printing on 92% cotton 8% spandex

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

I am about to print on some shirts that are 92% cotton / 8% spandex....I've never printed on this before..is there anything unique I need to know about it or do i simply approach it like I do on 100% cotton shirts which is what i planed on. The shirts are black....ink colors are white and metallic gold.

also i have some 60% cotton and 40% polyester....do i print this like 100% cotton also?..same colors.

[Frog]

I am about to print on some shirts that are 92% cotton / 8% spandex....I've never printed on this before..is there anything unique I need to know about it or do i simply approach it like I do on 100% cotton shirts which is what i planed on. The shirts are black....ink colors are white and metallic gold.

also i have some 60% cotton and 40% polyester....do i print this like 100% cotton also?..same colors.

The Spandex puppies will need stretch ink, or stretch additive.
The 60/40 are the usual low bleed ink candidates paying heed to the required lower temperatures.

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

I am about to print on some shirts that are 92% cotton / 8% spandex....I've never printed on this before..is there anything unique I need to know about it or do i simply approach it like I do on 100% cotton shirts which is what i planed on. The shirts are black....ink colors are white and metallic gold.

also i have some 60% cotton and 40% polyester....do i print this like 100% cotton also?..same colors.

The Spandex puppies will need stretch ink, or stretch additive.
The 60/40 are the usual low bleed ink candidates paying heed to the required lower temperatures.

crap..now i have to order some.....dang it...i was hoping i could just print as 100% cotton being it was so close to 100%

[jvanick]

Wilflex Performance White works great on those...

on the 60/40's we've been pretty lucky with running them with standard LB ink.

careful on the dryer settings and belt speed.

[Dochertyscott]

use a lowish mesh count also for both base and top coats... or PFP
Ideally a 59s (150s i think you guys call it)
You need a reasonable ink deposit in order for the ink to stretch with fabric without splitting.

[tonypep]

Spandesol

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

use a lowish mesh count also for both base and top coats... or PFP
Ideally a 59s (150s i think you guys call it)
You need a reasonable ink deposit in order for the ink to stretch with fabric without splitting.

no underbasing required.....but i will PFP each color....for white I use 155....and for the metallic gold I use an 80.

So i DEFINITELY need the stretch additive for both colors???

[Colin]

I would either mixed into your BASE COLOR - or print the stretch ink of choice as a BASE Screen.

I would not want to add much to a metallic ink as it would reduce the amount of glitter flake being laid down.  But through an 80 mesh.... p/f/p.... you should be able to get away with it.

TEST TEST TEST

As always, a thicker deposit of ink is best. 

I always explain stretch ink thickness this way:

Take 2 rubber bands.  One thick and one thin.  put them side by side in your hand and start stretching them over and over and over..... which rubber band starts to wear out first?  The thinner one

A thicker deposit of stretch is always better.

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

I would either mixed into your BASE COLOR - or print the stretch ink of choice as a BASE Screen.

I would not want to add much to a metallic ink as it would reduce the amount of glitter flake being laid down.  But through an 80 mesh.... p/f/p.... you should be able to get away with it.

TEST TEST TEST

As always, a thicker deposit of ink is best. 

I always explain stretch ink thickness this way:

Take 2 rubber bands.  One thick and one thin.  put them side by side in your hand and start stretching them over and over and over..... which rubber band starts to wear out first?  The thinner one

A thicker deposit of stretch is always better.

ok..so you are saying lay the stretch additive ink down as an underbase and then print on top of that.....as opposed to mixing the additive with the ink??

[mk162]

i prefer to mix it with the white base

[Colin]

I also prefer to mix it into the white base.

But Mark does not have the art setup that way he says.

Mark:

You can either mix the stretch into your inks... or print it alone as a base plate.  You have a number of options.

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

I also prefer to mix it into the white base.

But Mark does not have the art setup that way he says.

Mark:

You can either mix the stretch into your inks... or print it alone as a base plate.  You have a number of options.

im going to go with Union's clear Unistretch....25% by volume mixing ratio....and for the 60cotton/40poly i will use their Low Bleed Diamond White.....and im going to have to buy a gram scale....had to get one sooner or later.

[Dochertyscott]

You can pretty happily mix by eye for a stretch additive.
PFP with the colours mixed with stretch add and u be fine.
Some have low cure properties also.
A 50/50 mix of regular and poly white will do the trick on the poly blend.
Also can mix that by eye pretty safely.