# Smudging on performance sweatshirts



## tsimonds (Jun 25, 2014)

Let me start by saying, I am a newbie, been printing for only 4 months and would greatly appreciate any help. I am printing on performance sweatshirts (black), single color (green) and have delivered about 50 or so to the customer. About 7 have come back with smudges and some cracks. I have used a low cure additive and run through the dryer for about 90 seconds at 280. 

What am I doing wrong? Or is the customer washing wrong? I have not been able to reproduce this problem in my shop and am still learning. I hope someone can help.

http://www.my3tees.com/images/smudge.jpg


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## tsimonds (Jun 25, 2014)

tsimonds said:


> Let me start by saying, I am a newbie, been printing for only 4 months and would greatly appreciate any help. I am printing on performance sweatshirts (black), single color (green) and have delivered about 50 or so to the customer. About 7 have come back with smudges and some cracks. I have used a low cure additive and run through the dryer for about 90 seconds at 280.
> 
> What am I doing wrong? Or is the customer washing wrong? I have not been able to reproduce this problem in my shop and am still learning. I hope someone can help.
> 
> ...


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

what type of ink are you using? I haven't found a fluorescent ink that I can direct print onto polyester without an underbase yet. Even Exacliburs 1500 series needs an underbase for their fluorescent colors. there other ones can be direct printed pretty well as long as you watch the temp even more closely than normal. 

From the picture you posted it looks like you undercured the ink big time. I don't see any smudging. I see ink washing away and cracking.
Also if your ink doesn't have any type of stretch additive either built into the ink or added by you then the ink will crack on performance materials. 

I got 3-4 pints to sample of other brands "polyester" white ink. They all cure under 300, but none of them have stretch built in and they will crack on the performance shirts and polos I usually print on. Although they are doing a good job with dye migration I wouldn't consider them to be "athletic" inks since they don't have extra stretch. I understand that not all performance materials are extra stretchy (some are more like cotton), but most of the performance wear I have used and sample stretches more than people think.


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## tsimonds (Jun 25, 2014)

That's what I thought, thank you very much for your input! I plan to slow down the belt some more.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

with the fact that you are printing on a performance hoodie you are doing multiple passes so you need to make sure of at least 2 things:
1. you are not over-flashing your first passes. Make sure that you don't over flash any of your passes or there will be nothing for your next ink coat to adhere to. Make sure the ink is tacky to the touch, but not enough to stick to the screen or to leave any ink on your screens/fingers. You want it to "gel" and not cure. You could also go by the manufacturer's recommended flash temp. Since athletic or poly inks have a lower cure point many of them also have a lower flash/gel temp as well.
2. More ink layers means it will take longer to cure the design all the way through all layers. You will need to adjust your equipment so you are taking longer to get to your temp. You definitely need different settings for a 2-3 layered print than you would for cotton shirts with 1 hit of black ink through a 200 mesh.

**Also the slower you can get to your temp when working with polyester the better it seems. Also try not to exceed the manufacturer's cure temp by too much. The inks are made to cure under polyester's sublimation temp so if you go over the ink cure temp the poly can start to sublimate and the dye is more likely to migrate into your ink. 

LMK if you need any other help.


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## customapparelpro (May 2, 2014)

If i was you I would...
Underprint 
Flash
Green. 
Either 2 pulls on both screens or 2 On the Underprint and 1 on the spot. 

I would also run the dryer at 320. Even with reducer.


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