How to make a print on a T-shirt: step-by-step instructions, necessary materials, tips, photos. How to print a photo on a T-shirt

In this article, we'll look at ways you can create your own unique T-shirt design so you can make money on a low budget.

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First, let’s look at the purpose for which this article was created.

Many of our partners, when promoting a store, run into one of the main barriers - competition in niche topics. This competition stems from the non-uniqueness of the product provided. There are quite a few manufacturers on the market that have T-shirts with, say, the Dota or Pokemon logo. And the most popular prints on clothes are one way or another the same, as companies copy each other’s top models.

As a result, you have created a store, you are promoting it almost perfectly, but the result is weak.

What to do?

A large number of partners, seeing the current variety of designs, do not create anything new and take the ready-made ones. Yes, you can find items for sale from ready-made prints. But the efficiency of this work is extremely low. Well, unless you have the budget to advertise on all topics at once :)

But you can go simpler and more efficiently. You have the opportunity to create your own clothing design, and in the future even a fashion line (if you are a talented designer).

What to put on clothes and make money?

1) Your interests

Every person by the age of 20 (and some even earlier) becomes a specialist in some field. Both armchair analysts and public surfer girls on VK. Everyone knows some of the currently popular topics. Use and monetize this knowledge. Be it a popular meme from VK or a change of logo for a football team.

Always remember that you always have colleagues with similar interests who will be interested in your prints.

2) Popular trends in designer stores

Offline shopping is always in trend. Why, for example, if you don’t see a cool thing with an interesting inscription or design, don’t you take it to your store? (Those that do not directly mention the brand)

By making a unique, stylish item, you will gain an advantage in this target audience

3) Trending search queries

Another way to make money on a unique product is to track those requests that are gaining popularity. How to distinguish them from “regular” popular queries?

It's quite simple. Go to wordstat and enter any type of clothing. For example, “T-shirts”. We find thematic queries.

and select “query history”.

Enter your request and track its popularity

If it appears and continues to gain popularity for 4-8 months, then it is suitable.

But don’t rush to run and make prints. First you need to check whether the niche is already occupied. The easiest way is to enter your query into the search bar. If the entire first page of the search results is filled with high-quality products that are completely relevant to the topic and only online stores, then there may be no point in creating prints (unless you have an original idea or picture).

If the request meets all the criteria, then quickly prepare the materials and send the prints for sale!

4) Western markets

Many ideas in all spheres of life are copied from Western models.

The niche for clothing with prints is no exception. Find the most popular sites in the US and Europe, take popular and current prints and transfer them to your store.

This way you will get a unique idea for the CIS market and be able to get ahead of the approaching trend.

One example of such sites is https://www.redbubble.com/.

The same scheme can be used for clothes sent from China, benefiting from fast delivery and cash on delivery.

5) Allusions, collections, reversals and the like

Combining two topics in one is always interesting, and even more so if done well.

As an example, you can take this print where “Fantastic Beasts” and “Pokemon” are combined

As you understand, you can come up with an infinite number of such things. The more original and logical your prefabricated drawing is, the more it can attract visitors.

6) Your fantasies and thoughts

Feel free to use your imagination and thoughts if you think it's interesting. After all, famous designers have gained popularity and love. Create your own prints and increase sales!

And if you are not making money with us yet, then it’s time for you

Of all the options for applying prints to fabric, the most popular is printing on T-shirts. Branded items are used as:

• casual clothes;
• element of corporate style;
• souvenirs;
• presentation/handout material for various events.

Printing technologies

T-shirts are printed using different technologies. Let's write briefly about the most popular ones.

Digital

Direct digital printing is a progressive technology for transferring a design quickly and without intermediate steps. Suitable for working with small runs and single items.

Advantages:

• high quality, gradient fills, detailed detailing;
• no restrictions on the choice of fabric;
• Print resistance to washing/ultraviolet radiation.

Flaws:

• T-shirt/fabric hand wash only;
• not suitable for large print runs;
• pre-press preparation required.

With digital printing there are no restrictions on colors and shades

Sublimation

Another name is direct screen printing. Suitable for circulations of 50-100,000 copies or more. The drawings are clear. When producing batches of 200 pieces or more, the cost is reduced.

