Join Mo and Mark as they delve into the essentials of garment materials in screen printing. Discover how to choose the right fabric, the latest technologies, and the secrets behind successful prints. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned pros.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Alright, let's kick this off by talkingabout what's literally the foundation
(00:05):
of anything you print-a garment's fabric.
It's like, if you don't get this right,
forget about how good your design mightlook because,
honestly,bad fabric choices just ruin everything.
Yeah,
and the thing is, you've got, what?
Three main categories we always talkabout: cotton,
polyester, and blends.
Each one has its own quirks.
Exactly.
(00:26):
Cotton, let's start there.
It's like the original t-shirt material.
Everybody loves it-feels soft,
breathable, easy to wear.
But-But the print quality depends on howtight the weave is,
right?
Ring-spun cotton is perfect because thefabric's smoother and the fibers
are shorter.
So for DTG printing?
It's a dream.
Yeah, yeah.
(00:48):
But you get into basic cotton-the kindyou snag at bargain suppliers-and
your prints can look cheap.
Colors kinda fade faster too.
What about screen printing with cotton,
though?
Well, screen printing on cotton'sforgiving in a way.
It holds ink well,especially thicker inks,
but here's the problem-There's always aproblem...Yeah,
(01:08):
ha, always.
Cotton shrinks, especially if the fabrichasn't been pre-shrunk,
so your prints may warp over time.
It's great, but not perfect.
Okay,
so let's talk polyester-a total diva inthe fabric lineup.
You wanna love it because, like,
it's crazy durable, moisture-wicking,
and holds vibrant colors-but then youprint on it and suddenly it's like...
(01:32):
why does this look so inconsistent?
Yeah,
poly is tricky.
Static, color migration,ink adhesion issues.
And if you're using screen printing,
you've gotta work with special inks,
like plastisol with a low-cure additiveto prevent dye migration.
Ever had a red polyester with white inkthat turns pink?
(01:54):
That's dye migration.
Ugh, the pink prints on red shirts.
Been there.
And blended fabrics,polyester-cotton mixes,
like, are they the happy medium?
Sort of.
They dodge some of the pitfalls of bothcotton and polyester.
Depending on the blend percentage,
they kind of balance softness anddurability.
But higher poly content still has issueswith screen printing.
Oh,
(02:18):
totally.
A 60/40 mix?
Fine.
But when you start inching up to 70/30 orthose tri-blends,
it's a fight just to make it look good.
And don't even get me started on howblends behave with DTG...Alright,
so we've unpacked the whole cotton,
poly, and blend story-the pros,
(02:39):
the cons, the headaches-but now let's getinto the heart of it: print
quality.
Because, honestly, it's not just aboutthe fabric; it's about how well
that fabric plays with ink.
And that's where things get interesting.
Exactly.
Ink adhesion's really where the sciencekicks in.
Cotton's always solid for that,
especially ring-spun, because the smoothsurface helps the ink bond.
(03:02):
But polyester?
Oh, polyester's like the bad date whoghosts you after
dinner.
It just doesn't commit!
Like, you put the ink down, and it'ssliding all over the place or cracking
after one wash.
Right, and that's because polyester'sfibers don't absorb
ink the same way.
You're relying on the ink to sit on thesurface,
(03:24):
which means it's more prone to issues.
Think about dye migration, or even justpoor adhesion with DTG prints-it
all ties back to the fabric's structure.
And that affects color vibrancy
too, doesn't it?
Like, with cotton,those reds and blues pop.
But on poly?
They kinda fade out or look uneven.
Totally.
(03:46):
Colors sink into cotton,which helps with vibrancy.
But poly's like, "Nah, I'm just gonna sithere and do whatever." That's
why pretreatment for DTG becomes socritical.
Without it, forget about vibrant prints.
Yeah,
pretreatment is like the primer coat forDTG printing-it gives the ink
a bit of grip, right?
(04:07):
But honestly, it's only half the battlewhen you're working with tough
fabrics.
Exactly.
And for blends,like high-poly content ones,
pretreatment helps,but it doesn't solve every problem.
Sometimes switching inks or techniques isyour only real option.
That's
the thing.
You've gotta adjust.
Like, if you're running into issues withink cracking or fading,
(04:27):
you can't just double down on yourprocess.
You've gotta figure out what the fabric'stelling you and tweak accordingly.
Yeah,
and that might mean switching to morespecialized inks,
like discharge inks for screen printingon darker cottons.
Or using a low-cure plastisol to avoiddye migration on poly.
(04:48):
The fabric pretty much dictates what'spossible.
So it's not just about
the final look-it's about making sure thedurability's there too.
You don't want to sell a shirt that looksamazing off the press,
but comes back looking like it survived awar after two washes.
