Monday, June 13, 2011

What Are The Basic T-Shirt Printing Techniques?

By Nathaniel West


Designs that are singular, comical, quirky, and somber are certainly difficult to say no to. And if these are shirts that are bestowed as gifts, how could someone refuse the gift chosen to fit the temperament and personality of the recipient? A way of attaining the above features for your t-shirt gifts to friends, relatives, staff members, and loyal patrons would be through customized t-shirt printing. There is endlessness to t-shirt designs available. In fact, numerous individuals take advantage of the multipurpose feature presented by t-shirt printing to allow them to give gifts that are easy to acquire but are nevertheless imbued with a personal touch.

Various Types Of T-Shirt Printing Techniques

T-shirts were first made in the 1920s. Since then, t-shirt manufacturers have thought up of various means of putting designs on the surface of these pieces of clothing so that customers are more attracted to buy them. The following are 2 of the most well-known techniques of t-shirt printing.

Silk Screen T-Shirt Printing

Silk screen printing is perhaps the earliest and most popular method of printing designs onto pieces of apparel, such as t-shirts. Because of its consistently quality results, many t-shirt printers favor this certain process. The method can be done through a very simple principle. A design is sketched onto a template, and a sharp tool is used to strategically cut the design in order for the colors or paint to pass through.

Then the template is transferred to a silk screen by a special chemical. This screen is laid over the surface of a t-shirt to be printed and then an emulsion is poured on the screen. With the use of a squeegee, the paint is forced out of the fine mesh of the screen and is absorbed by the fibers of the fabric. The process is repeated for every color in the design. This job requires extreme patience! No shortcuts here! The results of silk screen printing are extremely high quality and more durable that designs manufactured by other processes; the cost is a bit higher, in addition.

Heat Transfer T-Shirt Printing

T-shirt designs produced through heat transfer method are growing in popularity these days. Even though the results are not as durable as those designs made from silk screen printing, many people prefer this technique for its affordable price. Heat transfer printing might be the answer to your needs if you are searching for uniquely designed t-shirts available at short notice and at a fraction of the price of silk screen printing. In this process, a heat press is used to transfer a design to the surface of t-shirts. Multicolored and bold-colored designs are attainable in t-shirts due to this technique.



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