Adding Dimension With a Big And Bold Print
If you’ve been keeping up with streetwear trends, you probably know that graphic sweatshirts and hoodies with a photo real print are everywhere. This trend started with Justin Bieber’s purpose tour merch and has taken off with brands like Supreme, Gucci, and even Ariana Grande’s tour merch. A big, bold print on the back of a hoodie is the signature stamp to street wear right now. We’ve got some great advice on how to hit the mark with this trend. Everything from picking the right artwork, to the types of ink you use all matter when we are talking about big and bold designs.
Getting a Photo Real Print on Fleece
For our interpretation of this trend, we used our Street Fleece campaign imagery for the back and our logo for the front. We’ll show you how to achieve this by using multiple layers of white and black ink and an accent of white puff ink for slight dimension. Looking at a black and white image, you might assume it’s a two screen print. However for this image, we employed the use of seven screens to get a soft, tonal and gradient look. We used two underbase screens, two black screens, two whites, and one extra screen with white puff ink for a subtle accent of texture and dimension.
Front Zipper Design
Printing on the front of a garment can be challenging, but we’ll show you how we achieved precision placement, negotiating the zipper. We recommend using what we call a soft top platen. It’s coated with a silicone foam topper and is about 3/8″ thick. It will compress down as we print, which is really important to avoid ripping the screen open as it pulls across. Spritz a light mist of tack, flatten out the garment and it’s ready to print! Looking for one extra layer of protection? Try applying painters tape so there’s no part of that hot metal zipper that’s going to touch the screen.
On the Press
Apply your first and second base, flashing after each. Make sure your garment tis completely dry before printing your next colored ink. We followed our bases with brown and black ink, followed by the all-important white puff to give it dimension and texture. Lastly, remove the tape and send it down the dryer!
What do you think now that we’ve brought this big and bold design to life? The mixed media effect we created with the puff ink as an accent added dimension and texture to the garment for an even more elevated look. As this design trend is growing more and more, you’ll want to get on board with this style. Give it a shot and let us know how it turns out!
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