Whether you want to express yourself with personalized t-shirts or simply create a unique promotional tee, you must know how to care for this type of t-shirt for it to last as long as it can despite regular wear and tear.
Here are some tips for how to care for a screen printed t-shirt:
-
Choice of fabric for the t-shirt. When choosing a fabric for a t-shirt that will be screen printed, a blended combo of 50% cotton and 50% polyester is what you should go for to counter shrinkage.
-
Allow it to bleed color. For the next couple of weeks after silkscreen printing, your t-shirt will bleed color during washing. Do not hasten the process by using color-safe laundry detergent. Instead, wash it as you would any t-shirt until the water runs clear.
-
Washing. Always wash screen printed t-shirts with warm water and wash the t-shirt inside out to preserve the design. Never twist this dry. As mentioned, do not combine this with any other clothing in the washing machine.
-
Hanging and drying. If you like air-drying your clothes, you must let it away from direct sunlight. A roof-covered drying area is the best location. If you’d rather use a conventional washer/dryer ritual, then by all means use the permanent-press button during drying and take the t-shirt out as soon as the dryer stops.
-
Softening. Freshly screen-printed t-shirts come out stiff due in large part to the thick ink used to reinforce the colors and designs. Use a softening agent to coax the fabric back into its soft and shapely curve.
-
Ironing. When ironing, make sure the t-shirt is a little bit damp after spending some time in the clothespin or dryer, if the fabric is a bit damp it will make it easier to iron.
-
Storing. Store your t-shirt in a cool, dry place away from heat.
If you really want to up the cool factor and care for the environment all at the same time, use organic ink which is way better than the regular ink used on most screen printed t-shirts. Furthermore, screen printed designs look more arrestingly eye-catching when used on white and gray colored t-shirts.
|
