Spreadshirt's Printing Techniques

Flex, Flock, Digital Printing … In the following video Christine will give you an introduction to the printing techniques which are offered at Spreadshirt.

Plot Printing: Flex and Flock

Plot printing is an extremely durable and fade-resistant t-shirt print. A vector graphic serves as the master copy, which can have up to three colours. We offer a wide range of colours which are defined by the colour of the print foil. There are two types of plot prints: flex and flock.

Flex: Flex is a smooth, thin, somewhat rubbery layer on the fabric. We have a wide range of colours to choose from. Check out this FAQ article with our full colour range for flex and flock.
The unique flex colours include: metallic silver, metallic gold, silver reflective and glow in the dark.

Specialty Flex: This special kind of flex foil glitters and sparkles in the light with small, reflective metal particles mixed into the colour. There are many different colours in two styles: glitter with smaller glittery particles and sparkle with rougher, larger particles.

Flock: Flock is a fleecy, soft layer on the fabric. It has a velvety feel, like a thin layer of plush fabric. Flock also has a slightly different colour palette than flex.

Digital Printing: Digital Direct and Digital Transfer

If your design has more than three colours or colour gradients (i.e. a photograph), we recommend using digital printing. Please note: digital printing is not as long-lasting as plot printing. Pixel graphics serve as the master copy. Here are the two digital printing methods.

Digital Direct:

Your design is printed directly onto the fabric. Every colour is rendered, even white. Dark shirts can also be printed with Digital Direct, as they are first primed with a layer of white before printing.

Digital Transfer:

Here your design is printed onto a foil, which is then pressed under high temperature onto the shirt. With Digital Transfer, the colours start softening after a few washes and the design fades. White or bright shirts can only be printed on with this printing method.