BELLA+CANVAS takes apparel decorators through the step-by-step of each garment decoration process. Watch the full video to hear the pros and cons to each discipline. 

Over-Flashing: Printers often refer to ink “drying in screen” when it becomes hard and clogs the screen mesh’s open parts. This usually is caused by using excessive heat during printing, most likely after the flashing process. If the ink isn’t given enough time to cool after flashing, laying the screen down on top of the heated print could partly cure the ink it contains, thus clogging the mesh.

There are many variables that can affect a print’s quality. From the squeegee to the correct cure temperature, every piece of screen-printing equipment used can affect a job’s outcome. Think of the equipment as tools,: when used correctly, the outcome will be positive.

Before you open a shop, it's important to create a business plan that sets you apart from the rest. Ask yourself who your key customers are, how you are different from the others, and what the budget may be. There's nothing more importantant than clear communication with your team and your customers. You have to take the time to decide what the ultimate goals are. There are many things to consider before starting a screen-printing business. You have to balance financial budgets with business goals and provide numerous supporting skills to be functional. Hard work, dedication, and perserverance are all a must. Like any business, this one will not become successful overnight. 

I’ve been creating artwork for the garment-decorating industry since 1986 and I’ve earned every one of my gray hairs because of it. Artwork lies at the heart of all decorating processes in our industry. Without it, we’d be selling blanks. If you want to learn about artwork and how to create it for the various decorating processes, you first should know about certain trends and other aspects of our industry, and why you should pay attention to them.

It’s also important to realize how each decorating method requires you to think differently about the artwork you will design so that embellishing products is an easier task.

I often travel to see customers, many that are quite successful and large. When conducting ink testing or trials at their facilities, I bring some of our print samples to show them how our inks look and feel on a regular shirt. Recently I’ve shown our photo-realistic print samples, and some have replied that they are not able to get the same detail or result. That’s when I observe and see how their facility is run.

The process for printing on T-shirts has fundamentally remained the same for decades because it mostly was done on 50/50 blended and 100% cotton T-shirts. But the introduction of performancewear and moisture-wicking garments has demanded some changes in the screen-print and heat-transfer decorating processes on polyester materials.

Flash curing is when you incorporate a heating source into the inline printing process. The heating source can either be an infrared heating element or quartz bulbs. Either way, it is a source of heat that is implemented after first printing down a white underbase on a dark garment.