TIP #1: PRETREATING AND CURING THE PRETREATMENT FOR 100% BLACK POLYESTER PRINTING
- You will typically need MORE pretreatment than a standard 100% cotton garment. Try starting your testing with 30-40 grams of ULTRA pretreatment.
- This means the shirt is going to be WET!
- Try Hover Curing…… this will require NO cover sheet and keep the dreaded heat press marks from showing.
- But prior to placing the garment on the heating platen, pre-press the platen for 10-20 seconds to really get the rubber on the bottom hot, then place the shirt on the heating platen and hover. The heat from the bottom will help cure the ink from the underside while the hovering cures from the top. It will speed up the curing and result in a no-contact, better cured print.
- Depending on the gap distance of your heat press to the garment surface, time will vary until it is dried and ready to print. DO NOT OVER CURE! This will make the garment permanently stiff.
- Try 356F and start with 2-3 minutes. This will most likely not be enough, but remove the shirt and repress the rubber platen to get rid of any moisture and re-heat it.
- NOTICE: The garment is going to be REALLY stiff….. the flexibility will return after 15-30 minutes of sitting out and returning to standard room temperature. Do not try printing while the shirt is stiff…. you need the pliability to fit your platen best.
