastisol base. glass beads. These beads are the same as used for
Most manufacturers offer them in the typical light highway signs (7.22).
green color (7.21). Others offer them in a variety
of fluorescent colors. Reflective inks come in a clear plastisol base
and as water-based systems. The water-based sys-
tems have better washability and brighter reflect-
ing power, but most shops prefer to use plastisol
systems because of the ease of use.

With reflective inks, more is not better. They
should be printed through a 125 (48 cm) mesh. A
lower mesh reduces the amount of reflection. In
fact you do not want to use a print-flash-print
technique to increase the ink layer.

Reflective inks are available in a variety of
colors. The prints will look very dull under nor-
mal light. The only real way to see how they work
is to shine a bright light directly at them (put a
flashlight at eye level). You will then see how
amazing they can be!

Reflective inks can be used as safety shirts by
firemen, police offices, construction workers or
for runners (7.23).

SPECIAL EFFECTS PRINTING 137

7.22 Reflective ink is
designed to reflect light
back to its source using
millions of tiny silver-
coated glass beads.

7.23 Use reflective ink
for safety shirts, run-
ners, construction work-
ers and firemen shirts.
The print will look very
dull (the gray stripe in
this photo) until light is
directed onto the print.

7.22

High Density 7.24 High density ink
gives the image an
This is a very novel ink that when printed cor- because the specifications are different from man- embossed look. This two
rectly makes an extremely high print that almost ufacturer to manufacturer. color print is over 1/8”
looks like it has been embossed on the shirt in height. Notice the
(7.24). It works well for simple logos and images High density is also being used for a special very sharp edge defini-
where the customer may want a feel or embroi- effect called latent image or lenticular. This holo- tion. High density is not
dery look to the print. It has also become very graphic effect creates an image where when for every job because
popular on baseball caps (7.25). viewed straight on it just looks like a series of production can be slow.
vertical lines with an image in them - but when
High density ink is a special plastiol that holds viewed at an angle an image or logo appears 7.25 High density works
its edge definition when printed through a very (7.26). This can be very striking and combines a well on baseball caps.
thick stencil. high density print (the lines) with a regular plasti- (Photo courtesy R.
sol image. Programs like T-FX from T-Biz Jennings Manufacturing,
The secret to good high density is in the Network can be used to automatically generate Glens Falls, NY. “High
screen. A typical screen stencil is around 20 the separations needed for this type of effect. Square” ink courtesy
microns in thickness (direct emulsion). A high Union Ink Co.,
density screen needs to be at least 200 microns Ridgefield, NJ.)
thick! The only real way to achieve this thickness
is with special thick-film capillary-direct stencils. 7.26 You can print inter-
Some people are using stencil thickness of up to esting effects combining
700 microns for very dramatic results. high density and a regu-
lar print. This is called
Certain emulsion manufacturers offer a com- “latent image” and gives
bination direct film/direct emulsion system for the design a holographic
this purpose. The direct emulsion is applied on effect.The “A” is
the inside of the screen and is used to hold the revealed on the right
capillary film in place. photo but doesn’t show
on the left photo.
The problem with these thick films is that they
take forever (in some cases all day) for them to
dry after being adhered AND the exposure time
can be six to ten times longer than normal. You
also need to be very patient when washing out the
screens. A properly exposed and washed out
screen can have very sharp edge definition. This
means spending a long day getting the details
worked out on drying and exposure

To print high density use a screen mesh of 60
to 110 (24-43 cm). Use a very low off-contact and
a slower-than-normal squeegee stroke. In fact,
you may have to change the angle to get a good
clean print.

For dramatic effects, print multiple colors of
high density by flash-curing the first color and
printing a second color on top. You can even print
a much more detailed print as the top color by
using a finer mesh count.

Experimentation is key here. Make sure to
consult the ink makers technical data sheets

138 CHAPTER 7

7.27 A lot of special Computer Graphic Effects prints as clear on the shirt and when activated,
effects on shirts start turns color. Consult the ink manufacturer’s speci-
with computer graphic Over the years special effects that are actually fication sheet before using this ink.
effects. created in the computer have been trendy and then
lost favor. The distressed look started in the early Airbrushing Shirts
90’s and never went away. It uses computer
graphic “overlays” to make an image look washed Although airbrushing is not a method of print-
and worn. There is a section on this in Chapter ing a shirt, it is widely used to decorate shirts.
One - Artwork Preparation and Computer You often see artists at fairs and beach resorts
Graphics. Items like blur text and fake embroi- “painting” shirts with an airbrush.
dery are easy to do and are done in the computer
(7.27)There is much more on these techniques In simple terms, an airbrush is a finely tuned
and others in the Articles section at www.T- paint sprayer that can be adjusted to spray a lot or
BizNetwork.com. a little paint or ink. Before you think it sounds
like you couldn’t have much control with an air-
Photochromatic Ink brush look at figure 7.29. Airbrushing is widely
used to create posters and high-end art pieces.
This one is like thermochromatic inks, except
it is UV light that activates the print (7.28). It Airbrushes are available for less than $50, and
the only other item you need to airbrush shirts is
an air compressor. You can use airbrushing to
enhance a screen printed design or to personalize
a shirt with an individual’s name.

