Care for Tee's

[grumpy2]

Any one know the best way to care for iron-on Transfer t-shirt's? Will they hold up after washing and drying? Ours were taken to a T-shirt shop and the tranfers were applied there. Does that make a diff? Help plz.

 

[KBerly]

Hi Grumpy! I've tested a few shirts to make sure that they didn't bleed (and all were okay) and washed them inside out on cold water. I dried them on low heat. Everything was fine and they looked great. Maybe someone else can give you better advice. Wish I could find a shirt shop to iron my shirts! Have a great trip!

 

[luvhockey]

I have my transfer paper (thanks Kristine) and my t-shirts. So-I print these out using my regular injet printer. Does anyone know what keeps the ink from running? It obviously doesn't but it seems to good to be true.
Paranoia setting in I guess since I'll be doing these in a few weeks when the kids are in summer school.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I had our shirts done last summer at the shop in the mall. The guy told me to wash them in COLD water with one cup of vinegar (no detergent or fabric softener) and tumble dry on low. I made the mistake of trying to hang the first one to dry and the ink ran EVERYWHERE - the shirt was completely ruined and I had to take it back. They were very nice about replacing it, and I dried the rest of them in the dryer without incident. I have washed them in cold water with Tide since then and they still look good!

 

[KristineN]

Ink bleed is a very common problem...this issue is due to your printer...not the transfer paper.

Do NOT print at a high quality setting...the paper can not absorb all the ink

It is best to use a pigment based dye...such as Epson durabrite. HP ink does not work well in the long run. Most other printers ink will bleed in the wash as well

MOST IMPORTANT...go out and buy a can of scotch-guard. After you iron it on...spray the design...turn the shirt inside out and spray the back of the design. 2 coats on each side. This will increase the durability even on a non epson ink

Wash inside out...spin 5 minutes in the dryer...and then hang to completely dry.

 

[luvhockey]

I'll go get the scotch guard. I have an Epson all in one printer but I've just got off brand ink in it right now, because I don't use it to print photos. Guess I'll invest in the good ink if it will stick better and stay bright longer.
Thanks for another tip
Angela

 

[DizneeMommy]

Gotta question--can I use the Epson ink in my HP 3-in-one printer? Haven't tried it before.

 

[KristineN]

sorry, no...

Gotta question--can I use the Epson ink in my HP 3-in-one printer? Haven't tried it before.

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y]

I am not disagreeing with Kristine because I do not know what causes the bleeding. But the last set of shirts I did (and there were 50 of them) were with an HP printer with HP ink and I had no bleeding. I have washed and rewashed these shirts many times since then and still no bleed. I did not print on the highest of ink but did print on best quality. Maybe I just got lucky!

 

[KBerly]

MOST IMPORTANT...go out and buy a can of scotch-guard. After you iron it on...spray the design...turn the shirt inside out and spray the back of the design. 2 coats on each side. This will increase the durability even on a non epson ink

Thanks for the tip, Kristen!

 

[KristineN]

I think you were very lucky....it' a law of averages I think. In hanging with these guys that sell shirts for a living...they truly say pigment based ink is the way to go. And after my experiences..I have to agree..I got 100% more durability with this ink. A group of us..I'd say over 100 shirts..all bled after 1st wash.

I am not disagreeing with Kristine because I do not know what causes the bleeding. But the last set of shirts I did (and there were 50 of them) were with an HP printer with HP ink and I had no bleeding. I have washed and rewashed these shirts many times since then and still no bleed. I did not print on the highest of ink but did print on best quality. Maybe I just got lucky!

 

[DizneeMommy]

OK--since I have an HP printer, what precautions should I take? MICKEY--did you do anything special with yours? I really don't want them to bleed!

 

[DizneeMommy]

OK--have been doing some research on the HP site. For anyone with an HP printer (like me) the site says to be sure to leave about a 1/4" buffer all the way around the design. It says if you cut into the actual design, the ink will bleed. I guess since I have the dark transfer paper, that means I'll have a little white border around my designs? I don't mind if it will keep them from bleeding!

