Printing on Water repellent Jackets

[3Deep]

We did this all the time with those coaches jackets, we'd rub alcohol on the area that we needed to print (removing some of the waterproofing) and after the printing was done respray with water proof spray, I got this info years ago from Scott Fresener, mine you we only did this with nylon jackets.

darryl

[pwalsh]

Okay, recently someone posted about a job he had wondering about what would adhere.
This month Printwear touches upon it, but to me, this is a real conundrum.

The printwear article states "To check for a water-repellent finish, pour a small cup of water on the garment. If it beads up and does not soak in after a few minutes, you could have an adhesion issue. Wiping the print area with isopropyl alcohol can help remove some of the coating and allow you to get better adhesion."

Do we really want to "remove some of the coating"? Do our custies and potential wearers-in-the-pouring-rain, want us to "remove some of the coating" of their $80 or more rain parka? How much will be removed? How does one test for an actual quantification of how much water repellency (if any) can be lost?
If I needed to, and was willing to sacrifice one, I guess I'd place the alcohol-treated jacket over a medium colored T, make a bit of a well, and pour a little water in, and see if after an hour there was visible dampness on the shirt.

Of course, I don't even direct print lined parkas like these, so would only be concerned with vinyl, and so far have had good luck without compromising the coating. Easyweed and Easyweed Extra, but I'm afraid that not all water proof coatings are created equal.

Andy:  Nazdar SourceOne did some work earlier this year with a major performance wear brand, on a screen-printing solution for their water-proof garments.  This particular brand has some specific requirements and limitations on the inks and chemicals used in decorating their garments. One thing they were adamant was that they would not allow the application of any chemicals to the surface of the fabric that would negatively impact the water resistant properties of the garment, so an alcohol wipe prior to printing was definitely out of the question. 

I wasn't directly involved in the final solution but from what I recall the process was to use a hot solvent graphic type ink as a "tie-coat"to bite through the water-proof coating and to serve as an under-base for the other colors.  If there's a genuine interest in researching this issue I'll make some inquiries and post some suggestions on the inks and the process to print on these types of garments without damaging their water-proof properties. One concern that I have is that the work that we did with the brand is subject to an NDA so I might need to be somewhat generic in my response.     

[Frog]

Andy:  Nazdar SourceOne did some work earlier this year with a major performance wear brand, on a screen-printing solution for their water-proof garments.  This particular brand has some specific requirements and limitations on the inks and chemicals used in decorating their garments. One thing they were adamant was that they would not allow the application of any chemicals to the surface of the fabric that would negatively impact the water resistant properties of the garment, so an alcohol wipe prior to printing was definitely out of the question. 

I wasn't directly involved in the final solution but from what I recall the process was to use a hot solvent graphic type ink as a "tie-coat"to bite through the water-proof coating and to serve as an under-base for the other colors.  If there's a genuine interest in researching this issue I'll make some inquiries and post some suggestions on the inks and the process to print on these types of garments without damaging their water-proof properties. One concern that I have is that the work that we did with the brand is subject to an NDA so I might need to be somewhat generic in my response.   

Sounds like these inks may require similar space for drying as umbrellas, or do these inks allow for a little help from a conveyor dryer? Then again, if these inks are proprietary, all may be a moot point, or tease at best.

[pwalsh]

Sounds like these inks may require similar space for drying as umbrellas, or do these inks allow for a little help from a conveyor dryer? Then again, if these inks are proprietary, all may be a moot point, or tease at best.

Andy:  First up my post was not a tease, and no the specific inks are not proprietary.  The challenge that I tried to convey in my earlier post was that Nazdar SourceOne had worked under an NDA with a major client on this type of printing application, and as such I needed to be careful in my communication of a solution.

 I'll repeat the offer that I made in my earlier post, that if there's a genuine interest in researching this issue I'll make some inquiries and post some suggestions on the inks and the process to print on these types of garments without damaging their water-proof properties.

[Frog]

Well Peter, I'm fairly certain that no one here wants you to violate any non-disclosure agreement, and/or possibly anger the Gods (like the Goddess of Victory). I am also fairly certain that any information that makes this particular type of printing more successful would be appreciated and well received.