T-shirt printing can be done in one of 4 existing ways. Some allow you to get an image at home, some only in an industrial environment.
Recently, printed T-shirts have become very popular. Such a T-shirt, decorated with a pattern or inscription, can be worn by yourself, or you can donate or even organize production for subsequent sale. Technologies for printing on fabrics are constantly being improved, allowing you to obtain the coveted image of rich, vibrant color that does not fade or fade over time.
Existing printing technologies
1. Printing on the fabric itself by means of a special printer.
2. Printing on paper and then transferring the image to fabric using a heat press.
3. Thermal transfer: silk screen printing on fabric.
4. Decal.
Features of each of them
With the advent of special textile printers, it became possible to apply any image you like to clothes. You just need to put the T-shirt on a special movable table of the device and get a print. In the future, to fix the paint, it must be dried using a special device or under a heat press. However, this method allows printing only on a white T-shirt: for printing on a colored one, an additional white background is required for the design. The advantages of this method include quick preparation for printing, high resolution, the ability to choose an inscription and a picture. Among the shortcomings, it is worth mentioning the high cost of the print and the large time costs. This method is only justified if you need to process a small number of T-shirts.
The second technology is carried out in two ways: by sublimation printing and by a method called "magic touch". In the first method, printing is applied to paper with special ink, then at high temperatures the paper is pressed against the fabric, and the T-shirt is dyed in the required color. But this printing method is applicable only to polyester products. In the second method, the picture is printed on a special film, and then glued to the fabric under a heat press. This printing method is applicable to cotton products.
Iron-on application involves cutting film on a plotter and then assembling multi-color pictures. The resulting applique is glued to the T-shirt using the same heat press. The technology makes it possible to create simple inscriptions, vector emblems and logos on T-shirts. With thermal transfer technology, the image is printed using the silkscreen method. The resulting "decal" is glued to the fabric with a heat press or iron. The finished product is colored without the effect of a rectangular sticker.