 

[ktturner]

I am not disagreeing with Kristine because I do not know what causes the bleeding. But the last set of shirts I did (and there were 50 of them) were with an HP printer with HP ink and I had no bleeding. I have washed and rewashed these shirts many times since then and still no bleed. I did not print on the highest of ink but did print on best quality. Maybe I just got lucky!

I think you were very lucky....it' a law of averages I think. In hanging with these guys that sell shirts for a living...they truly say pigment based ink is the way to go. And after my experiences..I have to agree..I got 100% more durability with this ink. A group of us..I'd say over 100 shirts..all bled after 1st wash.

I have tons of respect for both of you. Your designs are wonderful. . . Perhaps the secret isn't only in the ink. The scotch guard seems like a good tip. what brand of paper did each of you use? Did you both dry for a short time and then hang dry??? perhaps the reason Amy's worked had to do with another factor altogether? thoughts?

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y]

OK--have been doing some research on the HP site. For anyone with an HP printer (like me) the site says to be sure to leave about a 1/4" buffer all the way around the design. It says if you cut into the actual design, the ink will bleed. I guess since I have the dark transfer paper, that means I'll have a little white border around my designs? I don't mind if it will keep them from bleeding!

I have tons of respect for both of you. Your designs are wonderful. . . Perhaps the secret isn't only in the ink. The scotch guard seems like a good tip. what brand of paper did each of you use? Did you both dry for a short time and then hang dry??? perhaps the reason Amy's worked had to do with another factor altogether? thoughts?

I am not sure what the trick is. I didn't know the scotch guard trick when I made our shirts. I washed the shirts without fabric softner and dryed them as usual - again without a dryer sheet (and since I was making so many, they sat folded in a box for a few weeks). I printed the iron ons (and in fact used best quality ink instead of normal) and trimmed them - and again since I was doing so many this was not done the same day - I trimmed them to the edge of the design (maybe they are referencing not printing all the way to the edge of the paper not too trim to close to design - I don't know). Then I ironed them on - again another day and over numerous days. I got my transfers from a vendor on ebay and was happy with them. I didn't wash the shirts again before wearing them - but only because I was afraid I didn't get all the corners down and thought they would look more fresh and vibrant anyway. So they were not washed until after we got back. But that was 4 months ago and they have been washed a lot since then, and still no bleed. Kinda sounds like I got lucky but it worked! Sorry for the long story but you wanted to know what I did!

 

[grumpy2]

Just got back yesterday from WDW and already miss it. Well I didn't check this thread before I washed our shirts and I guess I just got lucky. I forgot and put fabric soft. in with the wash and they came out fine. Washed on Perm. Press cycle, cold water and no bleeding or peeling. Only in dryer for about 5 min. I used Dell all in one printer on photo setting. Maybe the difference was, I took them to a T-shirt shop and had the transfers put on there. The one shirt I did at home, started to peel after the first washing. . Oh well, I'll take lucky any time if it works. Dave

 

[ktturner]

Well, I'll be trying my luck with the canon printer. My only problem is the great debate of which paper to use. . . This project is slated for this week, so wish me luck!! Thanks for the clarification, sounds like it is all kinda luck of the draw!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I am having trouble with cracking. After washing my tees the design cracks. I have had no problem with bleeding with my HP. I prewash, no fabric softener, wash after transfer inside out, cold. Still cracks. I use Avery brand. What does everyone else use? Do you think I iron too long?

 

[grumpy2]

We used HP brand light transfer paper. No cracking or bleeding. Next time I will try dark paper and see how that works. I have Dell all-in-one printer, and we had transfers put on at a t-shirt shop. Also bought shirts there but, got a good deal. Can only use white shirts with light transfer paper tho. Would like some more colorful shirts next time. Hope u have better luck next time JiminyC. Dave

 

[stagemomx3]

Maybe the difference was, I took them to a T-shirt shop and had the transfers put on there.

Did you take them the transfer already on the transfer paper and just have them use their machine? Did you purchase the t-shirts from them and then just hand over the designs?