Right now, more households across the UK are entering into the exciting world of home t-shirt printing than ever before. What this comes down to is not a sudden flash of universal inspiration that’s gotten the public as a whole feeling creative, but rather the way in which home printing supplies have never been cheaper…or more readily available. While there’s much to be said for the professional direct to garment printing services keeping the industry up and running, there’s no denying the appeal of being able to spend literally a few pounds and flex your creative muscles at home.
Of course, the one downside that comes with home printing is that of quality…or in this instance the general lack thereof. There’s a very big reason why printing firms across the UK spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on professional quality equipment rather than simple home printers and transfer sheets…the difference by way of results is night and day.
However, this doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to come up with solid enough results at home without having to spend a small fortune in the process. Bear a few tips from the professionals in mind and your next/first venture into home t-shirt printing could turn out to be more successful than you dared hope:
1 – Realistic Expectations
First of all, if your home printer has been the family’s primary workhorse since 1993 and even at that time cost next to nothing, you cannot expect to produce genuinely professional-quality results. Quite often, it’s having unrealistic expectations that adds a rather unfortunate onion to the ointment as by expecting too much with equipment that’s just not up to the job, you set yourself up for guaranteed disappointment 100% of the time. So, before getting started, take a realistic look at what you have to work with and decide on a course of action as appropriate.
2 – Start Out Simple
There will always be something of a learning curve to negotiate when it comes to both coming up with the designs in the first place and then getting them. There’s a hell of a lot to take into account, ranging from the careful use of colours to the kinds of shapes you’ll be able to accurately cut out and so on and so forth – all of which will impact your final results. As such, if this is the first time…or one of the first times…you’ve had a crack at creating your own designs, it’s a good idea to start out as simple as possible. Of course, the added bonus in this instance is that it’s the simplest designs that often prove to be the most effective of all if you hit the nail on the head, so don’t get carried away with complexities while learning the ropes.
3 – Trial and Error
Chances are that the very moment you’ve nailed that design you’d love to share with the world, you’ll grab that shiny new shirt and get busy with the transferring process. Sadly, this is not the best idea for those new to the practice as it often takes at least a couple of trial runs before being able to nail a totally successful transfer. You might melt the transfer sheet with the iron, you might cause the ink to run or you might just destroy the whole thing – all very good reasons why you should get the oldest, most worn-out shirt you own that’s ready for the bin and practice on this one first. It looks like a pretty easy and fool-proof process, but you’d be surprised just how quickly things can go very wrong.
4 – Do As You’re Told
With every type and specification of printing transfer paper you take home, you’ll find yourself bombarded with instructions in terms of what to do and what not to do. Of course the common way of going is to ignore most of these and just get busy with the printing, but sadly this is a recipe for disaster. You’ll be told things like sensible printing practices, what kinds of iron settings to use, how long to leave the printed shirt before wearing it, how to wash it and so on and so forth – ignore any of these and you’re likely to be unhappy with the consequences. As with so many ventures like this, it’s a case of having as much patience as it takes and accepting that instructions aren’t just there for the sake of it…so follow them.