Two types of paints are used: plastisol and water-based. They come with different effects:

• designs with sparkles - glitters;
• image on dark fabric - etched paints;
• volumetric patterns - foam;
• gloss effect, gilding, silvering - metallized.

The technology of sublimation printing on T-shirts is only suitable for light-colored synthetics. The design is transferred onto special paper and then onto the material using a heat press. At high temperatures, ink evaporates and penetrates into the fibers of the fabric, coloring it.

A high-quality print will be obtained on fabric with a synthetic content of about 65%. The higher the proportion of cotton, the faster the print fades when washed.

The sublimation process requires the following equipment:

• heat press - with its help, paint is converted into gas and transferred to the material, giving it a given color;
• computer/laptop - for searching, editing, printing images;
• printer - inkjet models are suitable, for example, 4- or 6-color Epson;
• paint - sublimation ink, absorbed into fabric fibers under the influence of temperature;
• CISS - ensure continuous supply of ink to the printer;
• paper is an intermediate carrier with a loose surface; when heated, the pores expand, absorb the dye, then the paper cools, the pores close and hold the color inside.

Raster (RGB/CMYK, with a resolution of 200 dpi) or vector images (CMYK, mesh filling or replacement with bitmap are not allowed) are suitable as images.

Industrial sublimation printer FT-1904X

Advantages:

• no restrictions on image resolution/colors;
• durability of the pattern (at least 50 washes), protection from UV - the paint penetrates into the fabric,
• becomes part of the fiber;
• practicality of the product - the T-shirt can be ironed, the pattern will not be damaged;
• low cost.

Flaws:

• fabric restrictions - only synthetic;
• high price;
• duration of the manufacturing process.

Sublimation technology for printing on T-shirts is one of the most affordable in terms of the price of the finished product. The average price range is from 10 (one-color printing, batch of 50,000 pieces) to 200 rubles (full-color patterns, small edition).

Silkscreen printing

Performed both in a printing house and at home. To work you will need a mesh stretched over a frame, ink, and a stencil. The pattern is obtained by pressing. Silk-screen printing is used when printing on T-shirts with various effects on fabric is required:

• fluorescent patterns;
• designs in gold and silver;
• volumetric ornaments;
• printing reflective images/inscriptions on a T-shirt; 3D, glitters.

The average circulation is from 50 to several thousand units. The larger the circulation, the lower the price.

Silk-screened photos of Homer and Margery

Advantages:

• low cost;
• high speed;
• image durability;
• the ability to create various special effects;
• compactness of the equipment used.

Flaws:

• difficulty in printing photographs;
• duration of preparation;
• application of identical patterns throughout the entire batch of products.

Silk-screen printing is suitable for applying inscriptions, logos and pictures in small quantities. Specially processed vector and raster files are used.

Thermal decal

The colored film is cut on a plotter and assembled into a single pattern, similar to appliqué. The carrier is fixed to the T-shirt using a heat press. The technology is optimal for applying small inscriptions/logos.

Advantages:

• a wide selection of films of different colors and textures;
• printing on T-shirts of any color - the shade of the fabric does not reduce the saturation of the image.

Flaws:

• long term;
• the complexity of the procedure.

The drawing is voluminous and clear

Thermal transfer technology

Modern indirect printing method. Special transfer paper is used. The pattern is transferred to the fabric using a heat press, or less often, an iron. High-resolution vector and raster files are suitable as source images.

You can print on transfer paper using silk-screen printing or, less commonly, offset.

Advantages:

• multicolor pattern;
• duration of storage of transfers;
• high speed;
• minimal restrictions on the choice of fabric.

Flaws:

• lengthy preparation/setup of equipment;
• impossibility of printing different images within the circulation.

T-shirt printing equipment

The choice of equipment depends on the technology. For sublimation you will need a printer:

• manual - easy to use, inexpensive, suitable for home use/small runs, cost - from 35,000 rubles;
• semi-automatic - the possibility of drying the T-shirt during the intermediate stage of the process is provided, cost - from 60,000 rubles;
• automatic - labor costs are minimal, all processes are debugged, printing speed is high, cost - from 150,000 rubles.

For iron-on you will need a digital/inkjet printer and a heat press. At home, it can be replaced with an iron.

