A Little food for thought on this Good Friday !
Polyester printing can make you look bad even if you are taking all of the necessary steps to prevent dye migration. Why? Because your customers are often not following the washing and drying instructions printed on the inside of the shirt. Even if you print with one of the most bleed resistant inks by One Stroke Inks, ignoring this little tag can cause your bright white print to change into a dirty white, pink, or even green print. Screen printers need to do their best to educate their customers on the reasons the tag was sewn or printed in the garment in the first place. The fabric is not going to self destruct. It will, however, be much more likely to have dye migration problems once it has been washed in hot water and dried too hot. This makes you look bad, even though it is not your fault. It can also make us look bad as our ink may not be holding up as well as advertised. Quite simply, we all need the same thing. We need the end user of these polyester shirts, uniforms, bags, etc. to fully understand the WHY behind the tag in the fabric. I would prefer a neon sign over the box of printed polyester t-shirts that glows brightly with the text “Tumble Dry Low”. “Hang Dry” would be sufficient for most of the lightweight polyester as it dries in just minutes anyway. I know this is not an easy thing as you do not get to speak with every parent on every team to warn them about our industry and the nuances involved with polyester printing. However, the more you drive this into your customers ears, the more likely they will stop the problem before it starts. We will always keep innovating the polyester inks. We simply need you to help educate as many of your customers as you can. In the end, it will lead to higher quality prints and better longevity.
