Water-based screen printing on burnout shirts-do at home or pay someone else?
hi Everyone,
I'm starting up a t-shirt line and am interested in using water based inks on "burn out" type t-shirts.
(Burnout meaning that distressed, thin, worn vintage look )
Should I pay a water-based screen printer to print these for me or if I should invest in doing them on my own?
Can anyone advise?
Is there someone out there who prints their own shirts with water based inks?
Re: Water-based screen printing on burnout shirts-do at home or pay someone else?
Do you want to spend time learning how to be a printer or do you want to just design and sell t-shirts?
That would really make the decision for you.
Some people have no interest in being a "printer". Their goal is to design a few cool t-shirts and sell them. They leave the printing to the professionals so that they can focus on their business strengths. These people outsource.
Some people want to learn the art/craft/science of printing and maybe offer printing services to others on top of printing their own designs. They have the time to learn and the money to buy equipment as well as the money to promote their designs. These people do it themselves.
Re: Water-based screen printing on burnout shirts-do at home or pay someone else?
ALyb45:
I just started waterbasing...hmm, sounds illegal.
Anyhow, Rodney nailed it on the head but one thing I longed to do and did for the first time recently was waterbased discharge and it STINKS.
The smell is strong and seems to take along time to disipate. Once the shirt is cured you are good but the rags, screens and open containers are STRONG.
The way the economy is right now...printing my own is the way to go but I would gladly turn this to the pros if I had the capitol.
Re: Water-based screen printing on burnout shirts-do at home or pay someone else?
I would just echo what Rodney said - do you want to be a printer / manufacturer, a designer, a retailer, a wholesaler?? First decide what kind of business you want to go into, then start researching that business.
It sounds like you want to design your own shirts & go from there, so the question becomes do you want to lay down the capital expenditure for equipment plus sweat equity for the learning curve before you can get your line up & running, or is getting your line out more the priority? If the priority is getting your brand moving, the probably best to find a quality shop that can produce what you want & expect, let them print for you, and get started on your marketing strategy. You can always decide to start manufacturing yourself later on down the road if your products start moving in volumes that justify such a move.
You should learn as much about the different printing processes, inks, materials, etc. anyway so that you can know what is possible as you design your products. The more you know, the better off you'll be - you don't want shops telling you something can't be done when the truth is that it can be done - just not by them.
Re: Water-based screen printing on burnout shirts-do at home or pay someone else?
A "Burnout shirt" is a poly/cotton blend shirt that has had the cotton chemically burned out of the shirt, either the entire shirt, or just a portion of it. This process leaves only the polyester, which is not a suitable substrate for water base inks. You are simply referring to a distressed cotton shirt.
This is a discussion about Water-based screen printing on burnout shirts-do at home or pay someone else? that was posted in the Screen Printing section of the forums.
Water-based screen printing on burnout shirts-do at home or pay someone else? 