Exactly.
The balance between durability andvibrancy-that's where every material
(05:12):
has its trade-offs.
You choose the right fabric not just forcolor,
but for how the shirt's gonna live itslife,
you know?
So, speaking of balancing durability andvibrancy,
let's get into some real-world examples.
You remember that nightmare job fromFirst Amendment Tees,
right?
The one with the tri-blend hoodies?
Oh,
(05:32):
yeah.
That one was a total headache.
Tri-blend fabric mixed with high-polycontent-it was practically begging
for dye migration issues.
Right?
And the client wanted this super clean,
bright white ink.
Like, not cream, not lightgrey-white-white on a heathered navy
hoodie.
That's like, the perfect storm foreverything to go wrong.
Exactly.
(05:53):
We had to switch up everything-startingwith the ink.
Regular plastisol wasn't cutting it,
so we used a low-cure plastisol with adye-blocking base.
That helped a ton with keeping the whiteink,
well, white.
What did you say during that test run?
The hoodie was like fighting back?
Ha,
(06:14):
yeah, it felt that way.
Even with the right ink,the texture of the fabric was a challenge.
Tri-blends have that soft,almost fuzzy finish,
which makes it harder for the ink to bondevenly.
So we had to adjust the screen tensionand use a finer mesh to get cleaner
details.
And wasn't there an issue with the curingtemperature too?
(06:34):
Something about the high heat makingeverything worse?
Yeah,
that's the thing.
Polyester in the mix meant we had towatch the curing temperature.
Too high, and you get dye migrationagain-so we lowered the curing temp
just enough to set the ink but nottrigger any of the fabric's quirks.
See,
(06:55):
this is why people think we're magicians.
Like, it's not just about pushing abutton and getting a result.
You're tweaking every single step to makesure the final product is perfect.
Absolutely.
And that job was worth it in the end.
The client was thrilled, and thosehoodies held up perfectly-even after
multiple washes.
It's one of those projects that makes allthe stress worth it.
Totally.
(07:19):
And I think the key takeaway here is,
you've gotta respect the fabric.
It's telling you how to work with it-youjust need to listen and adjust.
Exactly.
Every material has its personality.
The difference between a good job and agreat job is understanding those
details.
The devil's in the fabric.
As they say good products and goodartwork,
(07:39):
make a good shirt.
On that note,
I think we're good for today.
This was awesome.
Let's do it again soon.
Yeah, agreed.
And that's a wrap.
See you next time.
Alright, let's kick this off by talkingabout what's literally the foundation
(00:05):
of anything you print-a garment's fabric.
It's like, if you don't get this right,
forget about how good your design mightlook because,
honestly,bad fabric choices just ruin everything.
Yeah,
and the thing is, you've got, what?
Three main categories we always talkabout: cotton,
polyester, and blends.
Each one has its own quirks.
Exactly.
(00:26):
Cotton, let's start there.
It's like the original t-shirt material.
Everybody loves it-feels soft,
breathable, easy to wear.
But-But the print quality depends on howtight the weave is,
right?
Ring-spun cotton is perfect because thefabric's smoother and the fibers
are shorter.
So for DTG printing?
It's a dream.
Yeah, yeah.
(00:48):
But you get into basic cotton-the kindyou snag at bargain suppliers-and
your prints can look cheap.
Colors kinda fade faster too.
What about screen printing with cotton,
though?
Well, screen printing on cotton'sforgiving in a way.
It holds ink well,especially thicker inks,
but here's the problem-There's always aproblem...Yeah,
(01:08):
ha, always.
Cotton shrinks, especially if the fabrichasn't been pre-shrunk,
so your prints may warp over time.
It's great, but not perfect.
Okay,
so let's talk polyester-a total diva inthe fabric lineup.
You wanna love it because, like,
it's crazy durable, moisture-wicking,
and holds vibrant colors-but then youprint on it and suddenly it's like...
(01:32):
why does this look so inconsistent?
Yeah,
poly is tricky.
Static, color migration,ink adhesion issues.
And if you're using screen printing,
you've gotta work with special inks,
like plastisol with a low-cure additiveto prevent dye migration.
Ever had a red polyester with white inkthat turns pink?
(01:54):
That's dye migration.
Ugh, the pink prints on red shirts.
Been there.
And blended fabrics,polyester-cotton mixes,
like, are they the happy medium?
Sort of.
They dodge some of the pitfalls of bothcotton and polyester.
Depending on the blend percentage,
they kind of balance softness anddurability.
But higher poly content still has issueswith screen printing.
Oh,
(02:18):
totally.
A 60/40 mix?
Fine.
But when you start inching up to 70/30 orthose tri-blends,
it's a fight just to make it look good.
