Over Zipper Prints

[ericheartsu]

For those of you that print over the zippers on hoodies and such, how do you do this without popping or breaking your screens?

[blue moon]

For those of you that print over the zippers on hoodies and such, how do you do this without popping or breaking your screens?

foam and light touch. We also print a lot of the zipper prints on the manual (if less than 50 pcs).

pierre

[DannyGruninger]

I have an order we are doing as we speak 5k pcs over the zipper with 5 different designs. I'm trying to read into your question, so here's my question. Are you trying to print on zip hoodies that have an exposed zipper or is there a placket covering up the metal zip?

We have 2 different methods here depending if the zipper is exposed or not. Once I know what your printing I can explain how we do it here if your interested. We are running zip up prints over the zipper at 42 doz/hr right now which I feel is pretty decent


Edit - added a couple examples showing my method.... On prints with the zipper exposed I do not like printing ink over the metal so here's how they look. I included a couple pics of how it looks with the zipper covered as well

[IntegrityShirts]

1/8" neoprene.

Whatever you do, don't use 1/8" yoga mats because they're super cheap and you think you're smooth. When you try to pull the mat off your pallets they happily stay fused to the wb tack...you have to split/rip them to get them off. $40 lesson learned haha.

[ericheartsu]

Danny we are printing some independent trading co. PRM90 and AFX90u with an over the zipper print. White discharge, super simple blocky print. But lately we've had really bad luck printing over on hoodies (not even over the zipper), where the actual pull tab has popped the screen!

[brandon]

I can't believe I get to say this before Tony but over the zipper and pockets does not require high tension. Especially with discharge. You have that part right. I have a couple of rollers just for this where the tension is much lower than what we run. But the prints are great and no popped screens. And we print on the sides of the hood as well. Even on those super thick ITC double walled Hoodies. Discharge all the way, loose tension, no popped screens and all on an auto

[ebscreen]

We've had zipper pulls pop screens too. Try and position art so that that pull can be off the pallet, or at least not in squeegee path. If its not possible, be very careful when loading, and maybe put a piece of foam or frame tape where the pull would hit the screen.

[Underbase37]

We usually burn so the pull tab is off the pallet. Also we use a bit of scrap film taped  in that spot to help with this.

Murphy37

[Underbase37]

Danny, are those all DC or Plas.?

Murphy37