Printing your own T-shirts

Are you tired of browsing the stores in search of the perfect T-shirt? One that would have a design that you like, but that would also make you stand out from the crowd. Have you thought of doing your own design and printing it on the T-shirt on your own? Here are some ideas on how to accomplish that.

A simple method – your printer

After you have chosen the design on your computer, get the shirt you want to print on. It would be better if you had washed the T-shirt before, just to make sure there is no dirt trapped between the shirt and the picture. Now make sure the image is the size you want and just press the print button. After it’s printed, cut the borders of the image on the paper and put put it on the shirt the way you want it to appear on it. Now, using the transfer paper you have, take one paper and lay it up over the picture on your shirt. Next, take the iron and press it gently over the picture with the transfer paper over it and move the iron over the entire image and keep the iron for 2-3 seconds on each section of the picture. Make sure you have covered everything. Now all you have to do is remove the transfer paper from your shirt and it’s done!

Screen printing

This is another method of printing your own T-shirt, but it involves some equipment and more work / time.

Getting started: after having decided on the design you want, cut it out of the paper you drew it on. Use a knife that allows you to be exact with your cuts. Cut the parts of the image that you want to paint on the T-shirt and leave the rest of the paper intact. Now get your screen ready. You can either buy a pre-made one or make one yourself.

Place masking tape around the edges of the underside of the screen (the underside is the side that touches the fabric of the T-shirt). Make sure there is no mesh showing around the edges. If there is, cover the edges that show or else you could have paint leak over the edge of the design paper onto your shirt, so be careful!

Lay the T-shirt on a flat surface and make sure there are no wrinkles. Place the paper stencil on above it and then put the screen on top, making sure everything is straight. Spread a small amount of ink at the top of the screen (about a tablespoon). For ink, it would be easier if you used screen printing fabric ink. Then hold the screen down with one hand and with the other one, place the squeegee above the ink to pull it down along the screen. Repeat until the whole design has been covered with ink and wait a little for it to soak into the T-shirt.

To end, lift the screen up slowly, starting at the bottom. Let the shirt dry and make sure the ink isn’t touched. Once you are done, wash the screen in cold water and scrub it with a sponge to get the ink out and then let it air dry.

Choose the method that is better suited to your time and budget!

Source-http://thetshirtman.co.uk/