50/50 Hoodie Print Question

[screenxpress]

I may be printing some Black 50/50 hoodies and since I typically print on 100% Cotton, I haven't had to contend with bleed issues. 

Whats the odds of success printing a 40-50% fill halftone underbase of low-bleed white and then printing Union Ultrasofts (for 100% Cotton) on top? 

Will the halftone underbase let the dye migrate to the top coats? 

Think I really need to get some low-bleed inks for the top coats? 

Denser underbase perhaps?  I don't want to end up with a bulletproof print.

[Gabe]

well what i suggest is to call your ink manufacturer let them know,  what you up against
i have screen printed 50/50 hoodies with union ink in the past using 100% cotton ink
with good results but only spot color no halftones p/f/p 110 mesh
also give it a shot with the ink you mention print one hoodie
check for dye migration it can happen after you run it thru the dryer
or the next day

[Shawn (EIP)]

What sucks about 50/50 or poly white inks as an underbase is that barley too much heat and the print will bubble , it ffffing sucks! I started using Excalibur 1550 Sport Pro series inks, they are made for 50/50 and poly blends . I PFP them with no underbase and the prints come out freaking awesome , no worries about bubbling or blisters. These inks flash quick too. Downside is these inks and this series is rather expensive at 90+ a gallon but totally worth it. Straight from the bucket the ink is very thick but thins out very nicely when stirred.

SportPRO is specifically designed for printing onto sport uniforms and jerseys. The new Excalibur SportPRO 1550 Series is ideal for synthetic sport fabrics such as polyester and blended fabrics. SportPRO Athletic Ink has very high opacity and has maximum bleed resistance and also has a very soft hand feel as well as very high stretch. The finish of the ink is matte which is very popular with today's sports jersey's. SportPRO Athletic Inks will be available in standard, opaque spot colors as well as a color matching system

[screenxpress]

Yea that is a bit pricey, but only considering I won't be needing gallons for this job.

Not going to print them this weekend so I'll check with local suppliers on Monday for alternative to that line, but that ink sounds awesome for that use.

[Admiral]

That ink sounds the same as the new Rutland Endurance ink.

We have a sample of the white and the base(grey I think?) that we will test on the next stretchy 100% poly we print on.

[ZooCity]

Wayne, we print on 50/50 hoodies all the time.  Lot of Gildan 18600.  I have more trouble getting decent print on those bastards than with bleeding issues.  The fabric is like a coarse dishcloth or something. 

Anyways, just use a low-bleed white all around.  No need to mix up your ink types here and yes, if the walkin' black dyestuffs have a path to the cotton white it can bleed into it.  The LB ink offers no blocking protection to the cotton ink where it's not forming a barrier between the dyes and the cotton ink. 

As far as keeping it from being bulletproof, fleece is one of the only substrates that I almost shoot for bulletproof on.  Well, bulletproof by our standards, but my point is that I like to put down the ink on the hoodies.  These are more expensive garments and are going to have a long life with their end user.  I want the print to be around for the life of the hoody.  The WFX Epic inks, even when there is an epic (ha! get it) amount of ink down, finish matte and as screenedgear put it so aptly 'rubbery soft'.  Any quality LB white ought to so the same for you.  If your client needs breathable fleece, get them into some 100% cotton and discharge it or use the softer cotton inks.

On the higher quality blends, such as AA's ringspun Flex Fleece, I feel like you can get away with much more technical prints and softer hand techniques.  On the typical 50/50s like the Gildans the shield 'o ink is still actually softer than the hoody... so it is what it is. 

[Frog]

What sucks about 50/50 or poly white inks as an underbase is that barley too much heat and the print will bubble , it ffffing sucks!=-ching system[/i][/b]

Barely too much heat?

I don't find that's the case with any of the low bleed inks that I have used. I can't speak to poly (actually it's Polly, and it's because she has a restraining order against me, all a misunderstanding , but I digress )
Really, Shawn, what temps have you hit to cause this bubbling?

Sometimes when I'm not on top of it, prints have hit that split second peak of 400 or so, and even with a low bleed white, solid or underbase, I've never experienced this.

[ZooCity]

Hell, I cook a lot of my garments up above 400 deg. The print rarely gets over 380 on the surface however. 

I've never seen bubbling, even when my little vastex grabs a sleeve and causes a log jam under the panel.  What our inks tend to do is puff up a little and discolor a touch when overcured but no bubbles. 

[screenxpress]

Thanks all,

Sounds like I need to at least change my underbase from a halftone to a solid spot color and print using the LB White I have, flash and then print the Cotton inks on top. 

Which leads to yet another question (don't ya like how I can grow my own posts with little fertilizer?). 

Since the underbase will be just up to the edge of the top coats and possibly in a few cases hiding just a smidgen under the top coats of Cotton Ink, would that allow the dye to migrate up? 

White is not in the design.  The print is going to be a Gold outside edge with Red inside (hint: for visual, the USMC text).  Perhaps I should just get some LB Gold, put down a solid spot layer of Gold to be the underbase and the Gold itself, flash, and then print the Red on top and forget even using White.