[drivernumberone]

Hey. So i have been printing shirts for a while and started using plastisol inks about a year and a half ago. Recently i have been trying to market my own designs and have really been concerned with the print quality after wash because I want people to be satisfied with the shirts after they use them as opposed to them look great when they leave the press and then not so new after they are washed a few times...

The problem i have is that when I wash the shirts after the first prints it seems like the fabric from the shirt starts to come through the print slightly. Its like a fine layer of "hair" has come through the prints thus giving the ink a kind of faded look. I know I am curing the ink fully because stretch tests are all good... I was thinking it might be from the initial washing of the shirts... could it be that they weren't pre-washed?


Any suggestions?

 

[pukingdeserthobo]

"I know I am curing the ink fully because stretch tests are all good"
i could be wrong but i dont think u can rely on that 100% u should get a temp gun and see how high ink get should be around 320-330 ti cure the ink properly

 

[DowntownClothing]

This was taken from another post but is exactly what your issue is. Good luck.

What is "fibrillation" and how do you control it?
"Fibrillation" occurs when yarn fibers come through the ink film after washing. Certain types of yarns are more prone to fibrillation than others. How do you control it? Make sure you properly cure the inks and consider using a slightly coarser mesh count. More ink will be deposited which will help minimize the effect.

 

[forward dc]

yes, this is definitely fibrillation.; some printers will fight this by printing a clear gel on top of the design to encapsulate the fibers or print a clear gel down first as an underbase to fight the fibers before they come through the top coat. either way you are looking at a thicker ink deposit.

you may want to consider waterbased inks.

 

[drivernumberone]

awesome. At least I know the problem now. I just ordered a temp gun last night and will start throwing down more ink ASAP. thanks for the help! you think if i just print more layers it would help? I was thinking that or just putting down a little thicker emulsion on the back side of the screen... the problem is that i tend to use high detail designs, but maybe for those i should consider water-based...

any thoughts?

 

[forward dc]

i'm definitely a big fan of waterbase, so i'll always recommend that.

otherwise, a thicker emulsion coat will do you well. maybe a 2/2 on a 160 or 110 mesh will put down a healthy layer of ink. if you have a good exposure box, then you should be able to hold pretty fine detail on either of these mesh counts.

 

[standardgraphics]

ever tried this!!


before your first color goes down a quick, fine mist of water
followed by a wipe with ...yes a length of water noodle lol
(or something foam) it lays the fibers down pro.

too funny

 

[drivernumberone]

does that actually work? Like a floaty for swimming noodle? Sounds weird... does it affect print quality?

 

[standardgraphics]

it works you can use anything smooth to get the fibers to lay down give it a try

 

[drivernumberone]

okay cool. I will have to try it out asap. Any suggestions as to shirt brands that reduce this tendency? I was using anvil before with the tear away labels but I like the hanes 50/50 now because of the shrinkage resistance and color availability from the place I get them from.


thanks!

 

[standardgraphics]

gildan ultras seem to be the best for me...

and the new gildan softstyle are really nice (ringspun)