To learn more about airbrushing, get a copy of
Airbrush Action Magazine (see Appendix A). It is
an excellent source of how-to-do-it articles,
DVDs, seminars and airbrush supplies.

7.28 Photochromatic
inks are activated by
UV light (sunlight).
The top shirt shows the
image before it was
taken outside. The bot-
tom shirt shows it after
it was activated.

7.29 Airbrushes can
be used to create origi-
nal designs on T-shirts
and other clothing
items.

7.29

SCREEN PRINTING NON-TEXTILES 139

SCREEN
PRINTING
NON-TEXTILES

This chapter covers Screen Printing on Non-Textile items
like posters, binders, signs and more.

There is a good market for other printed ing, the sheet is then cut apart on a paper cutter or 8.1 Non-textile items
items besides textiles, and in many by hand with scissors or a razor knife. such as posters, decals
cases you can get business from your and bumper stickers
T-shirt customers. Businesses use posters, decals, Bumper Stickers are easy to print and
bumper stickers and binders to advertise their can bring additional
products (8.1). Politicians can be a good source of Stock for bumper stickers is similar to decal income.
printing business during the political season. (But material and is sometimes the same. Bumper
always get paid in advance.) Non-textile items are stickers can also be made from paper stock with a
also good to print when, and if, you have a slow pressure-sensitive backing. The main questions
season or are between jobs. about bumper stickers are how long do you want
The items you print on are commonly called a it to last and should it be removable? If the job is
substrate. That term is used less in T-shirt print- for a short-lived advertising campaign, then
ing but is used all the time in non-textile printing. removable paper stock is fine. If you are printing
This section discusses the screen printing of someone’s store or radio-station name and they
non-textiles but does not address the newer popu- want it to stay on a long time, then use a Mylar™
lar method of using inkjet printers to print on or vinyl stock with a permanent adhesive. Bumper
these items. Screen printing these items is still stickers can also be ganged and then cut apart.
very viable.
The Screen
Poster Board
For most non-textile items, you can generally
Poster board is available from most screen use a 230-305 (90-120 cm) monofilament screen
printing suppliers and art stores. It comes in vari- mesh. Ink for these items is thinner and will print
ous weights, colors and finishes. Some jobs may better through a finer mesh.
require only a paper-thin poster, while others
might require a stiffer and larger cardboard. Most
poster board comes in stock sizes and will have to
be cut down to the proper size. A good paper cut-
ter will come in handy here or you can pay extra
for your supplier to cut it to size.

Decals

Decals are made of pressure-sensitive
Mylar™ or vinyl that is sold by the roll or sheet.
These materials are available in both clear and
opaque colors, and usually come in regular and
matte finishes. Decals are normally printed in
multiple quantities per sheet, which is referred to
as the number up. For example, “6-up” would
refer to six of the same design ganged on the
screen and printed at the same time. After print-

140 CHAPTER 8

Direct emulsion works well for the stencil but require for cleanup is water. If you use a water-
capillary direct film will give a sharper edge. It is soluble ink, be sure your screen and blockout are
a little harder to adhere capillary direct film to not water soluble.
fine mesh counts, though, and you may find that a
good dual-cure direct emulsion is almost as good Enamel Ink
and much easier to use! Enamel ink forms a very tough surface and

