[Import]

I have just ordered a sample of a new shirt from Alternative Apparel:

http://www.alternativeapparel.com/default.aspx?id=82&CategoryID=22&ProductID=339

It's a 50/50, 95gsm and looks quite stretchy.

Does anyone have experience with embellishment of a shirt this thin and/or stretchy? Is it a candidate for printing at all? I am actually keen to use flock but I suspect the weight of it might cause the fabric to sag, and the stretchiness might cause a problem too?

I want to use the dark grey color and print in red and orange. So it is probably not a good candidate for dye sublimination. My next choice would be water-based inks, I really want to keep a soft hand - but would these work with a 50/50 fabric and darkish color?

I know the best way to get a nice bright image would be a nice dose of plastisol. This is what my head says but my heart says otherwise

I am still very much a newbie at this so any ideas gratefully accepted!

(PS For info I will be contracting this all out to a screenprinter, please no debate on the pros and cons of buting a heat press and doing it myself)

 

[double6ix]

i'm dying to hear the comments on this cause i recently got a sample of the gauze shirt and was wondering the same thing. it does look like it might be difficult to print properly (but i guess it depends on the type of design too)

 

[Rodney]

I don't have the new "gauze" t-shirt, but I had one of the "burnout" tees screen printed with plastisol ink when we did the t-shirtforums t-shirts and it turned out pretty well.

the burnout tee is kinda sheer, but I don't know if it is a sheer as the new gauze tee.

I'd be interested in hearing out it would turn out with waterbased inks (sinks through the fabric more?) or how a more sheer shirt would turn out with plastisol.

 

[Solmu]

My next choice would be water-based inks, I really want to keep a soft hand - but would these work with a 50/50 fabric and darkish color?

The high poly count and the dark colour would both present a problem for water-based inks, but in both cases it's not insurmountable.

You can print on 50/50 with an additive, so 100% cotton is more of a preference than anything. Waterbased inks can be opaque and print on darks, it's just not as easy as plastisol. That said, due to the thin/sheer nature of the fabric the inks will probably look relatively opaque since the opacity of the shirt itself is going to make it appear lighter.

I have no idea how it'll look, but it is possible to print it.

 

[HIshirts]

Hi - I know this is an old thread but I have the same question and am wondering if anyone has tried printing with water-based inks on the aa's gauze or burnout tee. I like the soft hand of the shirt itself and I like the soft hand of water-based inks. I just ordered the burnout tees and would appreciate any printing tips before I ruin these fairly costly shirts.

THANKS!

 

[chdzns]

I print the burnout shirts alot. we don't use wb, but platisol with 50-75% curable reducer.

 

[mardiv]

curious if you had a chance to print on them. I am also curious how they would turn out. Just waiting for my heat press to arrive so I can start trying things myself!

Thanks in advance!
Naomi