Image Armor Dark Shirt formula is designed for use mainly on, obviously, dark shirts. This would include (but not limited to) black, navy, and similar colors. Some users may find that on lighter colored garments that discoloration will occur (this is mainly due to the chemicals and water used during manufacturing). Testing is recommended before any production run. However, we are also working on releasing a Light Shirt formula that resolves the discoloration on lighter colored fabrics.Image Armor Dark is a great improvement over the leading brands. The image to the left (click image to enlarge) was printed on a 100% cotton Hanes tagless black shirts. The reason we chose this image is it has a lot of subtle detail that fades out, which is one of the hardest printing aspects to hold during wash testing. The shirts were first pretreated with a Viperone pretreatment machine using the same exact of amount of pretreatment (18 grams for a 14″x14″ area per shirt), and heat pressed using a Hix S650 Autorelease with a pressure setting of 2. The shirts were then cured for 30 seconds until dry. The designs were then printed on a common Epson based DTG printer.

After printing, the shirts were washed together(hot/cold) and dried (hot dry) for 30 cycles. Degradation of the image started to appear after the first 5 washings in the Leading Brand X pretreatment. After 30 washing-drying cycles, it is clear there is a significant increase in wash durability of the Image Armor Dark pretreatment vs Brand X.

Features

FAST GELLING

Image Armor Pretreatments are easy to apply either via our Aerosol Spray can or in liquid form using a spray gun or automated pretreatment system.

USE LESS INK

Achieve better and more vibrant colors when using Image Armor DARK.

LESS CRYSTALLIZATION

Greatly reduced crystallization on the shirt results in better looking garments and smoother prints.

WASHES BETTER

Increase the wash fastness of any ink set with Image Armor Pretreatments. Improves washability of the printed image making them look better - longer.

WIDE WINDOW

The application window is blown wide open - no worrying if the ink will stick after washing.

IMAGE ARMOR DARK Shirt Formula

The Original Image Armor DARK Formula helped change the pretreating industry back in 2013. It was a much improved formula over what was currently on the market allowing for a variety of characteristics which included less crystallization of the pretreatment when heat pressing, reduce pretreatment box, greatly improved washability and an increased application window.

Image Armor DARK Shirt Formula is designed for use with all Dupont ink sets for most of the repurposed Epson DTG printers on the market.

Ease of application allows for easier hand spraying of the pretreatment. When applying with a Wagner spray gun, if you aren't sure if you have enough pretreatment on the shirt, simply apply a little bit more - without worrying if the ink will stay adhered to the shirt after washing.

The DARK Shirt Formula is designed to be used on midi-dark colored shirts to black garments with white ink printing. A white underbase is required for all CMYK inks being printed otherwise wash ability will suffer.

Instructions

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.

• Heat Set-Cure

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.

Image Armor Dark Shirt formula is designed for use mainly on, obviously, dark shirts. This would include (but not limited to) black, navy, and similar colors. Some users may find that on lighter colored garments that discoloration will occur (this is mainly due to the chemicals and water used during manufacturing). Testing is recommended before any production run. However, we are also working on releasing a Light Shirt formula that resolves the discoloration on lighter colored fabrics.

Image Armor Dark is a great improvement over the leading brands. The image was printed on a 100% cotton Hanes tagless black shirts. The reason we chose this image is it has a lot of subtle detail that fades out, which is one of the hardest printing aspects to hold during wash testing.The shirts were first pretreated with a Viperone pretreatment machine using the same exact of amount of pretreatment (18 grams for a 14″x14″ area per shirt), and heat pressed using a Hix S650 Autorelease with a pressure setting of 2. The shirts were then cured for 30 seconds until dry. The designs were then printed on a common Epson based DTG printer.

After printing, the shirts were washed together(hot/cold) and dried (hot dry) for 30 cycles. Degradation of the image started to appear after the first 5 washings in the Leading Brand X pretreatment. After 30 washing-drying cycles, it is clear there is a significant increase in wash durability of the Image Armor Dark pretreatment vs Brand X.

What This Means to You and Your Customers

The biggest issue with direct to garment printing has been the wash-ability of the garments. Many have been disappointed with the white ink wash fastness of all the direct-to-garment printers on the market. Part of this is relative to the ink sets used, however, the foundation for the entire DTG printing process is the application of the pretreatment. More specifically, the pretreatment chemistry itself. Image Armor is designed from the ground up to be the industry’s most technologically advanced, best solution for improving long term washings of your images. The results speak for itself.

Better wash-fastness means your customers will be happier. And if your customers are happier, that means more sales for you in the long term (and less stress related headaches due to not knowing if your images will wash well or not).

This is our job. To help you Protect Your Image.