To make a custom print last, turn the shirt inside out, wash it in cold water on a normal or gentle cycle, skip bleach and fabric softener, and tumble dry on low or hang it. Never iron the design. At French Press Custom in Santa Fe Springs, our published wash warranty covers 50+ washes for screen printing and DTF under exactly that routine.
The short version works for every method. The details differ, though: vinyl hates heat more than ink does, DTG fades if it is dried hot, and embroidery has its own rules for ironing. Below is a care table by method, the habits that ruin prints fastest, and how to tell a care problem from a print problem.
The five rules that work for every printed shirt
- Turn it inside out. This is the single biggest thing you can do. It keeps the print off the drum and away from zippers, buttons and rough fabrics like denim.
- Wash cold. Heat is what breaks prints down, in the water and in the dryer. Cold or warm is fine; hot is not.
- No bleach, easy on the softener. Bleach attacks ink and thread color. Softener builds up over time and can lift the edges of a print or a transfer.
- Dry low, or hang dry. A high-heat dryer is harder on a print than the wash itself.
- Never iron the design. If the shirt needs pressing, turn it inside out and press the back of the print, or put a cloth over it.
These are the same conditions our quality guarantee is written around: cold or warm water, tumble dry low, no bleach, no ironing directly on the print.
How should you wash each type of print?
Every method below holds up well with the five rules. The table shows where each one is more or less forgiving, and what the first sign of trouble looks like.
| Print method | Water | Dryer | Iron | Extra care | First sign of wear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen print, plastisol | Cold or warm | Low | Never on the print; press from the back | Inside out, no bleach | Cracking along folds (early cracking means under-cure, not your fault) |
| Screen print, water-based or discharge | Cold or warm | Low | Fine from the back | Inside out, no bleach | Gradual softening and fading, like a vintage tee |
| DTG | Cold | Low or hang dry | Never on the print | Inside out, skip softener | Gradual fading, most visible on dark shirts |
| DTF transfer | Cold | Low | Never on the transfer | Inside out, no bleach or softener on the print | Edges lifting if dried hot |
| Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) | Cold or warm, never hot | Low or medium | Never on the vinyl; use a cloth | No softener on the vinyl, no dry cleaning | Peeling at corners and thin letters |
| Embroidery | Cold or warm | Low | From the back, with a towel under the design | Inside out, trim loose threads, do not pull them | Puckering if dried hot or pressed flat from the front |
Our published wash warranties, from the guarantee page: screen printing 50+ washes, DTF 50+, DTG 40+, heat transfer vinyl 30+, and embroidery for the life of the garment. Those are floors under normal care, not a countdown.
Screen printed shirts (plastisol)
Plastisol is the standard screen printing ink. It cures into a flexible film that sits on top of the fabric, and once it is fully cured it is the most wash-tolerant print there is. Wash it inside out, cold or warm, and dry it low. The only real enemy is direct heat on the print: an iron set to cotton will soften the ink and can smear it onto the iron. If you are curious why prints crack, our ink cracking guide explains the cure issue in full.
Water-based and discharge prints
These inks soak into the cotton instead of sitting on it, which is why they feel soft and breathe. There is no film to crack, so they are forgiving. They do soften and fade slightly over many washes, which most people like because the shirt looks more worn-in. Treat them like any good cotton tee. More on the inks themselves in water-based vs plastisol ink and on our water-based and discharge page.
DTG prints
DTG ink is water-based and bonds into cotton fibers, so it does not crack the way a heavy film can. What it does instead is fade gradually, and heat speeds that up. Cold water and a low dryer, or hanging it, keep a DTG print bright the longest. Dark shirts show fading first because the design sits on a white ink layer. We ran our own wash tests in Is DTG printing good quality?
DTF transfers
A DTF print is a printed film bonded with a heat-activated adhesive. It flexes with the fabric and resists cracking, but the adhesive is still heat-sensitive. Keep it inside out, cold, dried low, and keep bleach and softener off the print area. See DTF printing explained for how the transfer is built.
