printing on fabric

We used to use foil inks (hard drying oxidation Drying) on nylon washing instruction labels , the ones that itch !! Not sure what modern approach there is to this but it worked in the early eighties !

i have been printing on mattress tags for quite a while. use acrylic ink, it dries overnite and i’ve gotten no complaints.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I had no idea that tags were letterpress printed!

Ken, what brand of acrylic ink to you use?

my experience very similar. I printed type on satin as an exhibition opening and gave myself a few days for drying and used Van Son inks and it worked well. A decade later its still fine! In my earlier days as an apprentice we did signs on a platen press that designated mining rights and wildlife sanctuaries etc for the government. All jobbing inks on cotton and canvas. eventually they dried.

thanks! I am also wondering if any one has had experience with printing on fabric that is wearable and washable?

The heat press is designed to print your design onto fabric using pressure and heat. One variant of the heat press requires a heat transfer of some kind, which is loaded into one half of the press. Shaker Kitchen Cabinets

I print “onesies” with rubber based ink + heat set + wash. I use a Golding Map Press with no problem, since I can place the item anywhere on the platen (since it is stationary). Good Luck and happy printing.

I’ve done a few test shirts with my Gans polyacrylic ink. One of them I’ve been wearing and washing for nine months or so (turning the shirt inside out before putting it in the washer) with only a small bit of fading. I let them dry completely before wearing them, especially since my designs are carved blocks with more dark space than type usually has. I’ve also done a couple of t-shirts with wood type that I’m pleased with. Same ink.

Martha
www.marthakellyart.com

thanks so much!