The Ink has the highest gloss of commonly available inks.
Unlike poster ink, enamels may take up to 24 hr.
Each substrate has its own type of ink. Your to dry and it dries by internal reaction with the
screen printing supplier will be a great help here. available air (oxidation). They are one of the most
For vinyl, you use a vinyl ink; for metal and versatile inks and can be used on decals, metal
wood, you can use an enamel, etc. The problem signs, glass, foil, wood, paper, cardboard, leather,
substrates are plastics. There is a very wide vari- Masonite™, etc. Check with your ink supplier for
ety of plastics from ABS to polystyrene to additional information. Always test the ink and
polypropylene, and not every plastic ink will work the item to be printed for durability and compati-
on every plastic. bility! Enamels usually clean up with mineral
spirits.
You should not use plastisol for printing on
non-textiles. It does not have any real adhesive Vinyl Ink
properties and needs something to hang onto for it Vinyl ink is extremely durable since it actual-
to be durable.
ly becomes an integral part of the vinyl or film
Don’t forget the ink additives. Most manufac- substrate. It will give the longest-lasting print on
turers have special thinners, reducers, retarders, decal material. When printed with vinyl ink, the
etc., that they recommend for use with their prod- stencil should be made of a lacquer-proof material
ucts. Since all of these inks will air-dry, you and blockout, and should be cleaned up with lac-
should get the correct reducers and wash-ups. quer thinner, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) or ace-
Some inks have a retarder additive that will slow tone.
the drying process down a little.
Press Setup for
Always test the ink and make sure it will do Non-Textiles
the job for you before printing the order.
Suppliers and ink manufacturers will be glad to If you built a T-shirt press then you are all set
answer questions and help you with problems on because it will work just as well for flat objects!
tricky jobs. Better yet, is printing on the vacuum table
explained in the Heat Transfer chapter. It will
Poster Ink hold down lightweight objects such as decals and
bumper stickers.
Poster ink is one of the most widely used
screening inks. It is available in both gloss and Actually, you can used a simple pair of screen
flat finishes and is soluble in mineral spirits. hinges and a table to print non-textile items
Always check the instructions on the can or the because you print one color at a time (8.2).
technical data sheet that is available from your
supplier. The drying time is approximately 20-30 Professional screeners who specialize in print-
minutes. Poster inks dry by the evaporation of ing non-textiles use semi-automatic flat-bed
their solvent content. presses (8.3).

There are also some water-soluble poster inks Registration Guides
on the market. These are handy because all they In order to ensure that each and every print is

8.2 You can print printed in the same location, use a registration
non-textiles on a table guide made of thin paper, plastic or cardboard
with a simple pair of that is taped in place on the printing base. This
screen hinges. enables us to always put the stock in the same
exact place every time we make a print.

Multicolor printing is similar to transfer print-
ing: you print and dry one color at a time.
Registration guides are placed at three points: two
at the rear (or back) and one at the side. This is
called the three-point system.

You can make your own guides or purchase
guides from your screen print supply company. In
fact you can simply use thin pieces of card stock
and tape them in a typical “three point” setup. For
non-critical jobs use strips of masking tape (8.4).

SCREEN PRINTING NON-TEXTILES 141

8.3 Professional
shops use semi-auto-
matic flat-bed presses
to print non-textile
items. (Photo courtesy
Lawson Screen
Products, St. Louis,
MO.)

8.3 8.4 Plastic, metal,
carboard and even
Off-Contact tape can be used as
Most flat objects should be printed off-con- registration guides.

tact. This involves placing a few strips of card-
board under the edge of the screen so that when
the screen is in the down position, it will actually
rest about 1/8 in. (.32 cm) off the printing base.
When printing off-contact, the only time the
screen should touch the substrate is when the
force of the squeegee passes over the screen and
deposits the ink. Off-contact printing will give a
sharper, cleaner print!

Printing

Printing flat objects is about the same process
as printing textiles. Use only one stroke – prefer-
ably towards you. Two strokes will tend to
decrease the sharpness of the print and may cause
some ink to leach out under the screen, causing a
blurred or smudged print. Remember to use a
good, firm stroke and clean the screen with the
squeegee. If all the ink doesn’t push through to
the material below, you will have problems with
clogging.

Many jobs can be printed directly on your T-
shirt printing press (8.5)!

Multicolor
If printing multicolor images, you need to

print all of the first color and let it dry. You then
place these prints back on the press and print all
of the second colors – making sure to put the sub-
strate in the registration guides (for additional
information see Chapter 5 - Heat Applied
Graphics.

Flood Stroke
As with the section on textile and air-dry ink

printing, you should use a flood stroke when
printing with poster, enamel and vinyl inks. It
isn’t necessary, but you will have fewer problems
with ink drying in the screen!

142 CHAPTER 8

8.5 As long as you Cleanup
can hold it in place
you can generally Make sure to clean your screen and tools
print it. Use your immediately after use. Non-textile inks will dry
existing T-shirt press and harden, and you can’t leave them like you can
for small items. The with plastisol. Always have plenty of rags handy
weight of the item will and be prepared for the ink to start to dry in the
normally hold it in screen. A little solvent on a rag should open the
place. clogged area easily.