Thermal transfer uses:

• PC/laptop with graphic editor;
• printer and scanner;
• sublimation press - vertically folding (inexpensive, easy to operate) or rotary.

Direct digital printing requires an inkjet printer.

Digital printer for printing on fabrics

You can see how digital printing on T-shirts works in this video:

Results

• Each printing technology has its own advantages. Choose based on your goals/circulation.
• Sublimation and silk-screen printing are suitable for printing pictures with a circulation of over 1,000 pieces. For single orders, the cost will increase significantly.
• For batches up to 50 units - thermal transfer technology. It is also suitable for applying a pattern where direct printing on a T-shirt is not possible.
• For urgent printing - printer transfer. The resulting image will not be very durable.
• Images are prepared taking into account the requirements of a specific printing technology.
• The type of equipment also depends on the specific technology.

In order to make a custom print on a T-shirt Today there are several options. The first way to order a T-shirt with an inscription or design is in an online store or in a regular offline store that does textile printing.

Today I will tell you about an independent method of applying any prints to T-shirts, which you can use at home.

To create your first T-shirt print you will need:

• Lomond thermal transfer paper
• inkjet printer for printing
• scissors
• any T-shirt for thermal transfer

Thermal Transfer PaperLomond.

Today, there are several manufacturers of thermal transfer paper for creating images using thermal transfer on fabric. I chose the company's paper Lomond. It is found in almost every store selling products from this company. It can also be found in stores that sell org. technology.

To create the T-shirt print, I chose Lomond series paper for light fabrics.

About the inkjet printer.

An inkjet printer is required to print on thermal transfer paper. I have a laser printer at home, so my friend was happy to help me print the image.

In the print settings you need to set the following values:

• printing on plain paper (or thermal transfer if there is such an option)
• high quality printing.

About images for thermal transfer.

To print on A4 paper, you need high quality images. If the design is low resolution, it will be noticeable on the T-shirt.

I'm a fan vector format, these images are m Can be enlarged to any size without loss of quality.

You can find vector images for creating a print on a T-shirt on the Internet (although there is a danger of catching viruses on unverified sites), and high-quality vector images can be downloaded for money from various stocks.

Go to the section, there you can download high-quality vector clipart for printing of any size. There are free and paid options.

About a thermal transfer T-shirt.

For thermal transfer using Lomond thermal transfer paper, any cotton fabric.

There is no need to buy a special T-shirt with a sublimation coating applied.

All you need to do is select the appropriate paper for light or dark fabrics.

A step-by-step guide to creating a T-shirt print.

1. On a table or ironing board, prepare a T-shirt for thermal transfer of the image. If you placed it on a table, it is recommended to place the fabric under the T-shirt.

2. Trim all excess along the contour of the design, with a gap of no more than 5mm.

3. Attach the design as in the photo, position it on the T-shirt.

4. Carefully iron for about 90 seconds (A4 format), so that the center of the iron passes along all edges of the paper

Do not use steam

5. Let the paper cool

6. Carefully remove the protective checkered backing.

7. Your print is ready!

Pros and cons of print on a T-shirt.

— The disadvantage of this method is the small size of the printed image, but now there is such thermal transfer paper and A3 format, it is enough for a T-shirt of any size.

— The paper manufacturer guarantees that the image transferred to the T-shirt will withstand 20 washes, and this is quite a lot. Next is the effect of an aged image.

— At cost, you will be at a big advantage, if you make the image on a T-shirt yourself, one package of 10 sheets of thermal transfer paper will be enough for your entire wardrobe.

— Another big advantage is that you can create an original drawing or inscription and show your individuality.

Conclusion.

It’s not difficult to make a T-shirt print yourself at home, you will need some free time, no more than half an hour, 350 rubles onto thermal transfer paper, a cotton T-shirt and that's it.

In the comments, I look forward to your feedback on whether you succeeded in making a print on a T-shirt, and what problems you encountered.

Good luck in expressing yourself!!!

The video narrates and depicts how using a regular printer and unusual cheap paper print the image on the T-shirt/fabric. In this way, the picture will last many, many washes and will not deteriorate.
Price thermal transfer paper: approximately 10 USD for 10 sheets.

