T-shirt printing at home

Textiles with various prints have long ceased to be scarce. Different manufacturing companies offer a myriad of products. But today we will talk about whether it is possible to print on T-shirts at home, whether it is possible to make an exclusive thing yourself. If the drawing can be printed on paper, then why not transfer it to the fabric? Let's try to create unique clothes with our own hands.

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What do you need for work?

To transfer photos to textiles, you will need:

• Color inkjet printer.
• T-shirt.
• Iron.
• Thermal paper.

Important! Only an inkjet printer should be used.

Regarding the thing itself, there are such recommendations:

• The fabric for printing should be taken in good quality - cotton, without synthetic threads.
• Another important nuance. It is desirable that the fabric is white. Thermal paper has one feature: the pattern transferred from it to the fabric will be on a white background. There is also colored thermal paper on sale, you can pick it up to the shade of the fabric. However, it is not cheap.

Important! It is important that the thing is not tight-fitting on you, but relatively loose. Otherwise, the image will crack very quickly.

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Getting down to thermal transfer

How to print on t-shirts at home? The technique is largely reminiscent of children's decals. The only difference is that to “transfer” the picture to the fabric, you need not water, but a heated iron.

The procedure is as follows:

• Using a printer, print the picture that you are going to transfer to textiles. Cut unwanted paper around the edges of the image.

Important! Before printing, using a graphics editor, expand the image “mirror”. In this case, it will be displayed on the fabric correctly. In particular, it is important for the text.

• Lay out the T-shirt on the ironing board, iron the place where the pattern will be applied.
• Lay the thermal paper on the front of the shirt, face down.
• Preheat the iron as much as possible. Iron the paper for 3-4 minutes.

Important! Most of all, the sole of the iron is heated in the central part, so use it.

• Leave the thermal paper to cool. Then carefully remove it from the fabric by pulling the corner.

Important! If you see that the paint does not cling to the fabric, but to the paper, repeat the procedure again.

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Do you need it?

It is generally accepted that do-it-yourself items will cost less than factory-made products. You can’t argue with the laws of political economy - more often than not, this is really so. With a print on T-shirts this number does not work.

DIY printing on T-shirts is an exception to the rule:

• A pack of special paper costs about 15 y. e.
• Add to this the cost of purchasing a T-shirt. Cotton must be of high quality. On cheap Chinese things, print quality will be appropriate.

Important! Most likely, you will have to purchase a few T-shirts, since the first pancake will come out lumpy. And not the fact that only the first.

As for the services of professional application of the image on the product, the cost of work is only 3 y. e. In addition, the use of a thermal press to process a drawing cannot be compared with an iron. The image is much more persistent.

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Care

A thermal transfer printed T-shirt is rather capricious in leaving:

• You can wash it in the machine, but at a temperature of no higher than 30 degrees.
• Before washing, the thing needs to be turned inside out.
• They iron the product at medium temperature, covering the pattern with tracing paper.

Important! With good care, this image will retain its original appearance even after 20 or more washings.

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Stock footage

In principle, if you like to conduct various experiments at home and do needlework, then printing on T-shirts at home will be an interesting experience for you. And whether you will have a desire to transform your clothes in this way or not, it already depends on how well everything will turn out and in what style in general you are used to dress. In any case, we wish you good luck if you plan to bring this idea to life!