Getting the Best Print on a 50/50 Blended Shirt -- Sponsored by JERZEES®

Screen printing on 50/50 garments is no hassle as long as you are using the right inks and watching your curing temperatures closely. August 15, 2011
By Dan Corcoran, Contributing Writer




Sponsored by


The two most popular T-shirt fabrics in the decorated apparel industry are 100% cotton and 50% cotton/50% polyester. As a commercial screen printer, you should know how to print on both. Although our shop specializes in water-based printing on 100% cotton, we get plenty of clients who request 50/50 blends, which means printing with plastisol inks because water-based inks only work on cotton.

Blended fabrics offer some advantages over pure cotton. In general, they have a lighter feel, which appeals to customers in certain climates. The polyester content reduces fibrillation, which can cause a print to look faded because of the little cotton fibers that stick up through the ink. This means you also get better ink coverage with 50/50 shirts.

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