If you plan to seriously engage in thermal transfer, then you need a press; if this is just a hobby or a tryout, then an iron will do.

Thermal transfer happens:

— Laser

— Stencil

- Using film

— Jet

Jet transfer

Involves printing on inkjet printers. Moreover, if this is a household inkjet printer with regular ink, then the printing is done on special paper, which has a coating into which the ink is embedded, then the paper, if necessary, is cut out along the contour of the design, applied to the fabric with the image down and ironed. There is even paper for dark fabrics.

The advantages of this method include accessibility and low cost. All other indicators are complete shortcomings. The image turns out to be unstable, the colors quickly fade and are washed out. The pattern is rough and rubbery to the touch.

Sublimation (the second method of printing with an inkjet printer)

Sublimation is the process of transition of a substance from a solid state to a gaseous state, bypassing the liquid phase. There are different sublimation inks that are poured into an inkjet printer in CISS or refillable cartridges, and the printer must be an EPSON brand due to the design of its print heads.

After which the mirror image is printed on paper, dried and, using a press (an iron is unlikely to help here), transferred to an object with a polymer (synthetic) content of more than 70%. The paper can be ordinary, but when transferring about 30% of the ink will not transfer, and the image will turn out dull; it is best to take special paper for sublimation or, in extreme cases, any matte photo paper.

As for printing on T-shirts with sublimation, you don’t even have to try to transfer the sublimation to cotton fabric - even if it transfers, it won’t stick.
For natural fabrics, as well as for dark fabrics, there are special films that you first weld onto the fabric, as if getting a substrate, and then you do sublimation on it.

This transfer method is perhaps the most wash-resistant. Advantages – high image durability, relative low cost of “starting up”. Disadvantages - you need a separate printer, it is impossible to print on dark fabrics without using films, you need a heat press, insufficient light resistance.
Area of ​​application: production of flags and sportswear. Production of metal plates (special metal, recommended for indoor use), plates (special plate, need a special press) and mugs (need a special coated mug, mug press).

Transfer from a laser printer

It has a lot of advantages. For laser transfer, you need a color laser printer (b/w is unlikely to work due to the high temperature of the oven) and special transfer paper.

Papers are usually divided by printer brand and purpose.

Paper for light fabric - suitable for light cotton and synthetic fabric, the latter is better to hold on to. The image is printed “in the mirror”.

Paper for dark fabric - the image is printed directly, after which the paper is divided into 2 parts - a substrate, which is discarded, and a thin white film with a printed image, after which it is welded in a press or with an iron.

Backing for dark fabric - here the situation is similar to sublimation - first we transfer to a special backing, and then we transfer everything together onto the fabric. The backing has an interesting velvet finish, but feels rougher to the touch. Also suitable for sublimation.

Hard surface transfer paper - an amazing laser transfer option - transferring images to ceramics, wood, metal, glass, plastic, etc. Moreover, these materials can be without special coatings, although to some detriment to the durability of the image.
Here you definitely need a press and a special mat, which is placed on top and ensures uniform crimping of the product. By the way, this method is often used to make ritual ovals on monuments, but the durability of the image is about a year in the sun.

A very interesting “cold decal” paper - used to be such transfers that were dipped in water and then transferred, say, to the refrigerator? Well, this is practically the same thing, only printed on a laser printer! As you understand, a press is not needed.
This is how many people transfer pictures onto candles, plates, mugs and any other objects. Paper is available for both light and dark surfaces.
If you need to achieve image durability, then bake the product in the oven for 15 minutes at 180C.

Advantages of transferring from a laser printer: firstly, there are a lot of options, secondly, we use a “regular” color laser printer on which you can earn good money on operational printing, and thirdly, you can almost always get by with an iron at the initial stage.

And of course, the availability of ready-made media - mouse pads, puzzles, watches and more. Disadvantages - we get a souvenir item, which is still not intended for long-term use.

For an image transferred to a light fabric, about 40 hand washes at 40C are stated. For dark fabrics, durability is higher, but paper is also noticeably more expensive. For example, an A4 sheet for a light fabric costs about 18 rubles, and for a dark one of the same format it costs more than 100 rubles. “cold decal”, regardless of the color of the backing - about 80 rubles. for a similar sheet.
With all this, profitability remains very good, the main thing is to set up the process correctly.