Simply make a good clean print and then raise Ventilation
the screen and do a light flood stroke across the
image area. Non-textile inks generally have a high concen-
tration of solvent and give off a very strong odor.
Drying Make sure to have a window open and fans blow-
ing the air away from you. If you are working in
Since air-dry inks are used for non-textiles, your home, you may not want to print with non-
and the fact that the print can take a long time to textile inks unless you can really ventilate the
dry, you’ll need some kind of rack to set wet area. Fumes from the basement will go through
prints on. A lot of commercial racks are available, your entire house!
but they are expensive (8.6). If the job isn't too
large you can just lay the prints on the floor or on Take extreme care when using non-textile inks
tables to dry. Fans can be used to help dry heavier because of their flammability too! Do not leave
stock that won’t blow away such as vinyl binders. garbage cans around that have solvent-soaked
rags in them and do not leave the washup and
If you have a conveyor dryer with an airflow thinners uncapped.
system, you can turn the heat of the dryer down
and run the items through the tunnel with the air- Odd Shaped Items
flow turned on. It may take a number of trips
through the tunnel to get the ink dry. There are a number of manual printing
machines that are designed to print round and odd
shaped items. These machines generally have a
lot of adjustable fixtures and can do anything
from ink pens, to beer bottles or paint buckets
(8.7).

8.6 Special racks can
be used to dry air-dry
inks. (Left photo
courtesy Saturn Rack
Company, Kennesaw,
GA.)

8.7 If you want to
print round items you
will need a cylinder
press that rotates the
item being printed.

8.6 8.7

INKJET DIRECTLY TO GARMENTS 143

INKJET
PRINTING
ON GARMENTS

This chapter covers all about inkjet printing
direct-to-garments.

For over 50 years, garment printing didn't sweatshirt) is tucked under the platen to keep it
really change. Screen printing was sim- out of the way of the machinery. Again, all proce-
ply the only way to commercially deco- dures were adopted from traditional screen print-
rate a garment. Yes, we started to make better ing on T-shirts. The operator would then send a
screens and learned how to print very high-end command from a graphic program and the shirt
photorealistic images with better computer graph- would be printed. Due to funding cuts this project
ics and color separation techniques. But, we were
still pushing ink through a screen, or screen print- 9.1 Inkjet printing
ing ink on paper to make a heat transfer and then directly to garments is
applying the image to a garment. now very popular. It
That all changed in 2004 when a number of offers quick turnaround
companies brought commercially viable machines times with full-color
to the market that could inkjet directly onto a gar- images on light and
ment (9.1). The authors were on the leading edge dark shirts at the push
with their popular T-Jet - which was the first of a button. (Photo
affordable desktop DTG printer that could print courtesy DTG Digital,
white ink. The obstacles of ink washability, Australia, and ColDesi,
machine affordability and image quality had been Tampa, FL.)
overcome and the industry was ready for new
technology.

History of Inkjet Printing 9.2 One of the first
on Shirts machines to inkjet
directly to a shirt was
It may seem that inkjet printing on shirts is developed as a French
new when in reality it was first introduced in a Government project in
non-commercial manner by a company called 1993. (Photos courtesy
Embleme in France. Embleme was started in 1993 Patrice Giraud and
by Patrice Giraud as a spin off from a company Imaje)
called IMAJE. It was a French government spon-
sored project (9.2).

The Embleme system (called D'TOPE) was
unique in that is used UV curing ink printed
through industrial inkjet heads. The machine was
large and nothing like we see today. In order to
speed up the curing process UV lights were actu-
ally attached to the printing head to help cure the
ink immediately after it was printed.

The printing mechanism was designed much
like a typical carousel printing press. Two arms
held a typical platen. The shirt was loaded or
draped over the platen and then the sleeves or
excess garment material (in the case of a thick

144 CHAPTER 9

9.3 This process was abandoned in 1997 and the machine was Embroiderers and other "non-screeners" have
evolved from the indus- never made commercially. Also, UV inks are not really embraced this technology. They are use to
trial printing of yard designed for garments because of their polymer longer print times, higher production costs, and
goods, wall covering base that can cause skin reaction if not fully cured charging more money for a finished decorated
and towels on large with UV light. garment. They really get it.
roll-to-roll textile print-
ers. (Photo courtesy It really took the industrial fabric printing Internet based companies really like the
DuPont, Wilmington, industry (yard goods, carpets and wall coverings) process. Many of the key internet marketers who
DE) to develop inkjet printers with safe and washfast print thousands and thousands of "one off" shirts
textile inks to decorate fabric in order for the each day use this process. They are charging full
technology to become proven and trickled down retail of $20 to $30 per shirt. They have rooms
to the finished garment decorating business (9.3) full of machines side-by-side running 24/7.

