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[gremlinkurst]

A friend of mine is looking at launching a new line of high-end customized tees, and I want to pitch two technologies at him:

1) Neu Schule home PC-generated iron-on transfers
2) Ye Olde School Silkscreen

Now, the advantages of the silkscreen process is obvious…
A) The equipment is cheaper
B) Designs can be bigger
C) The art will be more durable
…so, I want to sell him on the lo-tek approach.

He's kinda in love with the printer-produced thing, though, so I want to know what my options are in the not-being-full-of-carp department (Does that seem fishy? I was angling for a better line, but nothing took a bite…!). Ennyhoo, INK, the non-water-soluble kind would be called for, and I'm not getting any joy in the info department. Transfers made using your standard water-soluble particulate-based inkjet [CENSORED / DELETED] fades quickly after a few washes, but a professional laser printer with color toner is a bit out of reach price-wise.

Would I be correct in thinking it best to go the non-electronic equipment route? If anyone knows a good place to get indelible ink that will work in an inkjet or bubblejet, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

a new line of high-end customized tees

what are you implying with a 'high-end' one ? What volume are you talking about ? In total , per logo/sign ?

There are various methods available to get something printed onto fabric - one is the widely used transfer process - you print with special sublimation inks onto transfer sheets, and you apply heat to transfer the ink from that transfer sheet to the fabric - there are 2 important details - you need to use fabric containing polyester fibre, and you need to use that special ink, that ink vaporates and reacts with the polyester, and that is creating quite durable prints. You can, and some actually do, print with regular inkjet inks to that transfer sheet, the heat transfer will actually get the image transferred but since this sublimation process does not happen such prints won't last and wash out quickly.

Yes, you could do the classic silk screen printing onto garments, but o.k., that's as long as you do that manually a process for lower volume, and you need to create the screen separately.

You may look for DTG - direct to garment - printing, these are modified and specialized inkjet printers printing directly onto garments , with various types of inks, sublimation, latex and other