You have to check out the side by side comparisons to really understand why you should pretreat your white and light colored Shirts. If you are printing just CMYK, the rule was "no pretreatment needed". That worked fine UNTIL these light shirt pretreatments started coming out. Actually...people learned that even diluting dark shirt pretreatment made their white shirts POP and black printing came out deep black on white shirts. The problem is that even diluted, that pretreatment can cause staining (either right away or after being exposed to sunlight)
CMYK Printing at its Best
• Print A Wide Variety Of 100% Cotton & Polyester Gildan®, Sport Tech®, Port Authority®, Hanes® and More!
• Incredible Washability... Protect the crisp look of a print after multiple washes!
• Super Fine Clarity with Small Fonts and the Details are so Clear.
• Improve Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty! A longer lasting & better looking print keeps them coming back!
Please refer to the approved shirt chart at firebird.com
Incredible Washability
FBX-VIVID performs better than any pretreatment we’ve tested when it comes to washability. Wash after wash, our prints still look amazing and there is little to no loss of ink! The test show below is a side by side comparison of FBX-VIVID pretreatment and another brand pretreatment.
Maximized CMYK Vibrancy
We’ve designed FBX-VIVID to boost vibrancy to an entire new level! When tested against other brand pretreatments, the difference FBX-VIVID made was clear! See for yourself in this vibrant print test below.
Optimized Clarity
Application Chart
Compatibility:
All American™: Neoflex
Anajet™: FP-125, Sprint, Mpower (mp5, Mp5i, Mp10)
Belquette™: Flexi Jet, MOD1
DTG Brand™: Kiosk, Kiosk 2, Kiosk 3, HM1, M2, M4, Viper
Fast T-Jet™: TJet (SDT-1000), TJet 2 (SDT-1200), TJet 3 (SDT-1300), Blazer Pro, TJet Jumbo
Free Jet™: 330 TX, 500 TX, 700 TX
Lawson™: Diamond Jet
M&R Digital™: i-Dot 2100, i-Dot 4200, M-Link OV1
Melco™: FP-125, MelcoJet 2010, Melco G2, Melco G3
MS Brand™: MS-Zero, MS-One, MS-Two
PolyPrint SA™: TexJet, SuperJet
Resolute DTG™: RJet- Is, RJet – R4, RJet – R5
Sawgrass™: Advantage
Veloci-Jet™: Veloci-Jet
MISC™: Easy T, Spectra 3000, Epson 4880/4800
Recommended Pretreatment Instructions for White Ink Printing
The following 4 Steps will ensure consistent results with your DTG white ink prints.
1 – Fill your automatic pretreatment machine OR manual sprayer (Wagner® HLVP) with FIREBIRD pretreatment. For best results, do not dilute.
2 – Target between 16.5g to 22.0g of FIREBIRD PT per 14” x 17” print area.
has a wide application window, but apply as evenly as possible across the shirt.
(Lighter color shirts require less pretreatment than darker color shirts)
3 – Set your heat press temperature to 330°F (166°C) with medium pressure.
4 – Heat press the pretreated area for 30 to 60 seconds, or until dry to the touch. Tip: The parchment sheet should “fly” off the t-shirt when the heat press pops open. If you have to peel the sheet off the shirt continue heat pressing at 15 second intervals until fully dried and properly cured.
5 – You are now ready to start printing!
FIREBIRD Tips & Tricks
FIREBIRD PT allows for a wide application window. FIREBIRD’s in-house testing results suggests up to 35.0grams of can produce extraordinarily white prints with FIREBIRD White Ink. However, applying more than this amount may negatively effect wash results (flaking, cracking, peeling). Applying less then 16.5g may result in a less vibrant FIREBIRD white ink print.
Each t-shirt brand / colors affects the pretreatment amount for an optimal print. For example, a Black Gildan Heavy Cotton is optimized at 22.0g, while a Black Spectra 2100 optimizes at 18.0g. Refer to FIREBIRD Ink Shirt Matrix to see what brand shirts print best.
Heat presses temperature readings are surprisingly inaccurate. We recommend checking for 330°F with a non-contact IR thermometer across the heat press platen to ensure consistently.
When manually spraying with a Wagner® HLVP, the optimal distance is between 8” to 12” from the t-shirt. Continuously spray from top bottom or from left to right without turning off the sprayer. Minimize any “dwelling” of the sprayer to prevent from pretreatment buildup in any one location.
Keep your heat press pressure at medium (4 out of 10 on a Stahls® Hotronix) – Enough to matte down the fibers while also allowing moisture to escape when curing the pretreatment. Note: When curing the final printed shirt, apply “light” pressure for most vibrant results.
FIREBIRD PT has a 2 year shelf life, the longest in the industry. Store in 50°F-85°F conditions away from direct sunlight and heat.
Be sure to use a silicone-treated parchment sheet or kraft cover sheet to protect heat press from direct contact with t-shirt. The sheet also helps wick away moisture when curing.
Always conduct your own testing to optimize pretreatment results!
