# How to print over the shoulder / collar / sleeve?



## tryplecrown (Jan 24, 2007)

I ran a search but couldn't find anything on this. I've seen a lot of these distressed designs recently that have a print that runs up over the shoulder or maybe over the top collar. An example of what I'm talking about can be seen HERE or HERE. I was wondering if someone might be able to point me to a post or further info about doing this? Looks like it may require some pretty large screens which makes me wonder about platens???


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

A lot of that stuff would probably be done on a belt printer. Sometimes you can do things with a large screen and an oversized platen or a table, but at that point you also have to watch your ink build-up (using discharge printing can help with this).


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## ChipShank (May 6, 2007)

I was just doing a search on this....LOL
We are getting more and more requests and seeing more uses for this sort of thing, so I figured it's time to start looking for some answers.


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## tryplecrown (Jan 24, 2007)

OK, this is goofy, but I just came full circle. I just ran a search for this... AND FOUND AN OLD POST BY ME FROM LAST YEAR. Well, I've been seeing some requests here for this type of thing from a couple of clients and wanted to bump this post. For some reason, I'm thinking I saw a special platen a while back that was shaped like half of a t-shirt with the sleeve to allow for printing up on the shoulder area and on to the sleeve. 

Does anyone have a picture of their setup to print up on the shoulder??? Any tips on it? Between my original post and this one, someone's bound to have some experience in this. 

I just pulled up the PacSun website looking at some popular tees. Almost everything there has some sort of oversized print running over the collar or up over the shoulder, under the sleeves just a bit??? 

Any tips, pointers or direction in this area???


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## tryplecrown (Jan 24, 2007)

Ran across this on another board. Guess this answers my question since I'm running a 6 color manual. 

Special Platens


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

The Long beach show this past weekend had a press running doing this type of printing. Screens were huge. Platens were probably 3 feet by 3 or 4 feet long. Could have been simple plywood. Shirt was simply laid on top of platen and screened. Print went over collar, hem, and sleeves. Of course, look was definitely grunge.


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## Tee Freak (Jan 23, 2008)

Perhaps this should solve your problem, Action Engineering-Home it did solve mine..good luck!!


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## 00 (Dec 16, 2009)

just searching online and found out that the Mimaki GP604 printer could do that


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## wildbloodangel (Sep 26, 2010)

Is it possible to overprint with heat transfer printing?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

wildbloodangel said:


> Is it possible to overprint with heat transfer printing?


Yes, in fact this is the easiest way to "print" over seams.


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## wildbloodangel (Sep 26, 2010)

then is it possible to see some samples of what could be done that way?I'm looking for a cheap and silmpe way to print my designs the coolest way!Thx


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

wildbloodangel said:


> then is it possible to see some samples of what could be done that way?I'm looking for a cheap and silmpe way to print my designs the coolest way!Thx


Any shirt you see with an over the seam imprint could have been a transfer. That's the beauty of it, done right, and you can't tell.

Now, all over printing (oversized) is trickier to do with transfers and works best when your design is not continuous.


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## wildbloodangel (Sep 26, 2010)

yeah thaks,but what do you mean by "continious"?Then is there anyway we can do oversized printing with larger transfer paper like A3 sized paper?


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## MarshallA (Oct 7, 2008)

Back in the good ol days, before discharge and being able to print darks on a belt printer, we would cut the rubber platen covering with a razor knife in the shape of the collar with the shoulders at the top edge of the pallet. The image was placed as high as possible on the screen to eliminate the problem of the squeegee running off the pallet before the stroke was completed (using automatic press). This idea came about when printing a basketball net around the collar and up to the shoulders front and back. These were for Nike before Micheal Jordan! We initially did this to remove the air pocket around the collar edge that allowed the fabric to scorch where it didn't contact the platen. The bonus was the collar was flat. We also printed the Nike "over the shoulder sneakers" with a shoe on the front and one on the back. The shoe laces were tied at the top. Maybe some of you "older guys" remember these prints as we printed 1000's of dozens way back when. 

As a side note if you stipple the artwork around the collar and seams your life will be much simpler.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

wildbloodangel said:


> yeah thaks,but what do you mean by "continious"?Then is there anyway we can do oversized printing with larger transfer paper like A3 sized paper?


You can have a single transfer only as large as your heat press. 

OR, you can have a number of transfers and press each one separately on the garment to make a final print as large as the shirt. This would not work with a continuous design like the letter 'O'. But it would work with a non continuous design like the word 'shirt'. You could press the S, then line up and press the H, and so on.


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## mikelmorgan (Nov 1, 2008)

Here is a link to this topic. Maybe it will help.
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/screen-printing/t91358.html


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