L.A.T An Industry Innovator

Posted on May 14, 2014 by mark

LAT Sportswear has been in the blank apparel business for over thirty years. During this time the company has gone from being the innovator and pioneer of Rabbit Skins the original imprintable infant clothing line, to cutting edge with their recently released trendy GREY line for Youth and Men.

The line showcases a light weight fashionable Tee, and overall has a fashion forward feel. Trending towards a youthful hip market has been popular as of late in the blank apparel business. LAT has done an excellent job of creating garments inline with the demands of todays fashion conscious consumer while keeping prices inline with the wholesale markets demands.

Comparable in fit and feel to both extremely popular industry favorites, the TULTEX 0202 and the Canvas 3001, the LAT 6901 boasts a light weight fit and feel. At only 4.5oz this 100% combed ringspun cotton T shirt is very soft to the touch with a comfortable tailored fit. With over twenty five colors to choose from, the 6901 is a great choice for any line. While this Jersey T could easily stand on its own it does not have to! LAT has counter parts to ensure your brand has a consistent finished look.

The 6901 pairs seamlessly with other garments in the line allowing you to screenprint your own small line with a big feel. From youth to infant, and from junior to Lady’s and back, the entire LAT line incorporates many of the same core colors allowing you to imprint your design on a wide range of garments regardless of your run size. Utilizing LAT, you can outfit almost any group with the same colors and fabric.

Innovation does not stop with fit feel and color consistency throughout the LAT line. In addition L.A.T has created one of the first full lines of sublimation friendly t-shirts in SubliVie. Sublimation is a process in which ink is super-heated. The super-heated ink turns into a gas which adheres to polyester. This process allows for extremely vibrant all over prints. Sublimation has been traditionally used in the creation of uniforms, think cycling Jerseys similar to those Lance Armstrong wore in competition. The creation of SubliVie is truly innovative because of its fit and feel. While the line incorporates 100% polyester garments necessary for sublimation, the feel unlike most polyester garments is almost cotton to the touch allowing for vibrant all over T-shirt printing as seen on the t-shirt to the left designed and sold by Thredya.

L.A.T sportswear is tirelessly committed to providing customers with innovative products for innovative needs at affordable prices.

Tips and Techniques to Reverse Tie Dye T Shirts and More!

Posted on September 24, 2013 by

In a past blog post I wrote a blog about Tie Dye, and recently I discovered a technique for decorating shirts that is refereed to as reverse tie dye. Now I do own clothing items that are reverse tie dyed but I never recognized as this technique nor how it was created. So after discovering this I decided I must write a blog post to share my discovery with the world!

What is Reverse Tie Dye?

When you tie dye you add color to create design, so in the reverse we are technically removing color to create an interesting pattern and design. In order to do this you use bleach of the not color safe variety. You can use this technique on many different things, from t shirts and socks to sheets and pillow cases.

What You Need

-The first thing you need is something to reverse tie dye. An item made of cotton would work best, and it also needs to be dark in color to get the full effect.

-You’ll also need bleach, at most a few cups depending on the technique you choose and the size of your selected item.

-Since bleach is involved I would also suggest using gloves, and perhaps wearing a poncho or ratty apron to make sure no bleach splashes on your clothes. You should probably also wear ratty clothing…just in case.

-Depending on the technique you choose you will need either a spray bottle or bucket to use in a bleach safe area.

-The last thing you’ll need is some rubber bands to shape the item before bleaching, just like in tie dye!

Techniques

While research I came across two different techniques you can use to apply the bleach. But before using bleach everyone has the same basic idea for set-up, with a few variations of course. Just like with normal tie dye you need to roll, fold, and twist the item, or items, into a desired or interesting shape using the rubber bands before applying the bleach. Just like with tie dye the shape you take and where and how you apply the bleach will create and affect the design that is created.

After rubber banding the item(s) into a shape, it’s time to apply the bleach! The first technique I saw was using a spay bottle to spray the bleach, or a bleach water mixture, onto what you are reverse tie dying. Just be sure to mark it or clean out the spray bottle throughly so you don’t accidentally spray bleach somewhere you’d rather not spray it. The other technique is taking a part of the item, not the whole thing and dipping it in some bleach. This technique happens fast and as soon as there is a color you like, immediately transfer to a tub of water and wash the bleach out! No matter which technique you choose be sure to thoroughly rinse the item to get all of the bleach out. If you throw it in the washer, be sure to wash it by itself to avoid bleaching something else.

