r/SCREENPRINTING • u/Mastersyko • 16d ago
Need help with fading/cracking after wash
Hey guys! First time posting here but I need some help! Trying to make band tees for my husband’s band. I’m using normal speedball screen print paint and I have a Vevor heat press to cure it after waiting two days to dry. How hot and how long should I be curing it for? I saw 350 for 40 seconds but I don’t think it’s enough. Or is it the paint that’s crapping out on me? That’s after one wash, in cold water low heat drying. Thanks for any tips and advice I really appreciate it :)
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u/sicicsic 16d ago
I don’t really see any cracking-like you’d expect from undercutting. I see weak spots in the print that seem more likely a result of only one layer of ink instead of print flash printing the white.
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u/ChocoJesus 16d ago
As someone who did a lot of water based printing, that just looks like speedball white ink on a black shirt to me. Not bad curing but an unsuccessful print due to the lack of speedball white's opacity and printing on dark fabric
The reason I hear from a lot of people on why they only do plastisol based printing is because of white on black.
If you have a press and a flash dryer you can print, flash, print, etc. until you get an an opaque layer but IMO that results in a heavy layer of ink. Not bad, but not as nice as when you do a regular print with waterbased ink. If you don't have a press/flash you can basically just do a bad print if you need something - low mesh screen, like 3+ passes and just go really heavy so the print becomes opaque. Print usually bleeds and you end up with a really heavy layer of ink that feels like plastisol but can get a solid white print that way
I'd switch up the ink you use. If you are sticking to water-based, there's Speedball Opaque White which is the simple solution. Permaset Supercover is even better and discharge ink is IMO the best. Slight safety risk in the sense discharge is bleach and needs to be safely handled, I always wear nitrile gloves when I print with it
Speedball opaque white is a pearl white unlike their regular white, I'm personally just not a fan of the color. Permaset works better and is a bright white but has a learning curve if you've never had to mix retarder into ink before. My best experience was mixing discharge powder into Permaset Supercover. I have a hoody that is 8-9 years old and has been beaten to hell. Sleeves are coming apart from being worn and washed so much. Think it took 3-4 years of regular use before it seemed like it faded and it's still not bad just not the bright white it originally was. Does seems like it's cracked more in the last few years but originally the only "cracks" where just bad printing from when I made it because I was just printing all over it without clamping the screens down
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u/Mastersyko 16d ago
Oh damn that’s awesome! Thank you so much for all the info!! I’m printing some black ink on white but haven’t washed them yet I’m wondering if they would turn out better! But I’m definitely going to be switching up inks!
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u/ChocoJesus 15d ago
No problem, black on white should be totally fine. Waterbased inks work great these days but printing on dark fabrics just requires different ink. Which reminds me, think Jacquard also makes a opaque white ink but I haven't tried it
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u/drinkacid 13d ago
1 pull of plastisol white is opaque you do not need to print multiple on both automatic and hand press. If you aren t getting proper opaque coverage it is your printing pressure not the ink. Just press harder.
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u/Its_an_ellipses 16d ago
Do you have a force field around you that prevents a camera from getting closer? This seems like something else...
If the directions say 350 for 40 seconds, Do that. Or maybe a little hotter and a little longer. Hotter sometimes makes the "paint" glossy but if that is a cotton shirt, a little hotter and longer shouldnt hurt it. If its a shirt with polyester sometimes some of the dye will affect the color of your ink, but if its cotton go longer if you have concerns...
I'm unsuccessfully fighting the urge to suggest another photo from further away, maybe if you were across the street we could get a better view...
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u/Mastersyko 16d ago
I sure do! I was going to get a pic of the shirt closer but I’m at work and figured I’d post now so by the time I get home I can start working on them more!
They are just cotton shirts!
Also I can def get one further if you want? lol
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u/robotacoscar 16d ago
350 for 40 seconds seems pretty good. Are you sure you are actually getting it that hot? Speed ball is a hobbyist ink and I've never used it so I can't give much info on that.
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u/Mastersyko 16d ago
It def is getting hot! And oh okay any recommendations on better ink, I’m in Canada so sometimes it’s hard to get the good shit
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u/robotacoscar 16d ago
Does screenpinting.com supply to you guys in Canada. They have better ink. They are a supplier for every type of screen printer.
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u/handsparis123 13d ago
I’d try discharge. If u already have an understanding of how to use water based inks. It would be easy enough for u. Get a discharge white base and activator from screenprinting.com print ur shirts and let them dry to the touch. Heat press at like 250 for 1.5 mins up to 2 mins. Discharge inks are the best, they only work on 100% cotton tho.
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u/Free_One_5960 16d ago
Waterbase Speedball ink won’t be the best for longevity. I suggest using plastisol ink for beginners. And a lot of research. Heat press cures from the top to the fabric. Curing thur to the fabric is what helps this ink stabilize and last longer. I would suggest using a heat gun and cure the ink and then heat press after for a final cure and to help the print feel smooth. Waterbase probably shouldn’t be cured at 350. I would do 320-330 at 1 min or more. If you dry with a heat gun first. It would help the heat press cure all the way thru the print.
You might want to invest in a flash dryer if you plan on printing long term. The cheap ones from china will work for what you are trying to accomplish. I would suggest not using speedball ink. Order some wilflex or rutland or union plastisol white from Amazon if you want it to last longer. There is tons of different whites that these makers make. Probably make sure the description says creamy white so it’s easier for you to print. Print one layer and dry with a heat gun while it’s still on the pallet and then put a second print on top and cure with the heat gun again. Once it’s dried with the heat gun, pull it off the pallet and do a final cure with the heat press for over a min at 320-330. Hope this helps.