# 100% cotton or poly which fade less w/ pigment ink



## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi,

Using ironall, epson c88+, mighty press lite, *which holds color better over time:*

100% preshrunk cotton or 50/50 poly? 

Thanks so much for your insight!


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## angelic_endeavor (Sep 19, 2007)

Your set up sounds the same as mine: C88+, IronAll (actually Everlast), durabrite inks, Mighty Press. I found the 50/50 shirts actually faded less, and held the color better than the 100% cotton. That's just my impression...


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Oh, thank you. I really liked the way the 50/50 came out after pressing and wash tests (my second wash test was in warm water with med/high heat dryer for 25 mins) and the 50/50 looked awesome. 

I'm really glad to hear your opinion because I wanted to 50/50, but I read somewhere people felt with less cotton it faded faster. Thanks a bunch, I feel alot better now!


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## angelic_endeavor (Sep 19, 2007)

It's actually funny how my testing came about. I made one shirt for my daughter (Hanes Heavyweight 5.5 oz. 50/50), and she got it dirty before we even got a chance to wear it out to dinner. In addition, it got chilly, so I printed up another transfer and pressed it onto a Rabbit Skins long sleeve 100% cotton shirt, and after seeing how both of them washed, I was shocked to see how much better the 50/50 shirt looked! 

I have been happy with the soft feel, no cracking and great stretchability of the IronAll, but not so happy with the fading and the lack of color vibrancy! I'm soooo excited to try the Jet Pro Softstretch paper -- I'd be soooo happy if I didn't have to apologize to friends when the designs custom made for them start to fade right away! Guess this is why I haven't officially started a "t-shirt biz" yet!

Melissa


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

I'm waiting for my sofstretch, too! For all the same reasons. I'm selling ironall, but if anyone has a problem, I plan to replace their shirt FOC with sofstretch. So far, our 50/50's are looking good, but not all, some are holding better than others (brandwise) Jerzees HW seems to be winning for us, but I love the feel of Gildans.


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## karlking85 (Sep 26, 2007)

Gildan gets alot of bad press around here, the only thing I really have against it is the thread quality is pretty poor, and Gildan is notorious for having tons of loose thread all over the place. We use alot of FOTL 50/50's in the store, but our market prefers lightweight shirts in light colors. 

When I go highend, I will probably start stocking alot of Alternative and AA's.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

I just got a box in today with Gildans sweatshirts, threads all over, you're right.

I loved the FOTL, but in my wash test, it faded more than the Jerzees. Here it's cold, so I didn't like the thinness of the Jerzees (location, location, location), it wasn't bad, just not as thick as the Gildans, but it passed the wash test and nasty warm water & med/high heat drryer for 25 minutes with flying colors (no pun intended!).

What paper do you use in the store with the FOTL?


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## karlking85 (Sep 26, 2007)

Mostly plastisol, but I have experimented with ironall and a couple of it's "cousins" I am really anxious to try the SofStretch though, it sounds like the best thing going right now.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Me, too. Waiting, any day now.


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## karlking85 (Sep 26, 2007)

Let me know how it works out for ya.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

I will, I'll post it here.


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## angelic_endeavor (Sep 19, 2007)

Put my order in for the SoftStretch yesterday -- I can't wait! It would be great to make a photo design with vibrant colors, and not have to apologize ahead of time for the potential fading issue! I'm just hoping it's all that everyone says it is!!


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Mine's due to deliver tomorrow!!!!!!!! Anticipaaa-aa-tion is making me wait......


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## angelic_endeavor (Sep 19, 2007)

LOL... bet it'll feel like a Christmas morning!  The anticipation is killing me too! In fact, I asked Coastal last week to send me a sample, and since I still haven't received it, went ahead and ordered it in hope of just getting my hands on some quickly! (Not that I have a lot of time on my hands, especially with Christmas coming, but I'll MAKE time for the SoftStretch!!)


