ink question

[bbmfab]

how do I get the ink to look like its part of the shirt, i have a slayer shirt that you can barely feel the ink, most of the shirts i have are thicker and over time crack I have had this slayer shirt for a long time and i like how it doesnt crack! getting ready to start printing my first shirts and would like them to be like this, seems that the trade off is that it wont be as bright?

[Shamax]

The feeling you're talking about is called the "hand" of the print. If there's a lot of ink on the shirt and you can feel a thick texture when you touch the print, it's called having a heavy hand, whereas if you can barely feel it, it's called having a "soft hand". Here's how the different types of ink/printing compare as far as the hand they leave:

Plastisol inks : Usually heavy
Water beased : Softer than plastisols usually, but can still be felt
Discharge : Softest hand of all

Plastisol and water-based inks both lay on top of the fabric to produce the print, though water-based inks will be a bit more absorbent. Discharge printing, however, is a more involved process that actually bleaches the fabric and can leave any desired pigment stained upon the fabric itself, leaving a soft-hand feel that's almost seamless. I usually use water based inks myself, and the prints are much softer than some of the plastisol-printed shirts I have, even when I've had to do multiple passes to get the needed ink coverage. Discharge printing is a more advanced technique which requires you to add a discharging agent to the ink and cure it with forced-air heat which will activate the discharge. You need proper ventilation for this and it's best to have safety equipment, because I believe it's essentially formaldehyde and something else that is produced when the chemicals do their thing.

[bbmfab]

Thanks for the info! Looks like i will be heavy handed for now, got lots of plastisol!

[Catspit Productions]

Remember depending on what you’re printing you can achieve a soft hand print with plastisol inks. If you’re printing lighter colored garments or whites a soft hand may be achieved by using a higher mesh count and/or a soft hand base mixed with the ink. Using halftones also decreases ink volume and provides for a soft feel.

Even on dark or black tee shirts we can use high opacity inks with no under base and get nice coverage with less ink volume. You can also use halftones on dark garments with this same method and that will soften the hand of the print even more.

[bbmfab]

thanks for the tips and info, got a big box of shirts from ups, about to print my first shirts!!!!! hopefully i have gathered enough info from videos and this forum and i expose good screens and can start some printing!!

[ApeShirt]

how do I get the ink to look like its part of the shirt, i have a slayer shirt that you can barely feel the ink, most of the shirts i have are thicker and over time crack I have had this slayer shirt for a long time and i like how it doesnt crack! getting ready to start printing my first shirts and would like them to be like this, seems that the trade off is that it wont be as bright?

RIP Jeff Hanneman \m/