Stencil transfer

The image is printed using the same screen process, with the same inks, but in a mirror order and on special paper. When needed, it is transferred to the fabric.
It seems that everything is simple, but what do we get - since we print on paper and not on fabric, we can use cheap manual single-color machines, even homemade ones. In the event of a defect during printing, we only lose paper (about 1 euro per sheet of 70x100 cm), and not fabric.
We can print “in reserve” and transfer it if necessary.
We can finally print cool creative pictures and then sell them, or vice versa, buy ready-made ones and do only transfer (there are a lot of examples of such business, from clothing manufacturers, especially children’s, to salons for transferring pictures onto a T-shirt of the client’s choice).
The durability of the image with this transfer method is identical to direct screen printing!

Films

Everything is simple here - we have a film with an adhesive layer, which melts in the press and sticks to the fabric.
If everything is done correctly and the correct film option is selected, the bond is extremely strong and can be boiled, dry cleaned, rubbed and wrinkled. Films can be welded on top of each other in different colors, obtaining simple color images.
Films can be smooth or velvet (flock).
The color range can be quite extensive, including fluorescent colors, metallics and reflective films.
Film is often divided into regular and more expensive, for fabrics with water-repellent impregnation (umbrellas, raincoats, bags, etc.)

The same in large quantities, then in most cases the silk-screen printing method is used. Silk-screen printing is printing using , and a bright and clear pattern appears. Silk-screen printing gives the most saturated color, since a large layer of paint is applied to it.

When particularly high quality is required, and the volumes are expected to be small, heat transfer is the best way to apply a design to a T-shirt. A thin vinyl film with a pattern is transferred to the fabric. Under the influence of high temperature (about 200 degrees Celsius), the film is embedded in the fabric, so the image is high-quality and durable.

Highest print quality on T-shirt gives the sublimation method. True, sublimation has an important drawback. Using this method you can only print on light colors. The quality of the transferred drawing leaves no doubt - when applying it, two effects are used at once, firstly, temperature (160 degrees Celsius), and secondly, chemical - special sublimation paints react. This image does not appear either after washing or after long use. In fact, the life of the printed product is equal to the life of the product itself.

Helpful advice

If you need to get a large batch of T-shirts with high-quality designs at a relatively low price, choose the silk-screen printing method. This is excellent quality, quick results, low cost. If, on the other hand, you only need to make one or two T-shirts, then it would be best to use the heat transfer method. Sublimation is a method that will ensure the highest quality and durability of the design.

Sources:

• printing on T-shirts
• do it yourself t-shirt printing

You can print on a T-shirt using one of 4 existing methods. Some allow you to obtain images at home, some only in industrial production conditions.

Recently, printed T-shirts have become very popular. You can wear one, decorated with a design or inscription, or you can give it as a gift or even organize production for subsequent sale. Fabric printing technologies are constantly being improved, making it possible to obtain the coveted image of rich, bright color that does not fade or wear off over time.

Existing printing technologies

1. Printing on the fabric itself using a special one.
2. Printing on paper and then transferring the image to fabric using a heat press.
3. Thermal transfer: silk-screen printing on fabric.
4. Thermal decal.

Features of each of them

With the advent of special textile printers, it became possible to apply any image you like to clothing. You just need to put the T-shirt on the device’s special movable table and get a print. In the future, to fix the paint, it must be dried with a special device or under a heat press. However, this method allows you to print only on a white T-shirt: to print on a colored T-shirt, an additional white backing for the design is required. The advantages of this method include quick preparation for printing, high resolution, and the ability to select inscriptions and designs. Among the disadvantages, it is worth mentioning the high cost of a print and the large time costs. This method is only justified if you need to process a small number of T-shirts.

The second technology is carried out in two ways: the sublimation printing method and the method called “magic touch”. In the first method, printing is applied to paper with special ink, then the paper is pressed against the fabric at high temperatures, and the T-shirt is dyed in the desired color. But this printing method is only applicable to polyester products. In the second method, the picture is printed on a special film and then glued to the fabric under a heat press. This printing method is applicable to cotton products.

Thermal decal involves cutting the film on a plotter and then assembling multi-color images. The resulting application is glued