100% or 50/50 Fabrics – Which works best for transfers?

shirt-tagTwo of the most common types of t shirts and hooded sweatshirts customers request are 100% cotton and 50/50 cotton/polyester blends. For applying screen printed transfers though, which one works best and is there any difference in the finished product after the heat transfer is applied?  For the finished product the answer is, “No, there is no difference in the quality or durability of the finished product if using 100% or 50/50 t shirts or hoodies”.  The plastisol ink will attach itself to the fabric fibers in the same way.

Now, before the custom transfer is applied to the garment is where you may see a difference.  The difference between 100% cotton and a 50/50 is the amount of moisture  in the fabric fibers. The 100% cotton t shirt or hooded sweatshirt will hold more moisture and will need to be prepressed for a longer duration to remove the moisture. This is done before the transfer is applied.

Which screen printed ink formulas work best for the different types of fabric?

50/50 Cotton Polyester blends – Goof Proof®, Hot Split, Polytrans, as well as every other heat transfer that Transfer Express manufactures.

100% Cotton – Same as 50/50.

Recommendation:
Hot Split transfers will apply to 100% cotton however a longer prepress time is needed. All you need to do is pre-press for a few more seconds or until you do not see any more “steam” being released.

If you are unsure of which transfer type will work best for your type of fabric our Dealer Services Team is more than happy to give you suggestions.