If you want your t-shirt designs to be unique, to stand out from the crowd, try using some of the specialized typography effects described in this article. Specialty printing offers some real advantages. Besides looking simply great, special effects give your designs a point of difference from the crowd, and while they cost more than standard screen printing, premium products often command higher selling prices.
ink dump
Discharge ink removes existing dye from the shirt, leaving behind the natural color of the fibers (generally some shade of beige). The colors in the fibers can then be replaced by adding the inks to the vacuum base.
Advantages: The use of offload ink on a T-shirt results in a solid, colorful print and a very soft hand (i.e. a soft “feel” of the printed T-shirt). Offset ink is especially valuable if you’re printing bright colors on black T-shirts. An alternative technique for printing colors on a dark, pigment-based base requires an “undercoat” layer of white ink to ensure sufficient opacity of the colour, resulting in a thick, heavy finish.
cons: Since it is impossible to know in advance how each shirt will react to an ink discharge, color matches cannot be guaranteed and there may be some color variation between prints throughout the run.
Photochromic ink
Photochromic or UV-reactive inks are nearly transparent when viewed indoors but change to vivid colors in sunlight.
Advantages: Brilliant effects can be created with a print that effectively displays two different designs – one indoors and one outdoors.
cons: Only a limited selection of colors are available.
Glow in dark ink
Glow-in-the-dark inks do exactly what their name suggests – they distinguish themselves by glowing in the dark! In the light, these inks will appear semi-transparent.
Advantages: People can find you in the dark. (Just kidding. It’s cool, though.)
cons: The inks work best if printed on a white or faded background, so a light-colored undercoat is required over dark shirts.
Foil print
Foil printing is a two-stage process that leaves a shiny, metallic “print” on your T-shirt. First, the garment is screen-printed using a special adhesive instead of ink, and dried (dried) in the normal way. A sheet of aluminum foil is then heat pressed onto the image created by the adhesive. When the plunger is lifted, the foil adheres to the printed adhesive areas and the excess is removed.
Advantages: Foil printing gives the best glossy metallic printing effect. Exaggerated!
cons: Because it is a two-stage process, foil printing may not work well for delicate, detailed designs, and it is more susceptible to active washing than most other ornamental styles.
metallic inks
Metallic inks result in a lustrous and shiny finish, like a metallic car paint. Metallic screen printing is cheaper than foil printing, but doesn’t have the same shiny effect.
printing glitter
Like foil printing and metallic inks, glossy inks can make your design shiny and eye-catching. It is available in a wide variety of colours.
puff inks
Puff inks are created by mixing a specially prepared base with ink. The primary ink mixture (“jet”) expands during the print processing through heat tunneling, leaving a three-dimensional texture. Puff inks are also available in a wide range of colours.
flock
Flocks are printed by adding a special base to the ink, which gives the ink a velvety, furry texture as it cures through heat tunneling.
All of these specialized printing techniques can be used to give your designs a little something ‘extra’, and make them stand out and unique.
“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” – Albert Einstein