[kilerb]

Hi, I was wondering if the guys with experience could give their opinions on which methods have the best washability. If you have time, rate each method below on a scale from 1 to 10 from your experience. 10 being the best washability and lasting the longest, 1 being the worst.

T-shirt transfer paper (light)
Screen Printing
T-shirt transfer paper (opaque)
Plastisol transfers
Direct ink jet to shirt printers
(add anything else I may have forgotten here!)

Thanks a lot!

 

[Twinge]

Screen Printing > Plastisol > Regular Transfer > Opaque Transfer...

With the regular transfers, it really depends on the quality of the paper you use. If you use the Transjet II/Magic Jet paper, it'll wash up fine and last a long time.

Opaque papers don't tend to last as long, even the best out there. They feel kind of plasticy and can start cracking or having other problems after only a few washes in some cases.

Plastisol is nearly as good as a regular screen print if done correctly, but there is a small chance of it peeling up a bit, especially for very thin lines.

I imagine direct-to-garment printers should be about as good as a screen print, but I've never seen any personally.

Other methods... Dye sublimation should be as good as a screen print when done on 100% polyester. Also, vinyl/flock is going to be right around a good (light) transfer paper since it is still heat-applied to the shirt.

Basically, everything works pretty well if you use quality materials, but I would avoid opaque transfers. A few people have had some good luck with them, but them seem like an inferior product to me.