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just received a test-print of my very first vector-design today!
(actually my girlfriend bought it to me as a surprise, how sweet she is.... :-) )
Anyways...... I'm quite dissapointed :-(
The flex-print seems VERY plastic-like. I have washed it once, but didn't seem to help one bit...
What is your experience with flex? Does it get better after more washes? Or is it just like that?
No, flex is actually vinyl sheets. What you see is what you will always get.
Do you have the option over there yet for Direct To Garment inkjet printing? That will give you a softer, less shiny print. Otherwise, consider flock. Its a fuzzy (life felt or suede) matte finish.
Hi there - This is Lindsay from Spreadshirt. Sorry to hear you are dissapointed with your shirt - I know what you are saying about the flex feeling a little plastic like if there is a ton of it on the shirt.
It will soften a little with a few washings. Let me know if you are still unhappy with the shirt. We want you to love your Spreadshirt Shirt!
Yes the Digital Direct has just been activated.... But only for a few items....
@Linsay
Yeah, I want to love it too... but I am more concerned with how my customers will react! Do you get many "complains" or the-like from unsatisfied customers??
We don't get many complaints about the Flex because it is so durable - the print on the shirt will outlast the shirt - and the flex doesn't fade or crack - which is one of the reasons why people like it. But we want to help you get the shirt right. Any chance you can post a photo of the shirt so I can see how it looks? I am also going to ask customer service for their advice on this one - they are experts in perfecting t-shirts.
Thanks for raising this question. There are a few answers that I'd like to share:
* splathead was exactly right that depending on the design, you should consider different print techniques. The awesome piece about flex/flock is that you can give the customer more flexibility (allowing them to choose their colors) and offer more outstanding options (like silver/gold, glitter, glow in the dark). Digital Direct (or commonly called DTG) doesn't offer the color flexibility, but is full color and is an ink versus the vinyl sheets, which leads to a non-plasticky feel which can come from too much flex/flock.
** Note you can improve on this by puzzling rather than layering in your designs. Meaning that there aren't layers of flex over each other, but that the design is puzzled.
* Quality is hard to determine as it depends on the customer. Overall, I can tell you that flex/flock has 2x the customer satisfaction that digital direct does. Both are high in terms of great customer feedback to be clear, but flex/flock rocks the customer's world overall. IMHO this is because it is so striking. It stands out. These customers scores are judged equally as they are both based on our process and service, and it has been consistently like this for the three years I've been with Spreadshirt.
* Regarding availability, Digital Direct is available for more products in North America (US and Canada) than in Europe right now, but we are improving that. We've recently turned on three of the most popular women's products in the EU and will continue to turn on the rest of our apparel selection, as we have in North America. We started with Digital Direct in North America, so that's why there is more available there, but you will see this changing.
I'm glad to hear, that customers are satisfied with flex/flock printing :-)
I did alot of work on this first vector design of mine, and it was rejected many times. Finally I wrote to the spreadshirt-design department, and was recommended to make a layer underneath, as it would otherwise be too hard to print because of its complexity.... well, anyways, now I know, and will consider when I work on more designs ;-)
Also glad to hear, that DTG will soon be awailible on more products...
I can see why they recommended the layer approach. It is a trade off. Might be worth a try. I'm embarrassed that I forgot to mention... I thought your design was great! Nice colors and balance. Thanks for working with us.
Flex-print very plastic-like.... 
Re: Flex-print very plastic-like.... 
- I know what you are saying about the flex feeling a little plastic like if there is a ton of it on the shirt.
