Screen mesh, off contact, ink, smoothing station all come to mind to create a thin, smooth print. Fabric can also come into play also.
Can't get the right finish on my design
Hello
I'm new to this forum but I thought I'd make an account and try get some help. I've got a question and hope someone on here can help.
My question is, how do big companies like Adidas (for example) print their t-shirts and get the finish that they do?
The finish I'm trying to achieve is a smooth athletic feel, just like heat transfer gives. I can't imagine someone as big as Adidas are going to be heat transferring thousands of t-shirts.
I have tried screen printing and then heat pressing after to give it a smooth feel but with no luck. The first time I tried it on a grey tshirt and the area the press had been on changed the colour of the shirt and didn't really smooth the print as much as I would have liked.
Hopefully that made sense and someone can give me some advise on how it's done.
Thanks in advance
I'm new to this forum but I thought I'd make an account and try get some help. I've got a question and hope someone on here can help.
My question is, how do big companies like Adidas (for example) print their t-shirts and get the finish that they do?
The finish I'm trying to achieve is a smooth athletic feel, just like heat transfer gives. I can't imagine someone as big as Adidas are going to be heat transferring thousands of t-shirts.
I have tried screen printing and then heat pressing after to give it a smooth feel but with no luck. The first time I tried it on a grey tshirt and the area the press had been on changed the colour of the shirt and didn't really smooth the print as much as I would have liked.
Hopefully that made sense and someone can give me some advise on how it's done.
Thanks in advance
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
I've often wondered this as well. The prints you speak of have this thick, almost rubberery feel and they have a very matte finish. I think a lot of this has to do with the specific inks that are available in Asia and how they are line printed. Check this link and some of the related videos for a better idea.
The above response from the other user has a lot of merit. To get that type of print you need a low mesh screen and a heavy ink deposit. Getting it smooth will be a combination of fabric quality and printing pressure, etc..
The above response from the other user has a lot of merit. To get that type of print you need a low mesh screen and a heavy ink deposit. Getting it smooth will be a combination of fabric quality and printing pressure, etc..
Companies like Adidas and Nike print many screens to archive the smooth finish. The will print the first thick part with 110-166 and a 50-100 micron stencil. Then print a 200 range over top and the a 300 range over that. Automatics will leave a much smoother print then manual printing and none of the big companies would produce those manually.
Some of the rubbery type finish is the ink. There are many specialty inks
Some of the rubbery type finish is the ink. There are many specialty inks
Thanks for the replies everyone. I would just do vinyl seeing as I'm just starting off and could make the shirts to order. But I'm not sure how good the quality is going to be and how long they will last
Vinyl with have even more of a stiff feel than screening. Like everyone said, it mostly depends on the screen ink as well as how the ink sets into the fabric.Thanks for the replies everyone. I would just do vinyl seeing as I'm just starting off and could make the shirts to order. But I'm not sure how good the quality is going to be and how long they will last
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
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