Washing Discharge prints before shipping?

[Get Shirts]

Do any of you guys do this?  Should we be? 

I'm dealing with a retail client and I'm thinking that although the residual stench of the process is very low, it might be magnified by the poly bag. 

Then, if you suggest washing prior, I would ask if there is a way to keep the shirt looking sharp and new.. And not already laundered.

[Ryan]

If you have to launder or choose to launder, have a professional company, like a good laundry mat type to do it. they know how to launder and make it look like it was never laundered. I've had people do it for distress Appliques that were done so that it already looked "worn". I think there is 0% chance you will be able to launder yourself and make it look like it hasn't

[Underbase37]

Are they asking for discharge? If yes, then no, if not. Try letting them sit out a bit before bagging them up. If its just white we don't have much color pull back after washing, so if that's the case I would wash them. But it sounds like you have some time so you might let them sit until the end of the day & if they still smell take on home wash one & compare to the rest to see if you have color los, wash the rest if not, & if so just put a small disclaimer about how you should always wash before wearing because of leftover dies and residues, and to advise all customers of the same as it is now their responsibility to do so.

Murphy37

[TCT]

I had always wanted to keep a eye out on Craigslist for busted clothes dryers. Ones that would still spin but maybe the heating element was busted. I had thought it would be great to have 2 or 3 of those here to throw discharge prints in with a tennis ball or something for 10 min. in hopes of "softening" the image up a bit.....

[JBLUE]

Use higher mesh and you do not have to do that. I keep hearing people printing using 135's, 110's, and 160's with discharge. No need to lay down that much ink. Thats why it still stinks and is rough.

[ebscreen]

^^Chicken dinner.


And if it stinks, it ain't fully done yet.

[TCT]

Good info! I will pay closer attention to that. We usually 180S if it is a large area, I'll give a 225S a shot.

Totally unrelated, anyone looking for a used clothes dryer with a broken heating element?

[mimosatexas]

I used 160 mesh for a long time with discharge, mainly because of drying in issues with higher counts, but now that I have started using S-mesh, 180s is sometimes too open, and i have started using 225s a lot more for everything but white.

[Underbase37]

Use higher mesh and you do not have to do that. I keep hearing people printing using 135's, 110's, and 160's with discharge. No need to lay down that much ink. Thats why it still stinks and is rough.

^^Chicken dinner.


And if it stinks, it ain't fully done yet.

Yep this.

Murphy37

[Get Shirts]

Good input guys, thanks.  We're not fully submersed into the dc world so we'll experiment with higher mesh count to alleviate that (slight) remaining stench.   

Oh, and they are not asking for discharge.. But in some cases it's the best, and in a retail setting it really can set a print apart.