[Wags]

We just had another shirt returned that had been washed and most of the image flaked off. We did 4 or 5 shirts with this same image. Shirt was 90/10 Cotton/Polyester. We treated it like we would any other shirt. This is the first one we got back so I hope this is just an random problem. She said she washed it in Dreft which a mild detergent. Could a dryer sheet cause a problem? We are reprinting the shirt and holding our breath that the other shirts don't come back.

Is there some magic combination to use or common guide to follow when doing shirts? It seems like we think we have things figured out and then something like this happens.

 

[select1]

Are you curing the ink properly? What kind of ink are you using?

 

[Wags]

We're using Dupont inks. We cured it three times at 1:30 each time. We let it cool between each pressing. We printed another shirt last night and washed it and dried. It seems fine, although a little faded which is normal. I am wondering if the detergent the customer used was to blame or some other factor we do not know about. We understand the other shirts we did that day may be coming back too. When they do we will see if they flaked off as bad as the first one or it is just panic on the customers part now that one shirt went bad.

 

[DAGuide]

Something to consider is that several dtg owners have talked about how different shirts react differently to the wash test. This goes far beyond just a brand name (Hanes Tagless, Gildan, Anvil,...) and what the fabric is (100% ringspun, 100% combed). A lot of the washfastness has to do with the fabric. With some of the bigger brands, they have the shirts manufactured in more than 1 country. By using different looms, different dyes, different chemicals (i.e. sizing) and the quality control systems... the shirts are not the same because they both have the same name brand. I know several dtg owners that will only print certain brands in specific colors because they have done the wash tests of a period time and they there comfortable with the results. Most of these companies will not print on customer supplied tees without getting some type of disclaimer signed that they are not liable for product once it leaves.

So you might want to make sure that your follow up wash tests are from the same exact brand and color as the ones that are coming back. Maybe one day there will be one ink or pretreatment that will allow us to print to any shirt no matter what brand, fabric or color there is... but right now, some just do better than others.

Best wishes,

Mark

 

[YoDan]

We're using Dupont inks. We cured it three times at 1:30 each time

WOW that a lot of time and there is such a thing as over curing
Dan
"HAPPY PRINTING"

 

[mrbigjack50]

you could of roast a turkey at same time Lol

I bet that shirt was very flat and flaking?? I think of dandruff when I here word flaking
I ain't happy with Dupoint and defin. gonna give Dan's ink a try

 

[zhenjie]

At max you should be doing 90seconds x 2 presses imo. If its flaking it could mean some sort of pretreatment problem, either you have sprayed on too much, or as Mark suggest the t-shirt you use does not hold the pretreatment that well.

 

[martinwoods]

That is an aweful long time. Why so long?

 

[adrenaline]

very long time to cure. Too much pretreat can cause this problem as well. Also if they are pressed under too higher pressure not letting the moisture out.
Tey are spot on with the different T shirt no holding the pretreat.

 

[Carlitos]

Hi
Didi you check the post "Test samples of DTG after 16 washes and Dries" by Skdave? If you didn't have a look.

 

[Don-ColDesi]

