Image Armor Light Shirt Formula Pretreatment - 1 Gallon
Image Armor Light Shirt Formula Pretreatment - 1 Gallon
Image Armor LIGHT Shirt Formula creates a whole new dynamic for the DTG printing world giving multiple options in printing your designs, with incredible results. First, if you are NOT printing a white under base on your garments, Image Armor LIGHT will provide unparalleled image quality sharpness, vibrancy, and wash durability. Simply apply Image Armor LIGHT using a spray gun or automated pretreatment application machine (which is recommended for repeatable reults), dry and print.
Also, most other pretreatments do not allow you to print only CMYK inks onto the garment. These pretreatments are made for printing a white under base and then your CMYK inks. However, if you do print a CMYK only print on one of these pretreatments the print will look great prior to washing, but when it is washed it will fade dramatically.
Image Armor LIGHT Formula gives you the flexibility of printing a white under base on the garment and then printing your CMYK colors on top, while still giving incredible washability and performance capabilities. This allows for a variety of printing configurations including the ability to NOT print a white under base where the black ink is located. This results in using less white ink while still achieving incredible prints on the final garments.
(*Recommended – Starting Point depending on the weight of the shirt would be 16-22 grams for a 14″x14″ area. Heat Set 330F for 30 seconds, additional 10 second intervals until dry.)
Before Use:
- You DO NOT need to mix down Image Armor. It is ready to use (RTU) right out of the container.
- Always SHAKE the container before using or pouring into your pretreatment machine container.
- When returning unused pretreatment from a machine, strain it to ensure no fibers or dirt, dust, contaminants are in the solution. A clean solution keeps you happy.
Application:
- When applying pretreatment to the garment, make sure to apply it as evenly as possible (mechanical pretreatment machines are the best).
- Depending on the shirt being pretreated there are some variables to consider on how much to apply.
- A good starting point is 15-18 grams per 14″x14″ area.
- NOTE: 18-26 grams may provide you with better washability and white optical brightness. Test to find your best laydown for the garment you are pretreating. Application amounts will vary based on the weight and quality of the garment being printed.
- The heaver the garment, the higher the amount of pretreatment needed.
- The darker the color, the more pretreatment is required.
- The lighter the weight of the shirt, you can usually reduce the amount of fluid applied to the garment.
- The lighter the color of the shirt, less pretreatment is usually required. HINT: You might try cutting ULTRA for LIGHT colored shirts with a 1:1 mix (using one distilled water to one pretreatment) to reduce yellowing or discoloration. DO NOT USE on white or natural colored shirts.
- Always use a high quality garment that is ring-spun with a tight knit weave. The smoother and tighter the weave, the better your final DTG print.
Curing:
- Set your heat press to 330F
- Cure time: 30 seconds or until dry. You might try two 20 second presses. Use brown KRAFT paper for best results. Teflon can result in a glossy sheen. Kraft paper should be easily removed and not stick to the shirt when peeling. Sticking will result in fibers sticking up resulting in non-smooth white prints.
- Pressure setting: Heavier pressure can be used and will help press/mat down fibers during the drying process.
- DO NOT allow cover sheet to remain on garment after pressing or crystallization can occur as pretreatment vapors cool.
Storage of Garments:
- Pre-pretreated shirts can be done ahead of time. Try to use them as soon as possible. It is not recommended to go more than two weeks after pretreating before using.
- Always re-press the garment for 5-10 seconds with light pressure if they’ve been stored for more than a day. The shirts will collect moisture, and moisture is the enemy of good pretreated shirts. ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR SHIRTS ARE MOISTURE FREE BEFORE PRINTING.
- DO NOT OVERHANDLE the shirts. Touching, bending, folding, throwing shirts around will damage and break the pretreatment down on the shirt. For the best results, try not to “man handle” the garments prior to printing.
