# Tshirt color fading when heat pressing



## tamidesign (Nov 19, 2010)

Help!! Why is the color of the shirt fading when I press my transfer?? I have the temp to 400 degrees and 10 seconds .. any ideas? I use alternative apparel tear away tees.. anyone else experience this??


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## Skinbus (Jul 2, 2007)

tamidesign said:


> Help!! Why is the color of the shirt fading when I press my transfer?? I have the temp to 400 degrees and 10 seconds .. any ideas? I use alternative apparel tear away tees.. anyone else experience this??


I'm not sure how pressing a t-shirt would make the color fade. Normally, a dark transfer is pressed at 375-400 for 25-30 sec. What brand of transfers are you using?


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## proworlded (Oct 3, 2006)

What color shirt? This sometimes happens with red when the moisture is removed from the fabric. It usually is restored after a period of time, or washing.


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## tamidesign (Nov 19, 2010)

proworlded said:


> What color shirt? This sometimes happens with red when the moisture is removed from the fabric. It usually is restored after a period of time, or washing.


Thanks for replying! .. Yes it was a red shirt .. but it seems to be happening with all the colors just not as noticeable as with the red... Is there any way to prevent this???


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

It is the moisture being removed from the shirt. The color will come back. You can sprits it with a little water if you like but that is not needed.


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## tamidesign (Nov 19, 2010)

binki said:


> It is the moisture being removed from the shirt. The color will come back. You can sprits it with a little water if you like but that is not needed.


Hey thanks for replying!

I tried water on a few of the areas like on the seam of the sleeve... but its like a huge square where the press was applied .. how do i send a customer a tshirt like this?? I dont want to have to wash every shirt before I send it out... is there a way to avoid this???


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## FatKat Printz (Dec 26, 2008)

tamidesign said:


> Hey thanks for replying!
> 
> I tried water on a few of the areas like on the seam of the sleeve... but its like a huge square where the press was applied .. how do i send a customer a tshirt like this?? I dont want to have to wash every shirt before I send it out... is there a way to avoid this???


Not really.. a note explaining to the custom what is going should be suffice. We assume all customers wash before they were their shirts. 
Print something up don't hand write.. 

You can hang them up cool down instead of piling them up on top of each. But it will still be noticeable.. only thing is you can be burning the shirt and it won't go away. So take one and test wash if it doesn't go away lower your temperature..try measure out something same size as your print area that can go under the shirt (teflon pillow or mouse pad)that can lift it up and this may help lessen the heat square.


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## tamidesign (Nov 19, 2010)

FatKat Printz said:


> Not really.. a note explaining to the custom what is going should be suffice. We assume all customers wash before they were their shirts.
> Print something up don't hand write..
> 
> You can hang them up cool down instead of piling them up on top of each. But it will still be noticeable.. only thing is you can be burning the shirt and it won't go away. So take one and test wash if it doesn't go away lower your temperature..try measure out something same size as your print area that can go under the shirt (teflon pillow or mouse pad)that can lift it up and this may help lessen the heat square.


Thanks Fatkat! Do you think if I change the brand of shirt this might help.. is it possible that the dye in Alternative Apparel is more likely to do this than other brands?


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## My Shirt Connect (Jan 24, 2010)

You see this the most in Red colors. If you are in this situation all the time, you might want to think about getting a larger press. It's nice to have the whole top half of the garment exposed to heat. If there is a huge color shift, then you can rotate the shirt around and hit the bottom half with heat to even out the color.

Also,

I was told once that you can even out the color by placing your red shirts in a dryer for 5 mins but I don't know if that works.

Brian


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## FatKat Printz (Dec 26, 2008)

tamidesign said:


> Thanks Fatkat! Do you think if I change the brand of shirt this might help.. is it possible that the dye in Alternative Apparel is more likely to do this than other brands?


you are welcome, no its just the dye's in the shirts (orange, red, coral) seems to be the most problematic .. we have seen it happen in all brands no one better than the other.. 

I wouldn't waste any more time, try some of the tricks but don't spend to much energy on it because it's happen to all of us. 

Don't wait till the last minute to get the order done..give the customer time to get them washed.


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## tv23 (Feb 7, 2011)

Could it just be the press? What type of press are you using? Have you also checked the temperature matches your project?


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## tamidesign (Nov 19, 2010)

tv23 said:


> Could it just be the press? What type of press are you using? Have you also checked the temperature matches your project?


My press is a Hix .. does this happen to you at all?


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## tv23 (Feb 7, 2011)

Yes, red mostly and some orange T-shirts. Color does come back, but slightly. Try bringing the temp down a bit and adding a few extra seconds. I usually tell the customer that the red colored shirts fade a bit when washed. All colored garment fade especially in home dryers if not turned inside out.


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## tamidesign (Nov 19, 2010)

tv23 said:


> Yes, red mostly and some orange T-shirts. Color does come back, but slightly. Try bringing the temp down a bit and adding a few extra seconds. I usually tell the customer that the red colored shirts fade a bit when washed. All colored garment fade especially in home dryers if not turned inside out.


Thank you!! I will definitely try that


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## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

I do not get a fading - usually on my reds and oranges I get a darkening that subsides after a while. By the time the customer comes the color is back.


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## jean518 (Sep 23, 2009)

The first time this happened to me, I went into a dead panic. I noticed it on reds, pinks, purples, and oranges. It does go away when the garment cools down. I hung them until they cooled and then folded them. The dark pink was the worst. It almost turned purple! After noticing that it subsided with cooling, I just ignored it.


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