This process has been given different names As ink costs come down and machines
by our industry. The terms direct-to-garment become faster - DTG will become the standard. In
printing and digital-to-garment printing seem to fact rather than complain about machine speed,
have stuck. It is also called inkjet-to-garment the printers who really "get" DTG have learned
printing and direct-on-garment printing. We will that you can get high production by having multi-
use DTG here (there is also a company called ple machines - just like embroidery heads. And,
DTG Digital). having more than one machine gives redundancy
in case a machine breaks down.
New Technology
At this point, screen printing is still VERY
Watch a short Parts of the garment printing industry have viable for production runs, athletic printing, spe-
video showing how been reluctant to change. They have been kicking cial effects and cost sensitive printing.
and screaming all the way. Screen printers have
to get high been somewhat reluctant to change. With print The big change is that ink costs have dropped
production with speeds of over one minute for a light shirt and almost 50% since 2004. And, speeds have really
three minutes or more for a dark shirts, screeners increased. Many machines print the white in one
DTG printers. don't see how to get production. And, ink costs pass and then the colors in a second pass. Some
can range from 35 cents for a light shirt to over new machines now print the white and the colors
Running Time 5:15 $1.50 for a dark shirt. Again, a screen printer all in one pass.
doesn't have ink costs that high. What they do
have is long setup times, lots of prepress in film It should be interesting to see how long it
output and screen making, and of course more of takes these machines to gain a foothold in the
a mess. large high production shops. 2011 saw the intro-
duction of very high speed machines.
The thousands of screeners who have bought
these machines use them for their strength. DTG Important Note:
machines love short runs and photorealistic
images that a screener would have a hard time The following section is of a general nature
doing. And screen printers have bought these and gives a general overview of how machines
machines to do pre-production samples for larger are made, what print heads are used and prop-
customers. It is much easier to inkjet a single er maintenance requirements. Each machine
sample shirt than to burn 10 screens and setup the will vary in how it functions and how you
press for that killer dark shirt image. maintain it. When you buy a direct-to-garment
printer make sure to read and follow the own-
er’s manual for the proper operation and
maintenance of the machine.

Overview of Inkjet Printers

Inkjet Print Heads

All inkjet printers work on the same basic
principles even thought each major player like
Canon, Epson, HP and others have their own pro-
prietary technology. Tiny drops of ink as small as
1 picoliter droplet size (a human hair is 12 picol-
iters in diameter) are pushed out of microscopic
holes in an inkjet head in a precise shape and
location. In general the inkjet head moves across
the printing surface and typically prints four basic
colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. In
order to get better color reproduction some print-
ers use additional colors of light cyan, light
magenta, and light black.

INKJET DIRECTLY TO GARMENTS 145

For discussion we will differentiate “desktop” 9.4 A typical Epson
DTG printers from “industrial” printers based on based desktop printer
the print head technology. Desktop printers (even uses one head that con-
if they have a floor stand), typically use tains all the colors and
“retail/commercial” Epson print engines that use a costs less than $500.
single one-piece printhead with all the
channels/colors in one head (9.4). 9.5 Industrial DTG
printers use industrial
Industrial DTG printers typically use expen- robust printheads that
sive individual print heads that can cost over can cost over $2,000 per
$2,000 for EACH COLOR (9.5). head per color!

Why Epson for Desktop Printers? One very important point is to ask about the 9.6 Epson uses patent-
availability of replacement print heads for these ed micro-piezo technol-
The difference between the various heads is in type of printers. Companies like Epson have start- ogy that allows greater
the technology. HP and others use a thermal head ed to crack down on replacement print heads if control over the resolu-
that uses electricity to super heat the head causing you don’t have an original “Epson” serial number tion and size of the dots,
the ink to "explode" on the paper. And, they have for the printer (remember - it is a torn apart print making Epson the best
a single head for each color rather than an "array" engine now and can’t be sent back to Epson for head for this process.
head in the Epson style. The problem with this repair).
method is there is a slight sacrifice in speed
because the head needs to cool and there is less Very Expensive Printers
control over the drop size and the drop needs to
be large. There are also a few companies building
machines from the ground up. The problem with
Epson took a different approach. In 1993 they doing this is that industrial inkjet heads used in
patented what they call micro-piezo technology. the wide-format and carpet printing industry can
Micro-piezo technology uses a tiny crystal in each cost over $2,000 per-head per-color and most
individual nozzle that when electrically energized printers need at least eight heads. Compare this to
would vibrate or bend causing a controlled an Epson head that contains ALL the colors for a
amount of ink to be forced out onto the paper. few hundred dollars for the entire head and you
When the electrical current is turned off the crys- can see that a "ground up" DTG machine will cost
tal bends back to its original shape creating a vac- a lot of money (9.9).
uum that pulls ink into the nozzle from the ink
reservoir (9.6). While industrial printers are not always any
faster than the smaller desktop printers, they are
Using this technology, Epson is able to print a robust and industrial strength and frankly, a LOT
smaller drop size for higher print resolutions, and of companies started out with smaller desktop
they can print variable dot sizes. This has given printers and then moved up to more robust indus-
Epson the reputation for having better photoreal- trial printers.
istic images with greater detail. And, the good
news to the T-shirt industry is that having control 9.7 Affordable DTG
over the dot sizes enables printers to lay down printers use print
much more ink. engines made by Epson
because of the quality,
Printers for the Masses affordability and dura-
bility of the print head.
The process appears simple on the surface. In
order to make an DTG machine affordable for the
masses, most industry manufacturers make
machines from Epson print engines using Epson
print heads. Epson is the "engine" of choice
because of the relative ease of developing driver
software for them and the way the patented Epson
print head works.

