The Trouble with Shrinking T Shirts

What can you do to prevent wrinkled heat transfer vinyl appliques? Possible solutions include buying pre-shrunk tee-shirts or pre-pressing garments prior to heat pressing an applique.

By Jim Hingst

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 vinyl applique also shrunk and shriveled up with the shirt.

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

So what can a shop owner do to avoid these complaints? Some thicker heat transfer vinyl films will hold their shape a little better – but not much.  The problem with the thicker heat transfer vinyl 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 vinyl 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 T shirts. The T 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 T shirts yourself.  This is not very practical because it is time-consuming. A better practice is to pre-press the T shirt  for three to five seconds prior to heat pressing the heat transfer vinyl applique which helps pre-shrink the T shirt.

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Heat Pressing on Dye Sublimated Fabrics

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Processing Printable Heat Transfer Films

Shopping for a Heat Press 

Pressing Heat Transfer Films

Evaluating Heat Transfer Films

Plotter Cutting Heat Transfer Films
Cutting & Weeding Tips for Heat Transfer Films
The Trouble with Shrinking Shirts
Caring for Garments with Heat Transfers

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.

© 2015 Jim Hingst