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## scripttees (Jul 16, 2007)

Wow, its seems like most of us have similiar set ups and similiar issues. I ordered the Everlast Ironall because thats what was recommended and I tested all colors on Haines Beefy Tee 100% cotton. FTL Loft Tees 100% cotton, Anvil Ladies Tees 100% cotton, Anvil Baby dolls. All faded after one wash, no cracking. I was really dissapointed with the black, it looks vintage after one wash. I am about to purchase Jet Pro Soft Stretch from Coastal. I wrote to Milford and told them that I was not impressed with Ironall and would no longer order from them. I doubt they will do anything for me but lesson learned. 

I was also about to order Gildan, but I may not now that I hear this. i have never used 50/50, I may order some samples. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best shirt that feels soft after washing and holds the color.


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## karlking85 (Sep 26, 2007)

I don't know Trevor, if they realize most of their customers are having these same issues, and now that there is a true competitor for them to muscle with, they might step up to the plate and make some updates.


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## angelic_endeavor (Sep 19, 2007)

That's the purpose of competition, right? Although, New Milford doesn't manufacture the paper (IronAll) -- they just sell it. Same for Coastal with SofStretch. Chances are, New Milford will become a seller of the very same paper, and they'll just market it under a different name -- just as done with the IronAll (Coastal's version of the same paper is called Everlast, and every distributor has a different name for it as well). If I remember correctly, the manufacturer of IronAll is Hyatt Innovative Solutions (or something like that).

As far as the brand of shirt, I've only used 3 different brands so far (I'm still a budding newbie) -- Hanes Heavyweight 5.5 oz 50/50, Rabbit Skins 100% cotton (for kids), and the Gildans short and long sleeve t. The Hanes seemed kind of thin to me, but transferred well, the rabbit skins are soft but run a little small for their stated size, and of the few Gildans I've done, I've gotten RAVE reviews from customers saying how soft and comfortable they are. If there's a few threads, I'm not really too concerned about it. If I happen to find them, they're snipped before getting to the customer. Seems everyone really likes 100% cotton over the 50/50, which is a shame because the IronAll really washed better on that. Hopefully the new SofStretch will fix the fading problem, and we can all use the shirts customers prefer instead of worrying about washability!

Melissa


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## karlking85 (Sep 26, 2007)

Exactly, but from where I'm standing, there hasn't really been much competition for ironall, except it's own cousins such as Everlast. I'm glad to see things changing, and I am really glad to see something that, in theory, looks better than ironall in many ways. There's still a long way to go before inkjet transfers are neck and neck with plastisol in quality (if this could ever happen) but we are definitely making strides in the right direction.


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## angelic_endeavor (Sep 19, 2007)

karlking85 said:


> Exactly, but from where I'm standing, there hasn't really been much competition for ironall, except it's own cousins such as Everlast. I'm glad to see things changing, and I am really glad to see something that, in theory, looks better than ironall in many ways. There's still a long way to go before inkjet transfers are neck and neck with plastisol in quality (if this could ever happen) but we are definitely making strides in the right direction.


Agreed. Prior to the SoftStretch, IronAll was the be-all/end-all of digital transfers! I had used a few papers previously, and although they had great color vibrancy and excellent photo capability, they cracked HORRIBLY (even after the first wash), and had a MUCH heavier hand! I thought IronAll was fabulous, but just wished they didn't fade so much. I hated to think that my beautiful new design would lose so much of the color and resolution after it was washed, and I was always afraid the customer would be upset too. In fact, I've kept most of my recent selling limited to word-of-mouth, without taking them on Ebay or my own website because of it. Hopefully, the SoftStretch will be the answer, and I can take my micro home business to the next level. Just got my sample pack of SoftStretch today, and am hoping to test in the next few days (would LOVE to do it sooner, but with the holidays and a 4.5 year old, time is at a premium!).

By the way, Everlast is not a cousin to IronAll, its a clone. They're the same paper -- just distributed by different companies -- NewMilfordPhoto vs. Coastal.

