Custom and Brands t's
Have you ever thought about how a logo or slogan is placed on the t-shirts that you own? Most people have never even considered it before because they simply throw on their t-shirt and jeans in a morning and pay no attention to the mechanics of their clothing. Why should they? T-shirts have been around for years and are an integral part of the fashion of every generation but the way in which companies print t-shirts has changed little over the years. As such, you might like to know a little about it or you may be considering getting your own shirts printed. Either way, the history of print t-shirts and the options available today are fascinating and can be found below!
The earliest t-shirts were plain and pretty boring by today’s standards, although those entering the world of fashion in the 1960s were certainly bright enough. What most people still do not know though is that by that very decade the technology was available to print t-shirts at will. Of course, it was expensive then but the foundation of technology that would revolutionize the t-shirt industry and open up so many more fashion options was already in place.
The ability of individuals to print t-shirts started in Miami, Florida during the 1950s, although nobody is quite sure which company began to look into the possibility first. It is understood that several companies were experimenting with techniques to print t-shirts but it was Tropix Togs that won the race to develop the technology and technique. They enabled the Walt Disney Company to be the first to market their own logos and products on items of clothing. Tropix Togs put the face of Mickey Mouse on t-shirts and soon found that the demand for such items was growing. This in turn led to other companies developing the techniques and offering services to print t-shirts to other companies. Before long, such technology had spread to Europe too and all sorts of logos, symbols, slogans and pictures were being transferred onto t-shirts.
There were numerous companies choosing to have designs printed onto t-shirts within ten years. Tourist attractions, children’s characters, music festivals, brands with products to advertise and even sporting teams were soon making the most of the opportunity to print t-shirts and spread the word. They were soon found to be excellent promotional tools and the refinement of the process soon brought costs down. Within 20 years, the process also had a viable political and almost protest role within society following the era of punk! Although we take the ability to print t-shits for granted, it certainly helped to revolutionize a lot in society!
You might not know this but there are actually several different ways in which you can print t-shirts. The 1960s was actually the decade in which many of the earliest techniques were developed as different companies tried to get the upper hand over their rivals. Screen printing and tie dying soon became popular but it was only because of the 1959 invention of plastisol, a durable stretchy ink, that either worked.
Screen printing is particularly interesting for people wanting to print t-shirts because that is the way that most companies printed their logos for over forty years. Screen printing still goes on today because it can be used to sustain any number of fashions that come and go. It works by pouring different coloured dyes into a mesh screen, which controls the placement of the dye and the logos transferred. There are actually two types of screen printing - process printing for light backgrounds with yellow, cyan, magenta and black ink or simulated process for use on dark backgrounds with red, green, white, black, blue and gold ink. You could also use metallic inks, shimmers and various other types of colour today thanks to developments in technology and fashion in recent years. Screen printing can be used to print t-shirts quickly and easily today because it need not be done by hand but there are other ways and means that you can use. The majority of ways to print t-shirts are cost effective, especially the use of t-shirt transfers and inkjet transfers. T-shirt transfers are literally those that you iron onto the front of your own plain t-shirt, so this is not technically a mechanism used to print t-shirts. However, it is a popular option for those wanting to make homemade shirts for special occasions, such as stag and hen parties. These transfers do tend to come off after a few washes so these are only suitable for temporary printing. Inkjet transfers, on the other hand, are ideal if you want to print t-shirts for a specific purpose. You can have photos, logos and designs transferred onto t-shirts via a computer program and inkjet printer. It really is as simple as that!
Inkjet printing is the most popular way to print t-shirts today because you can send a design over the Internet or formulate it via a computer program before having you own creation imposed onto your own shirt. Although screen printing is still used in some quarters, many companies print t-shirts using this type of program because it is more cost effective, better in terms of time management and can lead to quicker t-shirt printing than screen printing can.
If you want to print t-shirts for a specific purpose but do not have a huge budget and want to make the most of your own designs then you have plenty of options at your fingertips. If you do want to print t-shirts of your own for a group, fashion purposes or just because you can then there are no end of options available for you today. Internet companies that offer printing services are plentiful and there are also stores on most high streets that also provide the same services. Either way, digital design is more often than not more useful if you want to get an exact design printed.
You can easily design and print t-shirts to suit your own purposes so why not?
Copyright © 2009 UKcentric Ltd all rights reserved. Web designers UKcentric.