Plastisol Print Care Tips
We recommend reading this article if you're purchasing a plastisol-printed T-shirt.
Plastisol prints are more delicate than those made with water-based inks. Improper care of plastisol prints may result in damage or accelerated wear and tear.
What is plastisol?
Plastisol is a colloidal dispersion of small polymer particles in a liquid plasticizer. We use plastisol ink on many of our garments that require vibrant colors on colored fabrics.
Plastisol Ink vs. Water-based Ink
Plastisol ink has a glossier finish, which makes the print appear more vibrant compared to water-based ink. However, we prefer using water-based ink because it is much less tricky to work with.
The use of water-based ink is quite limited—it can only be applied to fabrics lighter than the ink color. In practice, unless we're printing black (such as in the TSR: Samuel T-Shirt), we can usually only print on white fabrics. This is because water-based ink infiltrates the fabric and merges with the existing color. When two strong colors mix, the result can appear muddy and is difficult to control.
Plastisol ink was introduced to provide an easier solution. It acts like a gel and sits on top of the fabric without interfering with the existing dyes. This characteristic also makes the print thicker and more challenging to care for, which we will discuss further in this article.
Screen-Printing and Direct-to-Garment
Plastisol ink is typically associated with screen-printing, but we also use it in direct-to-garment (DTG) printing. DTG is essentially inkjet printing, but we always apply a plastisol layer beneath the ink to ensure the print remains smooth and durable. DTG prints without this preparation often have a coarse, sometimes sticky texture—you may have noticed this on some lower-quality T-shirts, such as tourist attraction souvenirs.
Unlike screen-printing, where we apply multiple layers of plastisol in different colors to assemble the full design, DTG prints are much thinner, making them easier to care for. However, we still recommend following the care guidelines in this article to achieve the best lifespan for your T-shirt (though we won’t stop you from buying a new one!).
How to Care?
No Cross-Folding
It is very important to never cross-fold a plastisol print, especially a screen-printed one. Cross-folding may cause irrevocable creases if heavy weight is applied to the folded print for an extended period.
How to Store?
The best way to store your T-shirt is to hang it. Alternatively, you can gently roll it up and place it in a drawer. Folding the print in one direction is generally fine, but placing weight on it may create a crease that can only be resolved by washing or ironing. When traveling, ensure your T-shirts are placed at the top of your luggage to avoid unnecessary pressure on the prints.
How to Wash?
Any T-shirt with a plastisol print should only be washed inside-out in cold water, no higher than 30oC.
Avoid washing with metals or sharp objects, such as clips, clasps, or metal buttons on other clothes, as these may scratch the prints.
Avoid heavy loads, and use a gentle spin cycle to help prevent creases and wrinkles.
How to Dry?
Line drying is always the most recommended method for drying your T-shirt. If you prefer to use a tumble dryer, be sure to use the lowest possible heat setting (other than "no heat," as that doesn’t work well either). Keep your T-shirts inside-out from the washer to protect them from heat and scratches.
You may find that the care label says "No Tumble Dry." This is a conservative guideline because we've seen cases where people don't know how to dry properly. Excessive heat from tumble drying can damage the print, and in the worst case, melt it and cause your clothes to stick together. You definitely don’t want this to happen, so please be very careful with your dryer.
Can I Iron?
Contrary to many people's impressions, it is actually recommended to iron your T-shirt with plastisol prints after every wash. This helps remove creases and wrinkles from washing. However, certain rules must be followed to avoid damaging the print.
The easiest way is to iron the print area inside-out. You can turn the T-shirt inside-out and iron the back side of the print with medium-low heat. Some steam is okay and may even give better results.
If you're experienced with ironing, you may want to iron the front side of the print using a layer of parchment paper. The parchment paper distributes heat evenly and prevents the print from being damaged by excessive heat. Again, only attempt this if you're confident in your ironing skills. If you're a pro, you’ll know what to do.