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Printing across a zippered hoodie ??

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Plan9
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:52 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 5
Has anyone here tried to print across a zippered hoodie?

I've got some pictures I'd like to span across a sweatshirt when zipped up, but I'm not sure about the bulkyness. Can you get a good flat print?

Also, most hoodies are 50/50, not all cotton. Do you need to do anything differently?

Thanks.
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Fool's Gold
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 3:53 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 284 Location: Ontario Canada
just printed 100 zip ups for Darkest Hour. The trick is to get a double recessed platen. One deep groove for the actual zipper to fall into (make 1/2" deep or so, and another wider more shallow groove for the seams that attach the zipper to the hoodie.) So you will have a flat platen, then a 1/8-1/4" deep groove that's about 1.5" wide or so, then a 1/2" wide and whatever depth deeper groove. The idea is that the zipper will fall deep enough into the platen to expose the seam. It's not easy, and it'll look a bit messed up, but it's do able. Just make sure you make em pay through the nose for em. I did all 100 hoodies 1 at a time, took way to long, but that's the way it goes.

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Plan9
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:30 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 5
That makes perfect sense.
I should probably not expect to do more than 2 color with that one, huh?
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Earwick66
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:37 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 3565 Location: Grand Saline,TX
always good advice from Fool'sGold[thumbs up]another trick i use at work for printing across zippers(and for aid in lining up logos for certain applications like "above pocket" logos or for fixing an already printed shirt and they want something else added,for instance..a Family Reunion shirt with left off names or they want the date or something else added after we've printed the job)is to get blank mousepads(the rubbery kind)all the same size of course and stack them to the desired height to make yourself a "groove" or a straight line point of reference to know where to set the shirt on the platen(and obviously printing blind)and tape them to the platen with masking tape and some spray adhesive down first to hold the mousepads down a little better(if youre doing some heavy flashing the tape sometimes gets hot and pulls up)Good Luck and Happy Printing
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masonmayhem
Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:10 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 1376 Location: Redneck Riviera, AB
i pretty much do what earwick66 said except i use cardboard and i duct tape it to the platen.

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Fool's Gold
Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:38 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 284 Location: Ontario Canada
vinyl tiles are amazing for building up platens. Put em under the flash for a few seconds and they cut like butter, excellent for cutting around neck holes and so forth. You should have a tile supplier nearby, just get a case of 50 of the cheapest tiles they have.

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