# Types of Print on t-shirts



## mosphet (Apr 19, 2007)

Hi! Great forum. Thanks for the help. I have what may be a dumb question but I think many people may be asking. My main question is, what type of t-shirt printing to skateboard brands use for their t-shirts, i.e. dcshoes, quicksilver, hurly, etc.

There are so many different types of print, I think I know what i want, but i don't know the difference between them. There is:
screen printing
silk screening
heat transfer
plastisol transfers

Am i getting confused by these? I am intersested in the print that comes out sort of "thick" not necessarily sticking out, but thick paint-like printing. Any help? thanks a lot!!

jon


----------



## renwick (May 16, 2006)

many companies use plastisol screen printing,also heat transfer.
to get that look i`d plastisol screen print.But make sure you cure usins a dryer.


----------



## mosphet (Apr 19, 2007)

oh ok thanks. So i would tell the print company to do a plastisol screen print for me?

jon


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Silk screening is just an obsolete term for screen printing, they're the same thing.

The companies you name use screenprinting. Plastisol is a type of ink, specifically it's the standard ink used in commercial printing. You shouldn't really need to specify the ink type as it's the default (specification would come in more if you wanted to use waterbased or discharge, etc. - which you don't).

The style of printing you're looking for is sometimes referred to as bulletproof printing.

Basically you want to go to a screenprinter and talk to them about what you're after. Tell them you want a thick print, and they should be able to take care of you. If you have an example of a print you like, bring it with you so you can make sure you're both on the same page.


----------



## mosphet (Apr 19, 2007)

Thanks Lewis,

very helpful


----------



## HenyoManilenyo (Oct 4, 2012)

Hi! I would like to know what kind of shirt printing is this?
Soft and light print on thin shirt?

Checked some images on google and the closest i can get are these:

http://www.promod.co.uk/images/belted-print--tunic-ecru-print-510839_photo.jpg

http://t-shirtguru.com/product-images/brain-overload-t-shirt-designbyhumans-1.png

Hope you could help me identify the style of printing for that. Some said it's called aquasoft? Please advise.

Thank you!


----------



## zeeky120 (Jul 9, 2009)

I would think it would be water based screen printing. Water based screen printing has almost no hand(feel) and is very soft. It also stretches well, unlike plastisol. There are many different brands, and although I've never heard of it, I'm assuming that aqua soft is just a name brand

Sent from my SCH-I500 using T-Shirt Forums


----------



## HenyoManilenyo (Oct 4, 2012)

cool, thanks Zachary!


----------

