Tutorial: How to print a tshirt

Ever since I posted about the Francoise Hardy T-shirt, I've been receiving comments and emails asking for more information. So I've made a short tutorial for you. I did say previously that you only need three things - A printed image, a T-shirt and a tube of Dylon Image Maker which isn't strictly true but the rest of the items are things that are likely to be lying around or forgotten in the back of drawers.

Instead of a using a photograph this time I used a scan of my favourite Keats poem, Bright Star. Naively, I choose to type it on our old type writer. A task that is far easier said than done, about seven attempts later I had a copy with only a few small mistakes. Those girls at Stirling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce make it look a breeze but let me tell you... It is not! I scanned the typed page, rectified my mistakes in Photoshop, re-sized and flipped it then printed it at 300dpi.




I choose a neutral toned men's t-shirt from H&M, they are only a few pounds and come in most colours. This one off sets the brown paper nicely and is the perfect colour for Spring, whenever it comes along. I didn't actually mean for the print to look distressed, I was just a little over zealous when I removed the paper. I don't think it matters here but if you would like a pristine print then go slowly and gently whilst sponging off the paper.




There are a few important tips to remember when printing. All new fabric should be washed before printing to ensure that any finish that is often on new clothing is removed, otherwise it will impair the print. The image should be 300dpi and flipped horizontally, otherwise it will be back-to-front on the final print. Finally it is best to print on light fabric otherwise your print will not be as clear as it could be.

You will need:
Printed of photocopied image
Tube of Dylon Image Maker
T-shirt
Rolling Pin
Plastic bags/Grease proof paper
Old tea towel
Paint brush
Sponge


First cut out the image and work out where you want to print it. I mark this in with pins because once the paper is wet its much harder to put it in the right place. Once you've done this, put a plastic bag inside the t-shirt so that the paste can't seep through.

Place image printed side up onto grease proof paper, NOT newspaper like in my picture as the news print can run into your print. Squeeze the paste onto your image and brush over with a clean paintbrush. The image should be covered completely, especially the edges.

Place the image on the fabric, paste side down. Smooth the paper down to ensure that there are no wrinkles. Cover with an old tea towel and roll over with a rolling pin, horizontally then vertically. Leave to dry thoroughly, the instructions on the packet say to leave it over night but I've always left it next to warm radiator and it's always worked out fine.

Once dry, wet the paper thoroughly with a water soaked sponge. With your finger or sponge, gently begin rubbing until the top layer of the paper can be rolled off. Leave the t-shirt to dry and remove the remainder of the fuzz from the image using a damp sponge.

Finally, allow your garment to dry thoroughly. Place a few drops of Image Maker onto your image and rub in gently with a piece of cloth to seal the transferred image.

Washing:
Do not wash garment within the first 72 hours. Wash item by hand in lukewarm water or in a washing machine, on a 30°C gentle cycle. Turn garment inside out prior to washing, dry garment and do not iron over the transfer.

I hope this is helpful but if you have any other questions, I'll do my best to answer them. If you decide to try it out, I'd love to see how it turns out and what you choose. Send me pictures!