IT'S HOODIE SEASON!

[Leinbacher]

T-shirts are the most common garment that a printer will find themselves printing on. Many printers never stray from the world of t-shirts, so when a sweatshirt finds its way onto their platen, it can be a little confusing.

Garments like sweatshirts, jackets, and hoodies are usually made of a thicker material, and will sometimes have a fleece lined interior lining that you have to contend with. You can handle this pretty easily by adjusting your off-contact, and using the right kind of spray adhesive.

For setting your off contact, there’s lots of ways to do it. You’re looking to get your off contact to about twice what it normally is. There are a lot of printers who will used a piece of cardboard or some stacked coins to set the off-contact. One way to get what you need is to simply double whatever you’re using for measurement, whether its coins, cardboard, or something else. Another method is putting one of the hoodies you’re to print on the platen, then set your off-contact like you usually would. This will give you the extra thickness you need so you can successfully print the thicker garments.

As for the fleecy inside, you’ll have to worry about your hoodie sliding around. If it moves too far out of place, you can get crooked or poorly aligned prints. Try a stronger adhesive such as our Spider Web spray adhesive. It can counteract the soft fleece on the inside, and help keep your shirt in place. As with any adhesive, be careful not to use too much!

One last thing to keep in mind is the physical boundaries of your sweatshirt or hoodie. Does it have a front, low pocket? Are there any zippers to print on or around? From the artwork stage, plan for any of these potential hurdles. And, as with any job, make sure you do an initial test print! This is a perfect place to check your off-contact, see if you’re using the right amount of spray adhesive, and then just to see how the print turns out! After curing, give it a stretch and a wash test to make sure the cure is good, and that you’re happy with the final product. If the printer approves, the customer probably will too!

Check out this video with Josh Wells as he talks a little more about printing on these thicker garments! https://youtu.be/cabL5WGW_F8

RESOURCES:
https://www.screenprinting.com/produ...spray-adhesive
https://www.screenprinting.com/produ...-bracket-16x16
https://www.screenprinting.com/blogs...ttons-zippers/

[SoopaCoopa]

Great info, Leinbacher.
I think it's good conversation to have with your customer's, that you really have only about 9.5"-10" tall imprint area on the front of hoodies. It really should be a different setup all together for artwork on t-shirts, versus hoodies.

[miktoxic]

I’ve found that it’s much easier to use custom plastisol transfers when ‘trying’ to do thick hoodies. Too many ruined expensive blanks. I’ve heard they make some type of platen ( or accessory for) that has a clamping system that stretch holds the hoodie down while printing which I might try if hoodies where a huge part of my biz, which they’re not but even then only on the thinner fleece lined ones...... BUT the amount of adhesive you have to use (which means a lot of fleece being left on platen after ea. print....which means clean off and reapply every 2-3 pieces) the cleanup and even after all of that ruining wholesale brands like $16 champion and others costing even more. Pay the price for transfers and heat press apply... nothing ruined and of same quality.

[SoopaCoopa]

I’ve found that it’s much easier to use custom plastisol transfers when ‘trying’ to do thick hoodies. Too many ruined expensive blanks. I’ve heard they make some type of platen ( or accessory for) that has a clamping system that stretch holds the hoodie down while printing which I might try if hoodies where a huge part of my biz, which they’re not but even then only on the thinner fleece lined ones...... BUT the amount of adhesive you have to use (which means a lot of fleece being left on platen after ea. print....which means clean off and reapply every 2-3 pieces) the cleanup and even after all of that ruining wholesale brands like $16 champion and others costing even more. Pay the price for transfers and heat press apply... nothing ruined and of same quality.

Hi Miktoxic,
I see your point, however, I don't necessarily agree. As with most screen print techniques, Practice Makes Perfect. I promise if you can get this technique nailed down, your customer will be much happier with the final result versus transfers. Obviously, it depends on the "look" the customer is wanting. I have had several requests lately for a heavy-hand, thick print, which in this case a transfer would be appropriate.

[zoe foster]

Woah!!! I love to wear hoodies, I want to get graphics on my champion S700 Hoodie, My most Favorite hoodie ever.

[aaamiracle]

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[ScreenPrinting-Support]

sweatshirts are simply a thicker version of the t-shirt that has more in common with a T-shirt than it does an actual hoodie. However, hoodies use different printing techniques and require some additional steps.,

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I haven't been happy with web adhesive. I use water-based adhesive and just plan on cleaning it every or every other hoodie. It's no worse than reapplying web spray every couple passes and waiting for it to dry. Plus I don't have to worry about residue left on the material.

[zoe foster]

I found a website which offers good quality custom made stuff, like T-shirts, custom hoodies, jackets & more at very reasonable pricing, have a look https://vizapparel.com/