Heat transfer vinyl
Vinyl is the least heat-tolerant decoration on a shirt. Hot water and a hot dryer are the most common causes of vinyl lifting early. Avoid softener on the vinyl, never dry clean it, and if you must iron the shirt, keep a cloth between the iron and the vinyl. Our HTV guide covers where vinyl makes sense, mostly names and numbers.
Embroidery
Thread is stitched into the fabric, so there is nothing to crack, peel or fade. Embroidery fails in different ways: a hot dryer can shrink the garment around the stitches and cause puckering, and ironing from the front flattens the stitches and can leave a shine. Wash inside out, dry low, and press from the back with a towel under the design. If a thread end works loose, trim it; pulling it can unravel a section.
What ruins custom prints fastest?
In order of how often we see them:
- High dryer heat. The number one cause of faded DTG, lifting vinyl and puckered embroidery.
- Ironing the face of the design. Plastisol and vinyl soften and can stick to the iron.
- Hot water washes. Most damaging for vinyl and transfers.
- Bleach and stain removers on the print. Including "color safe" products used straight on the design.
- Fabric softener buildup. It slowly works at the edges of prints and transfers.
- Washing right side out with jeans, zippers or towels. Abrasion scuffs the print surface.
- Dry cleaning. The solvents are hard on vinyl and some inks. Printed tees do not need it.
Does the shirt itself need special care?
Usually the same routine protects the fabric too. Cold water and a low dryer keep cotton from shrinking, and they keep garment-dyed tees like the Comfort Colors 1717 from losing color fast. Wash new dark or garment-dyed shirts with similar colors for the first few washes, since some dye can release early. Tri-blends and polyester performance shirts are the most heat-sensitive fabrics of all, so never dry them hot.
Our take
Most "my print fell apart" calls are one of two things, and the timeline tells you which. A print that fades slowly over a year of washing is normal wear. A print that cracks along every fold in the first wash or two, on cold water and low heat, was not cured properly, and that is on the printer, not on you. We cure to temperature and spot-check with a wash test rather than trusting the conveyor, and if a print of ours fails early, the guarantee says send us a photo and we reprint it. When you call, tell us the wash routine too. That plus a photo usually settles cure, ink or care in about a minute.
Ordering from Los Angeles or Orange County
- Where we are. 14130 Rosecrans Ave, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, serving Los Angeles and Orange County.
- Minimums. DTG none, DTF 12, embroidery 24, screen printing 36 pieces per design.
- Timing. About 2-3 weeks after art approval. Rush available depending on the schedule. Tell us your date.
- Contact. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm PT, (562) 407-3800, sales@frenchpresscustom.com.
Planning shirts that need to last? Compare methods on our screen printing, DTG and embroidery pages, or price your shirts now.
Frequently asked questions
Should I wash custom printed shirts inside out?
Yes. Turning the shirt inside out is the single most effective care step, because it keeps the print off the drum and away from zippers and rough fabrics. It works for every method, from screen printing to embroidery.
Can you put a screen printed shirt in the dryer?
Yes, on low heat. A properly cured plastisol print handles a low dryer for its whole life; high heat is what shortens it. Our screen print wash warranty is 50+ washes with tumble dry low.
Is it OK to wash printed shirts in warm water?
Warm is fine for screen prints, embroidery and vinyl, and cold is best for DTG and DTF. Hot water is the one to avoid for every method, and it is hardest on vinyl.
Can you iron a shirt with a print on it?
Yes, but never directly on the design. Turn the shirt inside out and press the back of the print, or lay a cloth over the design first.
How many washes does a custom print last?
Our published wash warranties are 50+ washes for screen printing and DTF, 40+ for DTG, 30+ for heat transfer vinyl, and the life of the garment for embroidery, all under normal care. A well cured screen print often lasts as long as the shirt.
Does fabric softener ruin printed shirts?
It does not ruin them in one wash, but softener builds up and can lift the edges of prints and transfers over time. Skip it, or keep it to an occasional load.
Why did my print crack after the first wash?
Cracking in the first wash or two, on normal care, almost always means the ink was not fully cured. That is a production fault, not a care mistake. Read why custom shirts crack and peel.
