There is no doubt that if you’ve owned a printed t-shirt, you’ve seen the effects of repeated washing and drying on the printed ink. Many people’s favorite t-shirts are faded and cracked from overuse and years of wear, washing, and drying. Here are some tips to make sure your t-shirt lasts as long as possible:
How to Wash and Care for Your Custom Screen Printed Clothes
Turn the t-shirt inside out when washing and drying. By turning the garment inside out, the printed ink rubs against less material when tumbling in the washer or dryer. This simple step can really elongate the life of a printed t-shirt.
Use low temperature or cold wash settings. It would also be a good idea to separate darks and colored shirts from whites–just in case!
Use a mild laundry detergent.
Tumble dry on low or go the old-fashioned route and hang it to dry.
Order custom printed t-shirts from a top-quality vendor.
Learning to recognize the signs of a shoddy screen printing shop can help you be better educated about the quality and craftsmanship of the products. Be on the lookout for things like:
Ink washout. This is when the ink on the shirt is not cured all of the way through and did not cure to the correct temperature.
Fibrillation is another sign of low-quality printing. This is when the actual fabric fibers break free from the ink film. The ink will begin to look broken up, and the texture of the material will overcome the texture of the print.
Turning garments inside out, as mentioned earlier, is the easiest and best way to prevent fibrillation.