We're using Dupont inks

For those of you using Dupont inks following are Dupont's directions for proper curing of their inks (note the bold section at the bottom, you have to do your own testing to confirm what is best with your setup)
Fusing directions per Dupont - dated 7/21/2008
Fusing of DuPont™ Artistri® P5000+ Series Pigment Ink
A thermal fixation post-treatment step is required for maximum fastness and durability of the images printed with DuPont™ Artistri® P5000+ Series Pigment Ink. This fixation step may be carried out with a traditional fabric oven, a fabric calender, or a fuser press.
Recommended Conditions for Fixation of DuPont™ Artistri® P5000+ Series Pigment Ink:
For Calender or Fuser-press Fixation:Fabric TypeFusing Temp.*Dwell Time**PressureKnitted cotton170C2 min10psi
*Dwell time for calender fixation begins when the leading edge of the printed image makes contact with the heated metal drum and ends when the same leading edge breaks contact with the metal drum surface.
** Dwell time for oven fixation begins when the leading edge of the printed image enters the heat zone and ends when the same leading edge exits the heat zone.
For Oven Fixation:Fabric TypeFusing Temp.*Dwell Time***Knitted cotton170C2 min
***Equipment temperature settings should be calibrated using a thermocouple or infra-red thermometer.
The conditions listed above are general guidelines for the fixation of DuPont™ Artistri® P5000+ Series Pigment Ink. Due to potential differences in the fabric or garment as well as potential differences in fusing equipment, these general guidelines may not be sufficient or applicable in all cases. Each customer should carry out on-site tests to identify the optimal fusing conditions for their preferred fabrics and equipment set-up.
Hope this helps!

 

[Mistewoods]

For those of you using Dupont inks following are Dupont's directions for proper curing of their inks (note the bold section at the bottom, you have to do your own testing to confirm what is best with your setup)
Temp.*
Dwell Time**
Pressure
Knitted cotton
170C
2 min
10psi
Each customer should carry out on-site tests to identify the optimal fusing conditions for their preferred fabrics and equipment set-up.
Hope this helps!

Don on the DuPont inks-

one printer distributor has said to cure twice as long for two passes of color or for a white layer plus a color layer. Does DuPont have any official recommendation on that?

 

[eaglesofttees]

That is waaayyyy to long for curing on a heat press. I have the Brother GT-541 and if I cure it any more than 35 seconds, I have a yellow/brown shirt. wow..

 

[Wags]

Well, we have done many different times when pressing. I agree this might have been a little excessive. We have used the same brand of shirt since we started (Gildan) and some do very well. These were 90/10 gray shirts we ran. Then we run into a batch that just won't take the color properly or have washout issues. Believe me we have done many different tests with treatment, pressing time, pressure, print settings you name it.

We got some Anvil 90/10 gray shirts in and did another wash test. These seem to do much better after one wash. I hope this clears up the issue with this customer but I'm sure something else will come up in the future.

As I have stated before, just when you think you have the right formula you find a batch of shirts that just don't work.

As far as inks go, I noticed some 'New' HM-1 inks are being sold now and I assume the Bright Inks being phased out. I have posted here before about excessive head death. This is copied from Colemans web page about the 'new' inks.

"These inks work very well with the Bright White ink you currently use and provide greater "jettability" through the print-head with less clogging and overall wear-n-tear."

I also see a new profile must be downloaded for these new inks. It says you can change one color at a time when changing over to the 'new' inks. The thing is, if you download the new profile and still are using some of the older ink colors will that mess up your old colors when printing? Yes, I think it will cause some issues. We had this problem the last time we had to change inks. But I suppose we just live with this minor inconvenience or change all colors at once.

This is I believe the third time ink formulas have been changed on us in slightly over a years time. I know the manufacturers are working hard to make their inks better but at what cost to the consumer. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal to flush the lines and change over to the new inks but there is time involved which translates into lost money. Also, does this speak to why many of us are having head death issues. And now with the new closed system coming out I feel like I now have an inferior machine that will require new parts and much maintenance forever.

 

[Wags]

I must be a great thread killer. I believe at least two threads I posted to recently have ended when I begin talking about the apparent known issues with the HM-1 system as it was sold a little over a year ago. These were mainly dealing with head death or issues with inconsistent print quality after only a few shirts.

I know some of you say you have never had any issues with your machine. I applaud you for your talent or purchase of a machine that is perfect. Apparently many of us have not been so lucky. My concern is will I have to scrap this machine soon or try a different machine or even different method, ie: silkscreen. I try to be optimistic about this but when I see a shirts returned and lost time and lost ink and constant repairs, I have to begin thinking about cutting my loses.

Believe me I would love to have one of the miracle machines that never has any print issues.