Manufacturers basically purchase new Epson
printers and tear them apart just to get the guts of
the printer. The print engine is mounted in sophis-
ticated drive mechanisms that allow a shirt to be
loaded, printed and unloaded (9.7).

Machines made this way sell for $6,000 to
$30,000 depending on the size, durability, and
features of the machines (9.8). There is a trend for
lower priced entry level DTG printers.

146 CHAPTER 9

9.8 Desktop DTG print-
ers range in price from
less than $10,000 to
$30,000 depending on
print image size, number
of garments printed in
one pass and durability
of the machine.

There are even videos on
YouTube on how to
make your own DTG
printer!

Top two photos courtesy
AnaJet, Costa Mesa, CA.

Middle left photo of T-
Jet (no longer avail-
able).

Middle right photo cour-
tesy Belquette, Inc.,
Clearwater, FL.

Bottom two photos cour-
tesy of Azon Printer,
Zagreb, Croatia.

9.9 Large industrial
machines using individ-
ual heads can cost from
$40,000 to well over
$200,000.

Top two photos courtesy
Kornit Digital, Israel.

Bottom left photo cour-
tesy Lawson Screen and
Digital, St. Louis, MO.

Bottom right photo cour-
tesy Aeoon Technologies
GmbH, Stublerfeld 2,
Austria.

INKJET DIRECTLY TO GARMENTS 147

As industrial printhead technology improves
with more nozzles and higher resolutions, the
speed can increase. Some industrial printers brag
of printing 300 to 400 shirts per hour! That almost
equals the production rates of automated screen
printing presses.

It All Sounds Easy Inkjet Textile Inks 9.10 Special RIP pro-
grams are the magic
It sounds very simple. It is actually much The inks used on shirts are specially made that makes DTG print-
harder than you would think. pigment textile inks. They are generally formulat- ers create stunning
ed for the print engine you are using. Most inks images on light and
In order to have vibrant prints that wash well, are optimized for each printer head. That means dark shirts.
you MUST lay down a lot of ink. And, if printing you could buy ink from a variety of sources for
white ink on a dark shirt (first developed commer- your Epson based printer if the ink is “optimized RIP software generally
cially by the author in 2006), you need some way for Epson print heads.” offers a wide variety of
to create an underbase file to print under the col- “print modes” for dif-
ors. And, you need to print it through more than These inks like 100% cotton shirts in light and ferent image types and
one print head in order to lay down a lot of white dark colors. They also work on 50/50 shirts and shirt colors.
ink. Special software called a RIP must be written even light colored 100% polyester but are not as
to control the printer. Not an easy thing to do! bright. This process is changing VERY rapidly
and the major ink companies are spending a lot on
The other problem is that you often have to do R&D for inks that work on all fabrics.
two or more complete passes of the garment
(white ink, CMYK colors once or twice) in PER- These inks do not work well as of this writing
FECT REGISTRATION every time. on dark 50/50 or 100% polyester. Just like in
screen printing, the dyes used in dark polyester
On top of that you need an ink that will adhere will turn into a gas when heated and they will
to garments and wash properly. Pigmented ink migrate into your ink. This means white ink on a
needs to be used and these pigments can clog the garment with dark polyester content will turn the
nozzles if the machine is not maintained. Industri- shade of the garment (pink on a red shirt).
al textile inks for carpets and wide-format fabric
printing go through long fusing/steaming/curing As of this writing, these inks do not work well
stages that are not practical for smaller shops. on nylon or nylon mesh and are not as durable as
Special binders have to be added to inkjet textile plastisol for athletic uniforms or thick ink applica-
inks to enhance their washing properties. tions. We will address some of the ink problems
and how to avoid them later in this chapter.
Creating Artwork
Shirt Pretreatments
Chapter one in this book details creating art-
In the large format textile printing world, it is
work and how to fix bad artwork. You can use very common to pretreat fabric prior to printing
any of the standard graphic programs such as and to also do post treat applications. Pretreating
Corel Draw, Photoshop and Illustrator to create fabrics make them more inkjet receptive and help
the artwork. Most machine manufacturers offer with better print washability. In the T-Shirt world
their own software, too. In some cases you can you MUST apply a pretreatment if you are going
actually print directly to the DTG from your to print white ink on a dark shirt. The pretreat-
graphics program. ment keeps the ink from absorbing into the gar-
ment. In the future we feel you will find the gar-
But, all machines need special software drivers ment manufactures of offering "inkjet ready"
called a RIP (raster image processor), to take the shirts that are already pretreated - but as of this
image from your graphics program and tell the writing it is just in the talking stages.
printer how to print it. If printing on a dark shirt,
it is the RIP software that creates the underbase Applying Pretreatment
for the white ink and it tells the printer what size
dot, how much ink to print, how many passes to To some, the pretreatment is a negative that
make of the shirt and more. It is often the RIP keeps them from jumping into DTG printing. Pre-
software that is the MAGIC to this process (9.10). treatments can easily be sprayed on a shirt using
an inexpensive pump (not recommended) or
RIP software also lets you tell the printer the HVLP paint sprayers (high volume low pressure).
quality you want. If the image is a simple cartoon It only takes a few seconds to spray a shirt (even-
graphic, you can tell the printer to print more ly and not too much) and this can be done with a
vibrant saturated colors at a lower resolution in
order to print fast. If the image is photorealistic
you would use a different "print mode" that would
be a little slower print time at a higher resolution.
You don't print simple text the same as you print
high quality images.