Melissa


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

karlking85 said:


> Let me know how it works out for ya.


 
The test on 50/50 jerzee hw went great, but the ironall I did side by side did great too. I picked these shirts because Ironall did great, so I guess the test is flawed. I have to pick a shirt ironall failed and do a coastal test, i guess.


coastal isn't doing well on my sweatshirts, but Leo and Lou gave some insight, and I'm going to try a 50/50 blend instead of 80/20.

so for now I am at - coastal for tees, ironall for sweatshirts, and ironall dark for darks.

sorry about the other day, i know you know it, but wasn't sure when reading about the tax id, someone starting out wouldn't get that number stuck in their head with all the crazy terminology there is. I'm just learning alot of things, too, and had to wonder if that applied to me as well, always double checking - but the lady at AA told me "go away sweetie and come back with the other number and you will be in." So I had to confirm in my own mind if I was thinking straight, so I popped that in there for the harried busy cluttered newbies like myself.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Update to thread: I did switch to the Gildans (G800) 50/50 ultra blend. While the Jetprosofstretch is the absolute best paper out there and the color is holding fabulous, the Gildan 5050 shirt is starting to "pill" all over the shirt except for where the transfer is. Only 2 months of washing (warm water, bleach, high heat dryer). 

The transfer area is smooth, no pilling bc of the polymer coating. This is a white shirt, and I left the box. You can't see the box, except now, this shirt is not pilling there, but since it is everywhere else, it looks a little odd to me. So, I am not too thrilled with the longer wash results of the Gildan's Ultrablend 50/50. The Jerzees HW 5050 (29B) holds the color just as well, but doesn't pill under the same wash conditions.

Does anyone use a 50/50 shirt that doesn't pill, but it not as thin as the Jerzees 29b? Thanks.


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## cbs1963 (May 31, 2007)

Hi Kelly, how many times have you washed the shirts in warm, bleach, high heat dryer? My experience with using these settings most would be with towels and socks. Shirts are much less durable than most socks and pretty much all towels. Ever notice how the towels start to unravel at the seems? We call it wear, but it's also the hot bleach wash with high heat dryer. We wash these extra harshly due to their use. I've never had a shirt that would out last a towel when washed this way. That high heat on dryers is really not for perma press clothing either. I really don't think it's reasonable to expect a low cost t-shirt to stand up in performance to a bath towel. The very best way to care for a printed t-shirt would be to lock it in a air tight container and not ever take it out. LOL. I just think you might be working too hard on the durability thing. Clothing is to protect the wearer not the other way around. Shirts wear out. Then some one gets to make a new one. 
Woo Hoo.


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## Lnfortun (Feb 18, 2006)

Try Fruit Of The Loom Best T 50/50 it does not pill. It has dense knit also.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks, boys, for the responses. 

Chet, it sounds like I am the "Misery" of laundry, . I'm noticing a difference between the Gildan's g800 to the Jerzees 29. The Gildan's is pilling after two months of my tough regimen, and Jerzees isn't pilling after 6 months, so I'm hoping for a good combo of the two. I just can't bear to change the settings on the washer. Just getting me in front of the washer is a chore! 

Luis, I'll give those a try, thanks!


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## cbs1963 (May 31, 2007)

Girlzndollz said:


> Thanks, boys, for the responses.
> 
> Chet, it sounds like I am the "Misery" of laundry, . I'm noticing a difference between the Gildan's g800 to the Jerzees 29. The Gildan's is pilling after two months of my tough regimen, and Jerzees isn't pilling after 6 months, so I'm hoping for a good combo of the two. I just can't bear to change the settings on the washer. Just getting me in front of the washer is a chore!
> 
> Luis, I'll give those a try, thanks!


Your doing fine Kelly, just sounded harsh. I use Jerzee's mostly, good brand recognition. Do have some Gildan's for the colors though. You know even screen printed and plastisol designs crack over time dependent on use. To be fair, have you tested a retail product in the same price range to get a baseline.


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