After having used the gt-541 for a while,and although I'm quite happy with the work flow it allows, I'm starting to get paranoid with the black ink. The washability I'm getting is definitely sub par when printing big areas of solid black; very noticeable wear appears after very few washes ( 2 or 3).
In todays world with most people throwing jeans and t-shirts in the washing machine together, I'm finding some clients complaining. My own tests do not hold up too well to a true day to day use of the t-shirts I print, and is mostly black ink that goes first with wear and tear. Anyone feels the same, and have you had better experiences with other inksets or machines? i usually print at level 8,does printing at 9 or 10 seem to improve this issue for you? thank's
I'm so used to the quality of my prints with plastisol I just hate to see prints go so fast.
100% cotton from a few different brands, some are combed some aren't, some 160 gr some 190 gr, the best is combed cotton at 190 gr ( we produce our own product and buy imported as well), but even then I have color loss if they happen to rub against something ( like jeans or other garments) while washing. Although I recommend inside out washing and cold water to my clients, I want to know if any of you have found that in big areas of a single color ( let's say a 10x10 inch solid black square) you get uneven color degradation.
Sounds like a cure issue. Is there any visual evidence of a pattern between consecutivly printed/cured shirts? perhaps your heatpress is not keeping up temp wise. I would try longer dwell on a batch of shirts and see if that make a difference.
Ian
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Sounds like a cure issue. Is there any visual evidence of a pattern between consecutively printed/cured shirts?
Ian
Not really, I cannot see any pattern between the t-shirts.
The press is set at 187ēC ( it oscillates between 184 and 190) and I press for 35sec, top cover is Teflon shirts come out dry and ink looks pretty much set on the Tee.
I gather that this problem then is not common, since no one seems to correlate with this issue, so there must be something that I'm not doing right. I'll test/try longer curing and different substrates ( t-shirt thickness and weave). Any suggestions will be appreciated
Not really, I cannot see any pattern between the t-shirts.
The press is set at 187ēC ( it oscillates between 184 and 190) and I press for 35sec, top cover is Teflon shirts come out dry and ink looks pretty much set on the Tee.
I gather that this problem then is not common, since no one seems to correlate with this issue, so there must be something that I'm not doing right. I'll test/try longer curing and different substrates ( t-shirt thickness and weave). Any suggestions will be appreciated
thanks
What press are you using? Are you getting solid head coverage across the platten?
Can you post some before and after pictures? I have never been fully satisfied with DTG washability (although I am pretty critical of such things; its getting there, but we still can't compete with plastisol), but it is something that has never been a "problem", per se. I have only had a few people complain, over the last several years, regarding washability. The real issue, for me, is seeing shirts I have printed (since a lot of my family and friends order from me), a few months later when they have been washed several times - I am never quite as pleased to point out that we printed them, when they look so worn....
So basically, I am just curious how severe the problem is on your end; there will always be noticeable "fading" on DTG prints, even after only a few washings. Usually, it is within an acceptable tolerance, however. If you are seeing higher-than-normal fading, then perhaps it is a curing issue.
I have a Ts-one press from Siser (Italy), and so far so good, I also have another press ( british) so I would not think is a press issue.
My bother is not with prints fading some ( it's understandable) is the unevenness that makes it look a lot worst.
I started using parchment paper to cure but after a while I wondered why I'd have to waste so much ink on the paper when I would like it to stay on the shirt,so I switched to a Teflon cover and it worked well.
I'm a user of my products and when I see shirts that I had for less than a year, and do not feel comfortable wearing because it may represent the poor quality of the store, pains me. I know I'm way to sensitive about this, but spending big bucks trying to get the best product you always expect one step forward.
anyway one example, please comment ( I do not have a before picture but it was a 100% black at level 8 (when it was freshly printed it looked completely black, no grey whatsoever) again thanks for the replys , I'm just thinking about jumping to the gt782 but I really want to get over this issues before I spend 40 grand more.
Maybe it is from washing machine? Have you tried to use someone elses washer to see what happens.
are there possibly jeans in washer with shirt to make ink rub?
How many washes was this from approximately...
I personally dont use nothing, I just heat press and go, after a few hundred shirts get some build up, but scrape it off and go on.
Never have an issue transfering ink from heat press to new garment : )
As I said i had this problem and clients have had this problem, so it happens in different washing machines. I recommend separate washing, but it is hard to wash t-shirts only if you don't have enough of them dirty, so eventually you end up throwing jeans in the mix or towels or who knows what.
I guess is a normal fade and should not worry about it to much, I'm doing some more print-wash tests to see what tees are giving me more trouble and what settings are holding up better, ink at 10 lasts longer, that I know from my first print tests that I wash regularly to see how much they last, and at 6 fade is fast, between one and 3 washings, detail is best preserved around 8 ( fine lines under half a millimeter ). I guess I'll keep on washing.
on a side note ( the black from the samples I got from Dupont based printers, holds up better to my wash tests)
black ink washability 