148 CHAPTER 9

9.11 Pretreatment for treatment from sticking to the heating element,
light and dark shirts use a NON-SILICONE treated baking pan liner
can be applied with a and dry the shirt for a few seconds. Simple.
simple pump sprayer or
an HVLP paint spray You can also get machines that will automati-
gun. cally pretreat a shirt in less than 10 seconds.
There is now a wide variety of pretreatment
9.12 For more uniform machines from fully automatic to machines with a
pretreatment and easier simple manual push drawer. Pretreatment
pretreating, you can get machines sell for around $3,500 (9.12).
automated systems that
pretreat shirts in a mat- Besides pretreatment for white ink, there are
ter of seconds. (Top two also print enhancing pretreatments for white shirts
photos courtesy i- that help the print look almost like new when
Group Technologies, washed. Do NOT think of pretreatments as the
LLC, New Philadel- enemy. They are a way of life in large fabric
phia, OH. Bottom photo printing and they are simply part of the process in
courtesy Equipment DTG printing. As the process develops for print-
Zone, Fairlawn, NJ.) ing on nylon and other hard to print fabrics, spe-
cialized pretreatments will be the solution.

Curing the Ink

DTG inks must be heat cured - almost like
normal screen printing ink. But, unlike plastisol
that can be brought up to temperature very fast,
DTG inks need a long cure time. Typically you
cure CMYK colors for up to two full minutes at
330 degrees F (160 degrees C). White ink likes to
be cured for up to three minutes at the same tem-
perature.

A popular method of curing/drying DTG inks
is with a standard heat transfer press. The press
can be used to preheat the garment and also to do
a final cure. When curing the print with a heat
press, cover the image with a SILICONE
TREATED baking pan liner or a Teflon pad (the
print will be shiny), to protect the image (9.13).
Lock the press closed for the recommended time
with medium pressure.

Some newer heat presses have a hover feature
that lets you bring the heating element down and
it will hover over the print. Others now have auto-
matic open features because of the long dwell
times it takes to cure the prints.

If you are a screen printer with a typical con-
veyor dryer, you may not be able to get the long
of a tunnel time you need. Short dryers that only
use infrared head simply can’t provide the two
and three minute dwell time and airflow you
need. You can send a shirt through a small dryer
two or three times to get the required time.

Some industry manufacturers now make spe-
cial dryers designed for digital prints. These dry-
ers combine forced air flow over the print with
infrared heat (9.14).

simple cardboard box setup to catch the over Prepare for Printing
spray (9.11). Yes, it can be messy. The pretreat-
ment is sticky. You should not pretreat shirts near Now that you know about pretreatment and
your printer. inks, the rest is easy. In screen printing the screen
and squeegee smash down the shirt fibers. When
After spraying a pretreatment, the pretreat- inkjetting on a shirt, the inkjet head MUST move
ment needs to be dried. This can be done with a very close to the shirt. In fact, the head clearance
standard heat transfer press. To keep the wet pre-

