3 Tips for Caring for Screen Printed T-shirts

Screen printing is a printing technique to transfer designs to various media, generally fabric, paper, or plastic. In the process of working on screen printing, there are several tools needed, for example ink, printing equipment and screenSo that the screen printing results are maintained and not easily damaged, there are several things that need to be considered in the treatment process, especially on clothes or t-shirts.

1. Be careful for the washing technique

Washing technique is one of the essentials in caring for screen printed t-shirts. It is best to wash the clothes using a mild detergent and avoid using bleach. In addition, it would be better if the washing process is done by hand rather than machine.

2. Do not expose directly to the sun

When drying screen printing t-shirts, make sure not to expose them to direct sunlight. It's better to dry them indoors and don't forget to do it upside down!

 3. Be careful when ironing

To keep the screen print from cracking, make sure to iron the t-shirt inside out, avoiding direct heat on the printed area.

An appropriate treatment helps your T-shirt last longer and stay stylish. Come maintain your T-shirt well to keep it durable!

2- Fast way to quickly decide on t-shirt material based on your needs

Basically, T-shirt has various kinds and quality. A better t-shirt quality will be more comfortable for use. however, it will be balanced with more experience princes. Well, so that your choice of t-shirt is right and doesn't make you waste money, let's look at the following 3 ways!

1. Know your needs

Every people has their own consideration when making a t-shirt. Some of them might for event needs which one time use or for daily use. 

T-shirt made from cotton combed/carded 30s or polyester is enough for one time use, then adjust it with the comfort level.

2. Know types of material

In general, t-shirt production using cotton combed, carded, polyester. Every fabric types has different quality, so make sure you choose on your needs!

Choosing a T-shirt cannot be done carelessly. By understanding the needs and kind of material, you can find the fit one T-shirt, both in terms of comfort and affordability.

3 reason choose manual screen printing in digital era

I bet most of you are more familiar with direct-to-film (DTF) screen printing, right? The affordable price and fast process are kind of interesting for the customer. In fact, manual screen printing actually has advantages over digital screen printing.

1. Quality

Manual screen printing process using special ink and techniques where it give a good impact on the durability of the results, so they it won't be easily cracked or broken.

More affordable costs

If you need a large number of screen prints production, manual screen printing is the solution. This is because the initial costs and raw material costs are more affordable.

3. Unique Result

Manual screen printing has many variations in the manufacturing process, such as Plastisol, Rubber, or Discharge. Each method used will produce different results when touched, and this is what makes manual screen printing more unique.

Although DTF screen printing known to be faster and practical, however, manual screen printing still being a favorite for those who prioritize the quality and character, Both manual screen printing or DTF, both have their benefit, just choose them to your needs and preferences.

Want to design your own T-shirt? Try these 3 apps

Want to create exclusive designs of your own? You don't need to be worry to find the designer. Both from smartphone or laptop, now you can make design based on your preferences using the following 3 applications.

1. Canva

Nowadays, who doesn't know Canva? This graphic design application has a simple interface and easy to use. Besides that, Canva is also equipped with complete features which beginner friendly.

2. Adobe Illustrator 

Who are the perfectionist? If you are skilled in design, you can choose Adobe Illustration as your option. With sharp and precise results, this application is suitable for you to try to create T-shirts with perfect designs. 

3. CorelDRAW

Similiar with Adobe Illustrations, CorelDRAW is suitable for intermediate-advanced users. This graphic design application provide a lot of features allowing designs to be created as flexibly as possible with sharp results. In addition, because it is also widely used by local screen printing and printing businesses, the document format from this application is easily accepted by other vendors. 

Well, those are 3 application you can try to make your own T-shirt design. To save time for the revisions, it’s best to use a vector file format. :)

Why does manual screen printing take longer than DTF?

Making screen-printed T-shirts for the first time? Beginners are bound to be confused when asked to choose a screen printing method. Manual screen printing and direct-to-film (DTF) each have their own advantages and disadvantages. If you prioritize quality, then manual screen printing is the answer. However, if you need fast results, then direct-to-film screen printing is worth considering. They are both screen printing methods, but why does manual screen printing take longer?

1. Many stages in the production process

Do you often think that the screen printing process is just printing the image and then immediately rubbing it? In fact, manual screen printing requires at least 5 steps.

  •  Design Preparation

After the design is approved by the customer and the screen printing staff, the next step is design printing. Unlike typical print models that contain various colors on every sheet, for screen printing requirements the images should be printed one-by-one based on the total number of the design. This process is called color separation. Forthe example, If there are 5 colors in the T-shirt design, then there will be 5 color prints.

  • Imprint process

The imprint process is the process of copying an image. At this stage, the screen used as the screen printing medium will be cleaned to ensure the imprint process is maximized. After that, the screen will be coated with a special fluid, left to dry, and then completed with the exposure step, which means transferring the image from the film paper to the screen.

  • Screen printing process

The next step is design transfer to the T-shirt. This stage needs to be repeated based to the total number of colors in the design.

  • Drying

So that the screen printing result is durable and not easily peeled or cracked, the ink should be dried perfectly. However, the heat level also needs to be considered because if it is too high, it can cause the fabric to burn.

  • Pressing

Pressing The pressing process is the final step in the screen printing procedure. The T-shirt will be pressed using special heating tools for 10–20 seconds to ensure the screen printing result stick well to the fabric.

2. Need an extra detail

A different person handling the screen printing can also mean different results. As explained before, there are many procedures on manual screen printing, that need to completed one-by-one. If it handling by careless person or in hasty, there may be steps that are missed or not completed maximally. Whereas, one a little mistake can causes to the screen printing result.

3. Why DTF screen printing is faster?

DTF screen printing has a special printing device that can quickly transfer image design to transfer film paper without having to print one-by-one based to the number of color. Next, the film paper will be sticked to the T-shirt and pressed by the heat press machine for image sublime.

Now, you already know the reason why manual screen printing cannot be faster as DTF. If you want your T-shirt to be finished on time without delayed, don't forget order them early.

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