And don't even get me started on howblends behave with DTG...Alright,
so we've unpacked the whole cotton,
poly, and blend story-the pros,
(02:39):
the cons, the headaches-but now let's getinto the heart of it: print
quality.
Because, honestly, it's not just aboutthe fabric; it's about how well
that fabric plays with ink.
And that's where things get interesting.
Exactly.
Ink adhesion's really where the sciencekicks in.
Cotton's always solid for that,
especially ring-spun, because the smoothsurface helps the ink bond.
(03:02):
But polyester?
Oh, polyester's like the bad date whoghosts you after
dinner.
It just doesn't commit!
Like, you put the ink down, and it'ssliding all over the place or cracking
after one wash.
Right, and that's because polyester'sfibers don't absorb
ink the same way.
You're relying on the ink to sit on thesurface,
(03:24):
which means it's more prone to issues.
Think about dye migration, or even justpoor adhesion with DTG prints-it
all ties back to the fabric's structure.
And that affects color vibrancy
too, doesn't it?
Like, with cotton,those reds and blues pop.
But on poly?
They kinda fade out or look uneven.
Totally.
(03:46):
Colors sink into cotton,which helps with vibrancy.
But poly's like, "Nah, I'm just gonna sithere and do whatever." That's
why pretreatment for DTG becomes socritical.
Without it, forget about vibrant prints.
Yeah,
pretreatment is like the primer coat forDTG printing-it gives the ink
a bit of grip, right?
(04:07):
But honestly, it's only half the battlewhen you're working with tough
fabrics.
Exactly.
And for blends,like high-poly content ones,
pretreatment helps,but it doesn't solve every problem.
Sometimes switching inks or techniques isyour only real option.
That's
the thing.
You've gotta adjust.
Like, if you're running into issues withink cracking or fading,
(04:27):
you can't just double down on yourprocess.
You've gotta figure out what the fabric'stelling you and tweak accordingly.
Yeah,
and that might mean switching to morespecialized inks,
like discharge inks for screen printingon darker cottons.
Or using a low-cure plastisol to avoiddye migration on poly.
(04:48):
The fabric pretty much dictates what'spossible.
So it's not just about
the final look-it's about making sure thedurability's there too.
You don't want to sell a shirt that looksamazing off the press,
but comes back looking like it survived awar after two washes.
Exactly.
The balance between durability andvibrancy-that's where every material
(05:12):
has its trade-offs.
You choose the right fabric not just forcolor,
but for how the shirt's gonna live itslife,
you know?
So, speaking of balancing durability andvibrancy,
let's get into some real-world examples.
You remember that nightmare job fromFirst Amendment Tees,
right?
The one with the tri-blend hoodies?
Oh,
(05:32):
yeah.
That one was a total headache.
Tri-blend fabric mixed with high-polycontent-it was practically begging
for dye migration issues.
Right?
And the client wanted this super clean,
bright white ink.
Like, not cream, not lightgrey-white-white on a heathered navy
hoodie.
That's like, the perfect storm foreverything to go wrong.
Exactly.
(05:53):
We had to switch up everything-startingwith the ink.
Regular plastisol wasn't cutting it,
so we used a low-cure plastisol with adye-blocking base.
That helped a ton with keeping the whiteink,
well, white.
What did you say during that test run?
The hoodie was like fighting back?
Ha,
(06:14):
yeah, it felt that way.
Even with the right ink,the texture of the fabric was a challenge.
Tri-blends have that soft,almost fuzzy finish,
which makes it harder for the ink to bondevenly.
So we had to adjust the screen tensionand use a finer mesh to get cleaner
details.
And wasn't there an issue with the curingtemperature too?
(06:34):
Something about the high heat makingeverything worse?
Yeah,
that's the thing.
Polyester in the mix meant we had towatch the curing temperature.
Too high, and you get dye migrationagain-so we lowered the curing temp
just enough to set the ink but nottrigger any of the fabric's quirks.
See,
(06:55):
this is why people think we're magicians.
Like, it's not just about pushing abutton and getting a result.
You're tweaking every single step to makesure the final product is perfect.
Absolutely.
And that job was worth it in the end.
The client was thrilled, and thosehoodies held up perfectly-even after
multiple washes.
It's one of those projects that makes allthe stress worth it.
Totally.
(07:19):
And I think the key takeaway here is,
you've gotta respect the fabric.
It's telling you how to work with it-youjust need to listen and adjust.
Exactly.
Every material has its personality.
The difference between a good job and agreat job is understanding those
details.
The devil's in the fabric.
As they say good products and goodartwork,
(07:39):
make a good shirt.
On that note,
I think we're good for today.
This was awesome.
Let's do it again soon.
Yeah, agreed.
And that's a wrap.
See you next time.
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