INKJET DIRECTLY TO GARMENTS 149

9.13 9.14

is typically no more than 1/8" or about 3mm. All About the Machines 9.13-14 You can
machines have a way to adjust the height of the cure/dry prints in a
garment. The problem is the ink not only gets on There are dozens of DTG equipment manufac- long conveyor dryer or
the garment but it will "print" the tiny fibers that turers around the world. You will often buy from in a heat transfer press.
are sticking up. This can give the print an "airy" someone you know and trust like a local screen If using a press, cover
look. printing supply company. Some machines are the image with silicone
more robust than others. Some have a smaller treated baking pan
For better prints, take a few seconds and place printing image area. Some machines print more liner. Dryers with
the shirt in a heat press and flatten the fibers than one image in one pass (9.17). Due to the forced air and infrared
down. If you are applying a pretreatment you problem of the white ink clogging the printheads, heat with a long tunnel
don't need to do this. This also helps dry out a some machines have ink recirculation systems. are much better. (Dryer
garment if you are in humid conditions. All of these things are important considerations. photo courtesy Black
Body Industries, Fen-
Load the Shirt If you plan to do any trendy fashion items you ton, MO.)
might need to print larger images. If you want to
Some machines have a metal hoop that holds print on baseball caps, sleeves or youth shirts,
the shirt in place (9.15). Others don't use a hoop
(9.16). Hooping is helpful if the shirt is thick (it 9.15 Shirts can be held
MUST lay flat!), or if it is something odd like a in place with a hoop
Levi jacket, athletic shorts or anything with a (like in embroidery).
seam. Most machines have a sensor that will stop Hoops are handy for
the printer from moving if any part of the garment odd items or items that
might be in the print path. won’t lay flat.

Don't Crash the Head!

You do NOT want the head to hit a garment.
OK, it will happen. If the garment is not pretreat-
ed you may just have to do a few head cleanings
to let the wiper blade clean off the bottom of the
head. But, if your shirt is pretreated, this pretreat-
ment can easily PERMANENTLY clog the head.

Not a good thing. You will learn that a print
head is like tires on a car. You will be replacing
them occasionally and after going through a few
heads you will learn how to load shirts and not
have a head crash.

Print Times 9.16 Most standard T-
shirts can simply be
Once the shirt is loaded, send the graphic file laid on the shirt holder.
and press the Print button. Stand back and be Some shirt holders use
amazed at the quality of printing. But, remember, a rubber mat to help
it is not as fast as screen printing. And, the num- grip the shirt and hold
ber of passes, print mode, and size of graphic play it in place.
a big role in print speed and ink costs.

150 CHAPTER 9

9.17 Choose robust
over a slightly cheaper
machine and if possi-
ble, get a machine that
will print more than
one image per pass.
(Photos courtesy M&R
Digital, Glen Ellyn, IL
and Equipment Zone,
Fairlawn, NJ)

9.18 You can get One very important consideration in buying a
attachments for a vari- machine is product support. You will need sup-
ety of objects and print port. Whether it be to learn how to use the soft-
locations including ware rip, to how to change out a head, or fix a
sleeves, pockets, caps broken machine, support is key. A critical ques-
and more. tion is if the “manufacturer” really makes the
machine or are they buying a machine designed to
print on other items and modifying it for T-Shirts.
And, do they actually control the manufacturing?
A lot of machines are “branded” by companies
when in fact they really don’t have any control
over the manufacturing of the machine.

As for support, if a manufacturer really makes
the machine, you will get much better support.
Most companies sell through a dealer network
and often a dealer will install and train on a
machine. But, for other than simple questions,
you should be able to call the manufacturer direct
for the best support.

Remember, there is nothing more important
than taking “ownership” of your purchase. This is
not “plug and play” as you might think. This is
not the same as the fax/copier you bought from
the office supply store. You need to learn and
understand the rip software and how the machine
works and this means reading the manual, watch-
ing any training DVDs that come with the
machine and going to training classes if offered.
This will save you countless ruined shirts and
sleepless nights. These machines are like a well
tuned race car - when you learn the simple steps
to making them hum..... you will love them!

make sure to get a machine with attachments for Problems, Maintenance
these items (9.18). and Upkeep

Another consideration is the portability of the There has been a steep learning curve in learn-
machine. Yes, people take these machines to dog ing the good, the bad and the ugly of DTG
shows, car shows and local events. Some machines. What appeared to be a simple process
machines can't be moved without voiding the soon taught the industry that there is also a dark
manufactures warranty. Others you can simply side to the DTG process. These machines like to
put in your car trunk and away you go. run. If they don't run, they get grumpy.

In fact, many machines will print on non-tex- This is caused by the fact that the inks are pig-
tiles like golf balls, metal, plastic, etc., using spe- mented and can tend to settle and clog inkjet
cial pretreatments for the material. And, they will heads and ink tubes. If you leave the machine sit
print on most porous materials like mouse pads, for more than a few days, you may have clogged
bar coasters, cardboard and more (9.19). heads. And, the white ink is actually much more
of a problem. White ink is made with Titanium