Why is my DTG print washing out?

There are many reasons why DTG prints may wash out.

Problems with prints washing out are usually indicative of too much pretreatment or inadequate heat press temperature or time. There are other factors however these are the two most common.

Too much pretreatment - The idea is to use a minimal amount of pretreatment to achieve a satisfactory result. Too much pretreatment will act like a barrier between the garment and the ink. Because the pretreatment gels the ink if there is too much treatment the ink will not reach the garment itself and latch onto the pretreatment only, thus when washing the garment the pretreatment is washed away the ink will wash out as well.

Heat press temperature and time for pretreatment - 330 F for 30 seconds. If your garment is not fully dry press once again for 5-10 seconds without the Silicon paper. If the Silicon paper sticks and the garment is still moist this is an indication that the garment needs a bit more time under the press. When this occurs you will notice that the Silicon paper needs to be peeled from the garment. Make sure the shirt is dry.

Heat press temperature and time - Without the proper amount of heat and time the ink will not cure fully. This will cause durability issues, depending on the severity the wash results will vary.

Prints with a white underbase - temperatures of 340-350 F and a press time of 3 minutes total. The press should be divided into two presses 90 seconds followed by 90 seconds. This will allow the moisture (steam) to escape and increase your durability.

Prints with no white underbase - temperatures of 330-340 F and a press time of 60 seconds to 90 seconds. 60 seconds for production and 90 seconds for High Res.

Temperature and time may vary depending on the type of ink used.