The Ink Kitchen

Explaining Full Color printing methods, whether it be Simulated Process, CMYK, Index or otherwise, to the uninitiated can be a struggle.  We decided it would be easier to just show them…

In the last several months we have been printing with discharge inks at a higher level than ever before.  This is partially a trend and partially driven internally.  This trend also corresponds with a trend toward specialty substrates, i.e.: tri-blends, fashion fleece, etc.  Obviously, this complicates things.  You can be reasonably sure of the results you…

There is no such thing as a perfect ink mixing system (or even a really good mixing system).  Formulas are often inaccurate by several shades (yes, I’ve experienced this consistently across several mixing systems and it is not for lack of a high-end scale).  So what do you do when you know a color will…

Here’s a great article and video by the WSJ on finding the perfect t-shirt.  Enjoy…

We recently pulled off a multi-color foil without an in-line foil setup.  How you ask?  A manual press, a super hot flash, and a teflon coated screen.  I think you get the idea.

It doesn’t happen very often but when it does I always ask myself the same question, “how did we all miss this?”.  A typo, right in front of your face goes unnoticed by all involved parties: designer, end-user, distributor, and printer.  It is only caught moments before production is set to commence during a “first print…

I thought this was a nice saying to start the weekend.  Rutland Discharge White Plus, 20″ x 20″ jumbo print on a 28″ x 28″ 100% cotton, J. Crew Bandana.  Happy Friday.

I have a small collection of personal shirts which I have retired from my active wardrobe but have retained for nostalgic purposes.  This “The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow” tee is my favorite.  It was given to me as a hand-me-down Christmas gift in 1992 by my big sister’s ex-boyfriend.  He had purchased the shirt in…

I came across this blog post from Adam Nash’s blog today.  The post dates back to 2010 but is no less relevant today.  As a contract printer in Northern California we depend very much on tech companies and young startups understanding “why t-shirts matter”.

We’re very cautious to avoid “bleeding” and “dye-migration” when it comes to printing 100% poly and poly-blend fabrics.  We use poly white plus a barrier gray when under-basing 100% poly and we use poly white plus a standard low-bleed white when under-basing blends.  We drop our oven temp and cure time, and we are careful not…