As reported in earlier communiqués, T-Shirts offer the most economical and highest impression rate of all promotional apparel.  Here is some printing and finishing techniques that can help you produce “Retail Soft” and “Retail Ready” T-Shirts for your next program, company store or conference booth.

Dye Sublimation:  This technique requires that you use White 100% polyester shirts, and that you print in Four Color Process (CMYK).  Images are first printed on a special paper substrate that is then heat applied to the shirt.  When the ink is exposed to the heat and polyester fabric it turns to gas and literally soaks into the fabric.  There is no ink build-up like you would normally see in traditional screen-printing with plastisol inks.

Discharge and Tinted Discharge Inks:  This technique works best on medium to dark color 100% Cotton T-Shirts.  The discharge ink actually removes the dye from the fabric.  Different shirt brands and different shirt colors will result in varying colors for the discharge image.  Tints can be added to the discharge ink to result in a particular color range.  However, this technique cannot match colors and should be used when the effect is congruent with the design as opposed to close matching of logo or theme colors.  There are hybrid inks that are more similar to water-based inks that allow for this technique to used on lighter color shirts as well.   

Water Based Inks:  These inks are not petroleum-based and therefore are much more environmentally friendly than traditional plastisol inks.  There is no ink build-up because the ink is absorbed into the fabric much like water would be.  This technique can be used with spot PMS colors as well as Four Color Process (CMYK) printing.  However, the shirt color can affect the resulting imprint far more than when using plastisol inks.

Simulated All Over Prints:  This technique can be done with traditional plastisol inks as well as water-based inks.  Extra-large forms are used for positioning the shirt for screen-printing.  Some printers pull the shirt onto over-size forms while others lay the shirt on a flat platform.  In both cases the ink can print all the way to the edge and over seams.  Some imperfections in the image are to be expected when the screen comes into contact with wrinkles or seams in the fabric.  Images that are most successful with this technique allow for those production liabilities without reducing the impact of the message.  Artwork development usually requires working with a template based on the smallest shirt size being used.

Roll Prints:  This technique results in a step and repeat image that goes edge to edge (top to bottom and left to right) over the entire garment.  Spot PMS colors and Four Color Process (CMYK) inks can be used in this process.  We see fewer opportunities to use this technique because the result can sometimes produce a “busy” visual field.

Soft Opaque Inks:  These are hybrid inks that are a combination of water-based and plastisol inks.  The result enables you to have less ink build-up on the surface of the shirt when printing on lighter weight fabrics.

Finishing Techniques:  For many events bulk packaged T-Shirts will work just fine.  But, if you are selling shirts online from your company store or at your bookstore conference booth you may want to increase the perceived value of the product by folding, polybagging, labeling for size and style, or creating custom hang tags. 

Please contact TheMarketPro when you are considering promotional products and decorated apparel so that we can provide the information you need to make the best possible purchasing decisions.  TheMarketPro can be reached at 800-905-0073 or sales@themarketpro.net .  Additional articles can be found at www.TheMarketPro.net in our “Going Green with Promotional Products” and “Coffee Break Reading” sections.

Author:             Connie King

Published:        September 2011