I’ve seen posts that suggest using vinegar with the item in the wash as a way to stop the bleaching process, but other say bleach and vinegar should not be mixed as it creates a toxic reaction. So if you use vinegar be sure ALL of the bleach is out or skip this step entirely.

For some more information on reverse tie dye check out these pages:

Quick Reverse Tie-Dye

DIY Bleach Tie Dye

How To: Reverse Tie Dye

Until next time!

Digital Printing Vs. Screen Printing

Posted on June 25, 2013 by

When you decide to create a t shirt with a custom design, there are two different printing options for your t shirt, screen printing and digital printing. This blog post will help you determine which method would be best for your design.

Screen Printing

What Is Screen Printing?

Screen printing is the more common method of printing designs on various apparel. The screen printing process uses woven mesh and ink-blocking stencils to create the design. The stencil for one color is placed on the mesh and then ink is moved across the stencil, forcing ink only through the opening in the stencil. Once one color is complete they repeat with another color and another stencil until the design is complete.

Pros of Screen Printing

-This technique is more cost effective, especially with larger orders

-Creates a high quality print

-Prints are long lasting

-Can be used on items with unique shapes or on specific areas of an item of clothing

-Looks professionally

Cons of Screen Printing

-Cannot produce high resolution details, like from photographs

-May have color limits

Digital Printing

What is Digital Printing?

In digital printing, the printing process uses a printer head to apply ink directly onto your clothing or other various apparel. It works the same as your paper printer at home, only this printer is designed to print on fabric.

Pros of Digital Printing

-Great for small orders

-Can show the finer details of photos

-Soft to the touch

-Design lays flat

Cons of Digital Printing

-Exact color matching not guaranteed

-Printing area size is limited to size of the printer or it’s set-up

-Large orders can be less cost efficient

-Printer specific ink can be more expensive

Regardless which method you go with, consider checking out our Next Level t-shirts. We carry a variety of Next Level Apparel clothing options that are all extremely high quality.

I hope this helps you determine which method would best fit your printing needs. Until next time!

How to Design Custom T Shirts

Posted on May 14, 2013 by

Are you looking to create custom t shirts but have no idea where to start in designing one? Today I’m going to go over some t shirt design tips and design ideas to help you create custom apparel for maybe your baseball team, your family reunion, or maybe just for fun. Custom t shirts are a great for setting your group apart or just showing off your creativity.

Creating a Design

When designing t shirts, first you need to create and decide on a design. The design could be a logo, or maybe a team name. Many custom t shirt websites will have some pre-loaded images or fonts for you to use, but if you want to create an original t shirt design here are some tips and techniques to make the most out of your design.

Keep it simple – you want to get the point across without the design being overwhelming to the viewer. Stay focused on the purpose of the shirt and remember that less is more.
Avoid Color Overload – Try not to use to many different colors. Using to many colors could be distracting, or once again overwhelming. Try to stick to only using 2-4 colors, you could even use multiple shades of the same color to get get some contrast and variation in your design.
Simple Fonts – Just like with images, you want to keep your letters simple and easy to read. You can have a custom and creative font but if no one can read it then it fails in its purpose.
Limit Text – A little bit of text is great, maybe a quote, a team or company name, or perhaps a slogan. But if you write a lot of text on a t shirt then people glancing at it won’t be able to get the full affect of the t shirt. Your shirt needs to get the point across in a single glance.

Design Ideas

Are you stumped on a design for your custom t shirt? Here are some strategies for coming up with that perfect design idea. First think of the purpose of the t shirt. When you think of it what are the first things that come to mind. For example, for a family reunion you may think of a family tree, which could lead to an interesting tree based design. Your next step in coming up with t shirt design ideas would be research. What are other, similar groups or events doing for their t shirts? Maybe look into the history or read articles on topics similar to the purpose of your design, see if it sparks some design ideas. Instead of boring, plain stars on your astronomy club’s t shirt, have a super nova or a black hole. Be creative and think outside of the box.

