Look, we all know that no matter how many labels we hang or print on a T-shirt about washing in cool water with mild detergent on the gentle cycle, that tee is going to be tossed into the wash with the towels, socks, and dog’s blanket, on the heavy cycle in hot water.
And we also know that if the print on the tee wasn’t properly cured, some or all of it, along with your reputation as a textile screen printer and whatever washes out of the dog’s blanket, is going down the drain.
So, you need to do two things to ensure that all your prints are properly cured. First, test your dryer at least a couple of times a day to ensure that it is still reaching cure temperature. The best way to do this is with a Thermoprobe.. The second thing to do is a wash test, particularly on critical jobs when there may be a lot at stake in terms of money and reputation.
A good way to do a wash test is to cut the print in half. Wash one half with three heavy bath towels in hot water and liquid detergent. Tumble-dry the load on high until dry.. When you compare the washed half with the unwashed half, there should be no cracking or loss of part or all of the print. If there is, the print wasn’t properly cured. Then you can establish the cause and correct it.
It’s much better to have a failure in your washing machine before the tees are delivered, than afterwards in the customers’ washing machines.