The Trouble with Shrinking Shirts

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Should it be a surprise that cotton tee-shirts shrink?  Even us guys know that! Cotton garments shrink. 100% cotton can shrink as much as 10% to 12%. Especially if you simmer the clothes in hot water in your washer, and then bake it on high in the dryer until it’s bone dry.

Of course, we all know that there are right ways and wrong ways to wash and dry. It’s our customers that we have to worry about. When they abuse a tee-shirt and it shrinks, expect to hear the complaint that the heat transfer applique also shrunk and shriveled up with the shirt.

If the tee-shirt shrinks, expect the applique to shrink too!

So what can a shop owner do to avoid these complaints? Some thicker vinyl heat transfers will hold their shape a little better – but not much.  The problem with the thicker films is that they are as stiff and as uncomfortable  as a plastic placard. You might as well give the customer a sandwich board to walk around in.

The fact is that the whole heat transfer industry is developing thinner, softer and more stretchable films. If the fabric shrinks, the film will shrink with it and it will look wrinkled.

Probably the best solution to the problem is to buy pre-shrunk shirts. The shirts will cost a little more, but they are worth it. Or you could buy a cotton blend which will shrink less.

Of course, you could always pre-wash the shirts yourself.  This is not very practical because it is time-consuming. A better practice is to pre-press the shirt  for three to five seconds prior to heat pressing the applique also helps pre-shrink the shirt.

ABOUT SEF: For more than 35 years, SEF has provided the screen printing and garment industries with high quality flex films and flock films. Manufacturing at SEF is totally integrated. The factory formulates, casts and adhesive coats its own polyurethane (PU) films. SEF even manufactures its own flock fibers. With a corporate commitment to a greener environment, all of its film and adhesive formulations are water based. This ensures that no solvents pollute the atmosphere. Its only emission is water vapor. Today, SEF is recognized as a leading producer of heat transfer films for used in the fabrication of heat press appliqués for textile decoration. Its ultra-thin polyurethane films and super soft flock films are easy to plotter cut and digitally print.

FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT: SEF Americas provides a toll-free technical support service at 844-720-9601. NOTE:  If your call is not answered by a tech support person during normal business hours, 8am to 5pm EST (Eastern Standard Time), please leave a message and we will do our best to return your call within an hour.  Should you need to contact us after business hours, an alternate tech support number is 480-987-8028.  You can also get answers to your technical questions by emailing: techsupport@SEFamericas.com.

About this blog: SEF Americas Heat Transfer Blog is dedicated to providing technical information about flex and flock films for heat pressing appliques to textiles. SEF, a leader in flock materials and polyurethane films, serves the garment, sign and screen print industries. SEF brands include Tatoo, Classicprint, Clearflex, Fiberplus, Metalflex and Reflexcut.

For More Information About SEF Americas:

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© 2015 Jim Hingst