Digital printing is definitely the cheapest option when it comes to custom T-shirt designs.
If you want the graphic to cover 1/4 or 1/2 of the fabric, go to your printer’s advanced settings and adjust the scale to 25% or 50%. Set the scale to 100% to fill the entire sheet. Experiment by changing your printer paper settings to “matte photo,” “glossy photo,” or “semi-glossy photo” to find out which setting looks best with your graphic and the look you’re trying to achieve.
Consider using fabric that is 100% cotton, like a 200 count muslin for the best transfer results (and more vibrant colors). If your design has colors, use white fabric (or as close to white as possible) to make sure the colors stay true to the design. For black and white designs, feel free to use whatever color fabric you like so long as it’s not so dark that the ink won’t show up (i. e. , black or dark navy ink won’t show up well on black or dark blue fabric). Make sure you trim rough or frayed fabric edges so they don’t get caught in your printer. Not only could this ruin your project, loose thread inside your printer could also damage its internal parts.
When purchasing freezer paper, make sure it says “freezer” on the box—don’t confuse wax paper with freezer paper. If you’re using a craft mandolin and plan to transfer several prints, stack a few sheets at a time to cut down on time.
Make sure the iron is on a safe, heat-proof surface and away from flammable materials like cleaning products, aerosol cans, and other items.
This will join the freezer paper and fabric together, allowing both to pass through your printer. Iron on a smooth, flat surface for best results. If your ironing board has bumps, consider using a thin towel placed on a heat resistant countertop as a makeshift ironing board.
If the conjoined sheets aren’t bonded in certain places like the sides or corners, go over those areas again with the iron.
Only inkjet printers can print onto fabric, so double-check that your printer isn’t a laser printer. You may also want to do a test print of the image so the sizing, color, and orientation settings are correct. If not, you may need to adjust your printer settings.
If your printer has a high-quality photo setting, select that one because it will give you the clearest image.
It may be tempting to peel some of it back right away to get a peek, but doing so could cause the ink to run and, as a result, distort and smudge the image.
It may help to place the bonded sheets near the edge of a flat surface and bend one of the corners back.
Some home-printing fabrics come pre-treated to help retain color better. These don’t require any setting sprays or sealants. Some fabric-setting sprays should be used while the ink is still wet—refer to the instructions on the bottle.
Refer to the directions on the back of the bottle to determine how much you should use. Fabric guard acts as a protective shield on each fiber of the fabric. It will keep your graphic looking vibrant and protect the cloth from stains. This ink-setting method works best with pigment-based inks which are commonly used in printers geared toward high-quality photography prints. You can use it with dye-based inks as well, but note that a little of the dye may seek out of the fabric while it’s soaking.
You may want to place the printed fabric onto a sheet of newspaper before spraying it to protect your floors or other surfaces. If you plan to regularly wash the fabric, it’s best to avoid upholstery protector and use a setting spray or solution.
Avoid putting your printed fabric in the dryer because it might shrink the fabric and distort the image—especially if it’s mostly cotton. If you must use the dryer, choose a no-heat or low-heat setting.
