Image Armor Light Shirt Formula DTG Pretreatment - 5 Gallon

Up until now, you really never had to pretreat white or light colored shirts if you were printing CMYK only designs (with no white under base). However, the colors were not that vibrant unless you printed a double pass, which wastes time and money. Even then, the results were only so-so.

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.

LIGHT SHIRT DTG PRETREATMENT FORMULA

• DESIGNED TO WORK WITH CMYK ONLY PRINTS
• WORKS GREAT ON 100% COTTON FABRICS
• WORKS GREAT on 50/50 and BLENDED FABRICS
• WORKS GREAT ON 100% POLYESTER
• PROVIDES INCREDIBLE DOT CONTROL FOR MORE VIVID COLORS AND IMAGES
• BETTER IMAGE PRESENTATION TO END CUSTOMER

(*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.)

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.