# I just printed my first shirt!



## jaxsracks (Dec 14, 2014)

Hey t-shirt world, just printed my first shirt. Long story short, watched bunch of youtube vids and read ton of info and decided to order plastisol ink, screens, and emulsion from Ryonet. Made a homemade press out of 2x4's. What I did not realize was curing the ink was going to be a detail that I did not think thru to well. So after reading lots of post the oven did not seem like a great option. But being desperate to screen a shirt, I bought a heat temp gun from lowes for $20, turned the oven on broil, printed a shirt, placed it on the second rack from bottom on a cookie sheet pan , put the temp gun on it and bout 30 seconds later it was at 325F. No smoke, fumes were minimal. Anyway it's in the wash so will see how it goes. Another detail that was bit more complicated than I imagined was the film being printed and being oblique. But I worked that out with a regular ole HP printer. Hope it works out cause going to help knock out some Christmas gifts as all the family will love their new sports wear with the kids teams logos and numbers on them.  Any thing here that is concerning or thoughts to help me would be appreciated. Glad I found this forum! Saving for a flash dryer now


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

Uh, could you sound _more_ amped??? 

I LOVE welcoming the innocent and naïve to the Dark 

Side. And I am genuinely amped for you!

(The Force is strong with this one)


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

And take a photo of it to keep.

And post it if you can.


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## jaxsracks (Dec 14, 2014)

Hey again and thanks for the reply's and support. I would post a pic but I do not see the "manage attachments" button. Turned out good, just a little flaking on the lettering. My thought is the cure could be a little longer? 

Question: I have a hoodie I would like to do next but I noticed it's 50/50 cotton poly. Will that matter? seems like I read you need special ink for poly?? 

thanks again!


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

Click Reply then scroll down. There's a lot of stuff but you should see it.

Dark 50/50 and printing White or light ink, I generally use a modified poly ink to minimize the possibility of dye migration.

Pretty much if you're printing dark ink on White or light, regular plastisols are OK.

Fleece heats up pretty fast and polys cure at a lower temp.


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## jaxsracks (Dec 14, 2014)

Thanks TYGERON! After all my research I'm still a little confused on what to clean the plastisol from the screen and tools with? Not to come across as needing to be spoon feed, is mineral spirits ok? without damaging anything? Thanks again for all your help! Jack


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

There are folk who swear by using mineral spirits. I 

don't fool with it. I use soy based Franmar products. 

Just got some Saati samples that seem to work well.

Harsh cleaners can cause emulsion to lock and 

make reclaiming difficult. Some folk recommend a 

pressure washer, but one isn't necessary for 

reclaiming. Nice to have if needed though. I use a 

length of regular garden type hose with an adjustable 

nozzle.


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