Printing on Whites .....

[AdamB]

So, we've done the 'printing on darks' with transfers etc many times but I was just wondering what methods others use for white t-shirts?

Up until the last month before Xmas I was using the Chromablast method for white t-shirts and although I was very pleased with the results the system is just too expensive to maintain with the amount of blockages you get from it.

Not done too many white t's since but I was wondering what others use?

I know that sublimation is an option but the (subli) t-shirts seem a little expensive to me (probably as I was used to using 100% cotton ones before with the Chromablast system) and I have tried the Yolo White Transfers with good results.

What does everyone else use ....................?

[mrs maggot]

i dont like the feel of the subli t's and so try to avoid, ive used yolo white, and like you pleased, but as always longevity is the real issue, i dont make throwaway stag&hens t's so wants something that last, i do a lot of vinyl on white as well

[Justin]

I stopped doing subli tees ages ago mainly because of the paper lines you get. Once we found that clever workaround by tearing the paper edges I started again. I don't do many but when I do I much prefer to use the Vapour tee's for adults and Starworld subli tees for children.

[daviddeer]

I love the bright vibrant colours of sublimation and the price point is great but the drawbacks are there for all to see from head de-blocking, wrinkling, scorching and blow out to colour matching and saturation,not to mention the setup cost. What you gain on the ink cost you lose on the shirt. Many people also don't like the feel of the shirts being high polyester /synthetic content. I have also use Yolo products for a long time now and the 'self weeding' paper is a joy to use. No real need for absolutely perfect alignment and masking like the magic-touch products and available for inkjet and laser with comparable colour-fastness.
Durability is always an issue, premium vinyl seems to be the longest lasting but for images it is a non starter unless you have the patience and time to create an image by hand and layer the vinyl colour by colour. You could get solvent print and cut materials done for you or outsource screen printed designs for later application.

[Justin]

Subli tees are a good mark-up, quick and east to produce. I think the issues you've outlined are the exceptions rather than the rules, I never suffer any of these.

The Vapor shirts are (imo) the best and closest to a normal shirt but they'll never have the cotton feel. I've been toying with the idea of finding alternatives to allow printing onto cotton but it's just more investment and I do so few at the moment.

[accdave]

Slight alternative to Subli T'S and cheaper are the AWDIS Cool T's. Advantage as well on the odd occasion you're only printing black is that you can use the coloured shirts to more effect. Material wise they are like a football shirt so not everyone's cup of tea.

[Justin]

WDIS Cool T's.......Material wise they are like a football shirt so not everyone's cup of tea.

Sounds like the Starworld childrens tee's, they have a waffle effect surface and give an impression of a sports/football top.

[AdamB]

Slight alternative to Subli T'S and cheaper are the AWDIS Cool T's. Advantage as well on the odd occasion you're only printing black is that you can use the coloured shirts to more effect. Material wise they are like a football shirt so not everyone's cup of tea.

I've printed on the AWDIS Cool Range with sublimation (vests and t-shirts) and they looked very nice when pressed. I did notice that Ralawise now stock sublimation garments and thought they may have the same stock, changed the name title and added 50p onto each item (as they're 100% polyester). Then I noticed the weight and the subli ones are a little heavier than the cool range (not tried the subli ones yet though).

[Justin]

Are you still using Chromablast Adam or did you make a change? Been thinking about it myself recently but it is a large outlay.....can the inks be used in other printers?

[AdamB]

Hi Justin.

I posted on the other post regarding Chromablast - I've copied it below:

I recently used Chromablast until Xmas.

To be honest - when you get it right the print is very, very nice .................... but, there were too many negative points to keep my system going so I ran it dry and am converting the printer I had to a pigment printer for transfers.

I had far too many blockages with the system, plus the 'reduced' hand that was advertised on many videos only worked if the garment was true white (I should know - I tried often enough).

That, plus the paper and ink costs to maintain the system meant that I had to decide if I would keep the system going, and (to be honest) you can't really sell something to someone at a price if they don't know the difference between a cheap ebay transfer and screen-print.

Chromablast went at Xmas and since then I have used pigment ink with transfers (light and dark) and never had any complaints or objections from customers - plus, the pigment ink can be used on all colours where as Chromablast is limited to light colours.

Hope that helps?

Adam