White ink you can write on with a Sharpie!?!

[Mr Tees!!]

...hey gang! I am quoting a larger (for us, 3000 pc) job, where the client wants a large white rectangular block on the back that they will be writing on with a Sharpie. I know, kinda weird.

...I cant think of anything to do differently or to look out for, but thought Id throw this at you guys and see if anyone had dealt with a project like this, and had any issue. I guess my only concern might be how permanent the Sharpie ink might be on the plastisol. I will do a test, but I think a disclaimer might be in order here, on the basis of not knowing exactly what types of markers will be used. Loopholes, amirite??

...Another thought was that it might be beneficial to do a post-rollering on the shirt to smooth out the writing surface.

...I dunno, anyone got anything to add?

[mk162]

discharge?  The downside would be recommended washing before wearing(but that is recommended with any garment).

I would check with ink suppliers/manufacturers, they probably have come across this before.

smoothing it would be smart, but the ink will more than likely wash out after a few washes or at least fade to a purple color

[Colin]

The sharpie will fade with washing.

I would definitely use a smoothing screen at least once in your print sequence for the best super smooth/white board look.

Otherwise any good white ink will work.  For the top white, use a white ink with little to NO puffing/blowing agent.

[royster13]

Maybe Siser Easy Weed heat press vinyl....

[Frog]

Maybe Siser Easy Weed heat press vinyl....

Pressing 3000 pieces will make a competitive quote pretty tough.

[royster13]

Maybe Siser Easy Weed heat press vinyl....

Pressing 3000 pieces will make a competitive quote pretty tough.

If they want something that works, that may be the price they have to pay.....Heat press vinyl or even a transfer will give a much better surface to work with....

[Frog]

Maybe Siser Easy Weed heat press vinyl....

Pressing 3000 pieces will make a competitive quote pretty tough.

If they want something that works, that may be the price they have to pay.....Heat press vinyl or even a transfer will give a much better surface to work with....

He could certainly give the two prices reflecting the huge labor/time difference.

But though the "canvas" is smoother, the "permanent" marker will still suffer in the wash. I think that most folks know this, and the job will not have the demand for the premium price. Laundry markers have always outlasted "permanent" markers, but, I believe rely on the "tooth" of the fabric to add longevity.

[Gilligan]

Writing directly on the fabric would help the permanence of the sharpie.

I used to have a shirt that was made with crude words written in sharpie and I wore that shirt a LOT.  It stood the test of time quite well.

It was a white shirt though.

[3Deep]

We did some tees and shorts for a schools P.E. student's and use regular old white ink, they wanted a smooth surface to write on, but I thought the sample we did with the surface a little rough held the sharpie ink much better than the smooth.

darryl

[royster13]

I just found a shirt in my laundry that got some marker on the heat press vinyl.....Had it for years and it is not faded much...

[Sbrem]

My wife likes to make me shirts I had absolutely nothing to do with, so it's always a surprise. She uses fabric markers that she picks up at a crafts store, like Michael's or A. C. Moore. so, maybe the discharge and recommend the correct markers. On unprinted fabric, they hold up very well. Heck, maybe you could source the markers for them as well...

Steve

[tonypep]

Dharma Trading carries fabric markers

[mk162]

how about these

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=84012&gclid=Cj0KEQiA7NyiBRCOhpuCm9Dq6b4BEiQA9D6qhQkGUxhvFB9ExdqeXEhgbothYl1eFFgG-TWUfypjkBEaAtS48P8HAQ

[Screened Gear]

Sharpies should hold on to a fully cured plastisol just fine. I print shirts with a "hello my name is" badge on them for a customer and they have never had any problems. writing on a smooth plastisol is alot better then the fabric of the shirt.

If your worried buy them some Industrial sharpies.

But like with everything test before you print 3000 shirts.

[Sbrem]

I'll bet anything that someone out of the 3000 will write something inappropriate...

Steve