We are getting a little tired of the same old screen printing, so we finally began experimenting with discharge printing. This is the process of printing the same way you would with plastisol ink, but it's extremely thin and about 50% clear. As you run the shirt slowly through the conveyor dryer, the pigment in the t-shirt begins to fade away, leaving the printed image. After a good washing, you are left with the printed image that feels like t-shirt material only - not ink laying on a t-shirt.
I tossed up an image of our first 3 attempts. We still need some more practice, but we are liking the results! It's a bit more stressful because the "ink" will air dry, but that just adds to the entertainment value!
P.S. This is the first design in our new "Local Talent" series, where a local artist provides us with the original artwork and we put it on a shirt! This design is by Michael Kieffer, co-founder of Kieffer Bros. Once we nail down the printing method, they will go on sale. We're doing a limited run to keep you original!
