[joshiesquashy92]

Hello I am an illustrator from Somerset UK and I have recently started printing my designs onto t shirts. I am looking for some screen printing advice regarding inks I have been using binder and pigment but it seems to fade after a few washes which isn't very good. I do wait till the shirts are.dry and heatpress them . But they are still fading. I really like the soft to touch feel that these inks give but I need to know how to make them a bot more permanent I am using 100% cotton t-shirts with a 43t screen please help. Furthermore what is the optimum time and temperature to set my press to ? Please help me am fed up with disappointing results !

 

[Celtic]

Hi Josh,
If it's fading then, no, you're not fully curing it.
So, it sounds like you are using a waterbased ink. The info sheet or label on the ink should tell you at what temp the ink needs to fully cure. Typically, it will be 320 degrees and importantly, it needs to reach that temperature all through the depth of the ink. So a shirt that has a heavier ink deposit is going to need to be cured for longer. Be sure to use a teflon sheet between your printed side of the shirt and the heatpress too.
Keep at it and you'll need to do some more tests to get everything right. I'd say medium pressure on your heatpress and set it for a temp that's higher than required, like 340 degrees.
Keep at it, no worries, you'll get it.