Focus on T shirts Advice and inspiration


T shirts are the bread and butter for any garment decorator. Here experts from across the industry provide their thoughts, plus helpful hints and tips to enable you to get the most from this printwear staple.


Wilcom


Brenden Prazner, senior product manager at Wilcom, provides some top tips for better embroidery on T shirts.


Embroidery and T shirts are not a classic combination.


Most T shirts are decorated with screen printing and DTG, with embroidery usually reserved for more formal products like polo shirts and jackets. However, with the right embroidery design, the casual tee and embroidery can create the perfect partnership.


Start with a quality T shirt Your first step is to pick a good quality tee. Cheaper T shirts generally are made of lighter, thinner fabrics, and usually reacts poorly to the natural stresses of embroidery. Heavy cotton T shirts sew better with less puckering than the light- weight tees.


Create the right embroidery design Unlike print, embroidery is designed


A stable tee is a good tee


for a particular garment or fabric type. Due to the push-pull effect, a unique consequence of embroidery, T shirt designs usually have a lighter stitch density and avoid large, thick- stitched panels. A center run or edge run underlay will help avoid the excessive pulling stress of a zig-zag underlay, and a standard pull compensation of around 0.20mm will suffice.


Target Transfers


Andy Rogers, marketing manager at Target Transfers, provides a guide to achieve the perfect size and placement for T shirts.


The more places on a garment you can decorate with heat transfer vinyl, the more interesting items you can create for your customers. But how do you know where to place your designs on each item? For example, where does a left chest logo go on a menʼs shirt versus a childʼs shirt? T shirts are one of the most frequently heat printed garments. With markets for T shirts in events, school groups, and fashion markets.


Getting started Once your T shirt is properly on the heat press, measure two inches down from the neckline to place the design. Use a ruler or your fingers, two to three fingers down from the neckline, to measure. The top of your design will be about 1in below the neckline making sure to avoid neckline seams. Drape the neckline seams over the edge of your heat press or use a Print Perfect Pad to raise the application area above the seams for an even printing surface.


| 58 | March 2019 Use the right needle


Most embroiderers use a ball point needle for sewing on T shirts, and generally lean towards a smaller needle for improved quality.


Back it up with stabiliser and correct hooping A stable tee is a good tee, and the answer to that is a stabilising backing and proper hooping. Use a stabiliser that is lightweight enough to tear away without distorting the fabric, and consider pairing it with cutaway backing for extra stability. Always try to use a light-colour backing for lighter fabrics, and a dark-colour backing for darker fabrics. Finally, ensure your T shirt is firmly hooped to minimise fabric movement, but avoid excessive tight hoops that warp or stretch the fabric.


Test, test, test!


Doing a sample run on the actual T shirt fabric (or closest to


it) is always the best insurance policy to ensure your design sews correctly in production.


With the right digitising techniques, needle choice, stabiliser and hooping, creating an embroidery design does not have to be daunting and will add considerable value to a humble tee.


Left chest/pocket design size


Adult: 3.5x3.5in (9x9cm). Youth


(medium/large): 3.5x3.5in (9x9cm).


Youth (small): 3.5x3.5in (9x9cm).


Toddler: 2.5x2.5in (6.5x6.5cm).


Left chest/pocket design placement


5.5-8in (14-20cm) down from the shoulderʼs left seam.


4-6in (10-15cm) over from the centre. www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


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