Trojan Horse Screen Printing.

[Command-Z]

Great story in the news today. So how do you think they did this... undercure the overprint?

http://bit.ly/pPCOkd

[ebscreen]

Absolutely the most awesome thing I have ever seen done with a shirt. The gears are spinning now...

[mk162]

Wow, I would have to see close-ups or touch and feel.

I have to know how this was done.  I only do things like use fonts with questionable names for groups that would be offended.  Or with a dingbat font I will spell out curse words that would never know are there.

Genius

[3Deep]

Pretty neat stuff...I saw on this site or the other about an ink that cracks once you wash it reckon they use that stuff?

[mk162]

I don't think so.  What I am thinking is they made their own ink.  Maybe a homemade waterbased ink that would dissolve, maybe they used that stuff solvay is made from.

I was thinking you could probably make an ink out of talc or corn starch that would hold together fairly well.

[3Deep]

Well they just might be on to something big!!! who knows.

[larryk]

I could really lose some customers fast if I started doing this....... but just the ones that need fired!

[prozyan]

Plasticharge without activator will do that, I believe.

[Shawn (EIP)]

There's a guy here that prints messages on t-shirts that can only been seen once the shirts is wet or wet with sweat. Im thinking with a clear ink but it has no feel.

[screenxpress]

I think if all they did was undercure the overprint, they had to cure the underbase on the press.  But if you're a political organization, that may be worth the warped platens.

I do know of a way tho -
About 5 years back, I had to have a patch embroidered for my son and went to a local (big) shop that could marrow the patch and did screen printing.  This place was a pretty big shop.  Couple of presses and 2 dryers.  Shut down now and maybe this next story of their operation was a contributing factor.

At the time, they were printing some sports team shirts with a multi-color emblem.  The way they were doing it I thought was insane.  The image was 3 colors each color "ringed" outside the last.  We would all do this as a 3 spot color print on one pass.  Not them.  They printed these in 3 complete runs.  I asked and they said they found this faster (lol).  They printed the most inside color shape and ran it thru the dryer.  Then they had 2 or 3 one-color stations that consisted of a clear 5 sided box (upside down) made from thick glass or plastic.  Inside the box was a light bulb.  On top of the box was an image that matched the screen (in the hinge-type brackets).  They would take a shirt printed from pass 1 and put it on the box, step on a switch to light the bulb, line it up, pull the screen, print and toss on the belt.  Each color pass followed the same process. 

If the Germans did something along that line, it would work.  Print an underbase (complete with halftone background and message) and fully cure.  Then bring each one back, line them up to match the underbase, print the black (to cover part of the message), then the white and undercure, that would work.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[ebscreen]

Someone should invite the Germans here.

[Colin]

I think screenxpress has it right.

Print first design in plastisol or waterbase, cure as normal.

Bring back to press and overprint white and black.  Cure at about 10 degrees below the inks cure point.  It should last long enough to not be noticeable before washing.

[mk162]

I dunno, It would be really hard to hit that magic zone and have that ink peel off like that.  Remember, ink NEVER washes off when you want it to.  They may have done that with a combo of something else, like a homemade additive or non activated discharge.

[mk162]

And DON'T invite the germans here, they will wreck any party.

[Screened Gear]

I would really like to see the shirt before.

I would guess the White that washed away leaves the stained image. so the white that stays would be a waterbased discharge - Flashed to discharge. This way you don't feel it in the white. Then the white that washes away then the black on top. Flashed just enough so it dryes to the touch.  The white that washes away has to leave the stained (grey) image. The black top print washes away completely with the white. I bet they never even run then threw the dryer.

I will try this with my company shirts.