Good fleece for discharge?

[squeegee]

Does anyone have any experience discharging fleece?

I'm looking for a brand that has a roomy fit (not AA/Canvas stuff), but that will discharge.

I haven't tried any, but was thinking even the 80/20's might be a problem.

TIA

[DanK]

We love Independent Trading Company fleece for discharge.  Their organic line discharges better than anything else, but we get good results on the commercial stuff too...  Even their fleece that is 80/20 has a 100% cotton shell, so that works...  Their newer line of AFX (the lighter stuff like American Apparel) discharges very well too, and the weaves are tighter so the results are also better than their standard issue fleece.  All this said, the results on fleece are definitely not the same as a nice tight weave discharge friendly shirt...  The weave is looser and the fibers are much further apart, so fine detail does not turn out as well as it would on a shirt...  The good news is, if you print wet on wet water base and discharge, you don't have any flashes to seize the garment on press.  I would suggest keeping a couple on hand and when you print some cool spot color discharge designs for a customer, throw that print on one of these sweatshirts and see what happens...

[ebscreen]

Second for Independent as well, though with some caution. We ran a couple hundred
a few weeks ago and out of all of them 2-3 just didn't discharge correctly. Not unheard
of but only 2 or 3 out of a couple hundred is a bit odd.

That said many of the standard (Gildan, Hanes, etc.) 80/20 blends discharge well. And
for the ultimate try a Hanes PrintPro.

[Prosperi-Tees]

I personally like the effect of doing discharge on black 50/50 shirts, makes it look almost marbled or metallic looking. Have not tried fleece though.

[squeegee]

Thanks for the replies.

What are you guys doing to print over zippers?

Since I know 2 of you guys are MHMer's, I'd really like to know what works for you on the auto.

[DanK]

I'm curious what Sean says too.  We're still DIY'ing it on that one...  We have some 1/8" masonite (could be thicker, I am not certain) cut down that we place on tack on the platen, then put some pallet tape over.  Rather than the masonite covering the entire pallet, it ends a bit short to accommodate the muff pockets too.  We've never had any big runs of over the zipper hoodie printing, just 144 or less, but with the right volume, you can bet we'll invest in some real manufactured zipper pallets.  I have also heard of people using neoprene and stuff, but considering the registration and seizing issues with fleece, that just seems like additional trouble to me.

[squeegee]

So do you have a pair of Masonite pieces for each pallet so the zipper runs between them?  Maybe if it's reusable you could tack white pallet rubber to it?  I certainly don't have the volume to pay for pro grade pallets myself either, but making a set out of masonite for 6 pallets shouldn't be that difficult.

[DanK]

That's right.  12 pieces total, 2 pieces for each pallet.  Pallet tape on the pallet, tack, masonite on that so it's easier to get off, pallet tape on the masonite, tack, hoodie.  They end up being about 1" apart which is where your channel is for the zipper.  We do every other pallet and double index (doesn't hurt since the press runs a fair amount slower for the fleece with all the pesky problems that could come up while doing this).  As far as the rubber tape is concerned, we haven't tried that (unless you guys have some stellar ideas why I should).  We print on the hard pallet surface with just tape on it and have had good results.

[ebscreen]

Do it just about the same as Dan, just plastic instead of masonite.
Not enough volume either for the real deal.

[squeegee]

I was thinking the pallet rubber as an in between a hard surface and something like neoprene, just thinking out loud that a softer surface might be more forgiving, definitely going to try masonite though, thanks for the tip.

[blue moon]

We paid Rick Roth to get the info on the right type of rubber to go on the platten. He provided some additional info and a small sample to make sure I get the right material. We recently printed over seams and zippers and the results are amazing.

We purchased a zipper hoodie platten from Action to test it and I do not like it. The gap is generic and sometimes it is to wide and it leaves lines around the zipper. Skip the plattens and get the info from Rick. Much cheaper in the long run and it looks/works better too!

pierre

[jsheridan]

That's right.  12 pieces total, 2 pieces for each pallet.  Pallet tape on the pallet, tack, masonite on that so it's easier to get off, pallet tape on the masonite, tack, hoodie.  They end up being about 1" apart which is where your channel is for the zipper. 

+1 on technique
This is the best option as you can control the gap unlike the Action pallet and the dbl index is perfect speed for heavy fleece work.

[brandon]

Hey Guys,
The Action platens (or pallets, whatever you want to call them) actually do work well. Caution, just very spendy! Since every brand makes zip-ups a different way you just have to adjust with flooring tape. That is not the correct term but the tape they use for installing carpet. Probably sheet rock as well. Evey shop has different approaches and whatever works for you and the client is all that really matters. But on large runs it is nice to throw on the platens and get it up and running very quick. And distressed designs help as well!

- Brandon