# Print curling up after wash due to shrinking?



## aidancld (May 21, 2021)

Hey everyone, first post.

I'm in the process of producing the tees for my first clothing drop, and on all of my test washes my prints seem to "curl up" which I'm assuming is a result of the garment shrinking around the print? I'm not sure what to do at this point as I've tried throwing them in the dryer before printing to the same result. Pre washing all of them seems like a drag. Blanks are Gildan5000 heavy cotton, any help is appreciated.

Before wash:









After Wash:


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

Cotton does shrink. You could use a 50/50 cotton/poly blend and reduce shrinkage.

Is that a Plastisol print? I don't print with it myself, but I have noticed that effect _over time_ on my store-bought Plastisol printed shirts. That your's are doing it after one wash may say something about the quality of those Gildan shirts.

I've never seen this on my water based prints, most all of which are on 100% cotton. Not even on high-opacity prints using Permaset SuperCover, which does add a bit of a layer to the shirt, but still probably moves more with the shirt than Plastisol. But I don't print on G5000s, either.

Guess I would suggest trying a cotton/poly blend or a 100% ringspun cotton shirt. I use mostly Next Level Apparel, or Hanes Beefy-T (for a boxy cut).


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## aidancld (May 21, 2021)

NoXid said:


> Cotton does shrink. You could use a 50/50 cotton/poly blend and reduce shrinkage.
> 
> Is that a Plastisol print? I don't print with it myself, but I have noticed that effect _over time_ on my store-bought Plastisol printed shirts. That your's are doing it after one wash may say something about the quality of those Gildan shirts.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply, yes I use plastisol. I figured garment shared most of the blame. I also realized, however, that I could be using too much adhesive and the design is stretching when I pull it off the palate. Gonna try to figure out the issue again in the morning.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

NoXid said:


> Is that a Plastisol print? I don't print with it myself, but I have noticed that effect _over time_ on my store-bought Plastisol printed shirts.


Interesting... I've never seen this on big brand shirts. 
Big brands obviously know about this and do pre-wash their shirts. 



aidancld said:


> I figured garment shared most of the blame.


All 100% cotton blanks shrink by one or two sizes when washed or dried hot.
They will also shrink in cold water but slowly. It becomes noticeable after 10 washes or so. 
50/50 blends will not shrink in cold water, and will not shrink much in hot water either.
The problem of course is that many people, including myself, prefer 100% cotton. 

Discharge and most water-based prints don't really need pre-washing, but you still have to deal with the size issue. 
People don't like when their size XL shirt becomes size M.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

TABOB said:


> Interesting... I've never seen this on big brand shirts.
> Big brands obviously know about this and do pre-wash their shirts.


I'm talking some high-mileage shirts here  and not necessarily "big names." Shirt quality and technique may not have been the best.


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## in_amanda_we_trust (May 10, 2021)

Sometimes it's the heat of the washing water that makes a difference. The company I work for use super-flex heat press vinyl and send out washing instructions with them, as some customers put them in the wash initially at to high a temperature and the vinyl shrivels up & starts to peel, regardless of clothing quality.


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