Foil is a great option to really make your shirts pop! Sheets of foil are heat pressed on top of plastisol inks. We can also mix foil with standard printing but waterbase inks must be used for the other colors being used. To extend the life of the foil please wash these garments inside out in cold water then hang dry.
Why foil?
Foil printing is the way to give your t-shirt designs that added sparkle that make them stand out. It works great as a design accent as well as a bold iconic statement. We’ve mastered the art of foil printing in order to make your designs pop.
Available Colors
- Silver
- Gold
- Copper
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Gunmetal
- We can also special order a variety of other colors including: black, rainbow, oil slick, pink, swirl, gold hologram, silver hologram, gold rainbow, silver rainbow, purple and pearlescent.
Foil Longevity
Foil is the least permanent decoration process that we use. It tarnishes after washing and may start to flake off slightly after numerous washes. We recommend including washing instructions with foil decorated garments. All foil garments should be washed inside-out.
Large solid areas of foil may exhibit some speckling. We print our foil adhesive with a similarly tinted ink color to minimize this effect. For this reason, foil is generally better suited for distressed looks, accents and designs with a good deal of negative space.
Regarding durability, we’ve found that the consistency and level application of the adhesive layer and the post-heat-press “setting” of the foil to have the greatest effect on the durability of the decoration. We “set” the foil by sending back through the conveyor dryer after the heat press step. This seems to solidify the adhesion for increased durability through multiple laundry cycles.
How is Foil Printing Done?
Foil screenprinting is a two part process that involves first printing a layer of adhesive on the garment, curing that adhesive, and heat-pressing a sheet of foil onto the adhesive. Foil sticks to the adhesive only, leaving a shiny metallic sheen to the design that cannot be achieved with standard screen printed inks.
Because the ink is pressed with heat onto a garment the ink re-melts in order for the foil to adhere. This pressure may cause small open areas to close up and for this reason we recommend against using very fine type or very fine detail with foil.
Washing a Foil Print
Due to the nature of the process, foil print shirts are more sensitive to washing than most other decoration styles. It tarnishes after washing and may start to flake off slightly after numerous washes. We recommend including washing instructions with foil print t-shirts. First, turn the shirt inside-out. Next, use a delicate wash cycle, or better yet wash by hand, with cold water and a mild detergent. Hang dry. Do not iron over foil.
Washing a Foil Print
Due to the nature of the process, foil print shirts are more sensitive to washing than most other decoration styles. It tarnishes after washing and may start to flake off slightly after numerous washes. We recommend including washing instructions with foil print t-shirts. First, turn the shirt inside-out. Next, use a delicate wash cycle, or better yet wash by hand, with cold water and a mild detergent. Hang dry. Do not iron over foil.