Custom T Shirt Design Tips

Now that you have a design it’s time to create a custom t shirt. First you have to decide what kind of shirt you would like to have. There are polos, v necks, crew necks, and many more. After you’ve chosen the best style of shirt for your t shirt design, you now must choose what color the shirt will be. Try to find a color that looks good with the design that you created. Try to avoid shirts that are similar to the colors in your design. For example if your design has primarily dark red in it, then you may want to avoid shirts where the design will be surrounded by dark red because the design will blend in with the shirt. You want your design to stand out so people take notice of it. You’ll also need to choose where your design will go on the shirt. Will it be in an upper or lower corner of the shirt, or maybe on the sleeve, on the stomach?

Custom t shirts can be useful for many different things in many different ways. A custom t shirt design will set you all apart, make you more unified and easy to recognize, for maybe your softball team, business or family trip. I’d love to hear your t shirt design ideas or see custom t shirts you’ve made!

For more tips or to spark a design idea, check out these articles and blog posts:

12 Best T-Shirt Design Tutorials and Tips – Editor at @SloDive has compiled the great list of Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials

5 Secrets For Perfect T Shirt Text – Author John P Harrishas some great tips and information regarding text desgin.

How to design custom T-shirt– Michael Garmahis @garmahis has created a useful list of tips for creating a custom design t shirt

10 pro-tips for T-shirt design –@CreativeBloQ has a list of great tips and visuals to help create your perfect design

Have fun designing!

Ass Backwards and Happy to Be!

Posted on January 29, 2013 by mark

We recently had the pleasure of printing for the new comedy series Ass Backwards. The underwear were a big hit at the recent Park City Utah based Sundance Film Festival. Our happy customer Marrisa shared the the following comment along with a link to an article written about the hit apparel.

Hey Blankstyle,

I just wanted to say that the ass backwards underwear were a big hit – thank you so much for all your work!!

Marissa

The print is gold metallic plastisol on the American Apparel 4314 Flat Bottom Panty.

One Ink, One Print, Three Different Shirts

Posted on June 18, 2012 by

These three shirts feature the same water-based ink with a discharge undercoat.

What you would want to notice is the three different variations of shirts used for the same ink. The left most shirt is a 100% combed ringspun cotton t-shirt, similar to a 2001 American Apparel tee shirt. Notice how the colors seem to appear more vintage, faded out.

Now the same print is on the middle shirt which features a 100% Preshrunk HeavyWeight Cotton. Notice the vibrant color of the red shirt allows the print to stand out more and give the ink a more prominent look.

The third shirt features a heathered 65% polyester, 35% cotton red. Notice the tones are heavily faded out, you get a more vintage feel, and it definitely looks more translucent than the rest.

Considering the materials of your garments will help you decide how the outcome of your product. Whether you require an opaque look, or a relatively translucent look, these considerations are key in the design process prior to printing.

Testimonial: Hollywood Hamilton Clothing

Posted on June 7, 2012 by

Major ups to George Hamilton with Hollywood Hamilton Clothing for his release of the summer tank tops for his flagship line! We’re happy to help you begin your summer collection and hope to continue business with you soon! Check out some of the Hollywood Hamilton Line!

Check out his website here: http://www.wix.com/hollywoodhamiltonclo/hollywoodhamiltonclothingco#!shop/vstc1=mens-v-necks

Testimonial: GO(O)D LIFE

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

Screenprinting Testimonials

Congratulations to Katy and William from GO(O)D Life for their successful launch! They started with an idea and we were able to help them envision it all the way through. Here are some words from the GO(O)D Life themselves:

Katy:
“Yes thanks guys! We just got them! They look great….we are so so glad to have received them today! Thanks for the speediness and the great quality blankstyle guys, you are the best.”
We here at Blankstyle would like to thank Katy and William for allowing us to be apart of their brand! We are excited for all your future endeavors!

The Basics of Screen Printing (Part Three)

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

This installment of our Basics of Screen Printing will inform you about water-based inks and the comparison of water-based versus traditional plastisol inks.

Water-based inks are composed of water (as suggested by the name) suspended with pigments to create color. Designs for water-based inks can be printed on cotton, polyester, or poly/cotton blends. Colors in water-based inks are seen to be more vibrant, and can provide a softer, more sunk-in feel for the design printed on the shirt.

When properly cured, water-based ink printing can survive many trips through the washing machine. Here is an example of a water-based ink print:

The disadvantages of water-based inks can be that they are more difficult to cure than conventional plastisol inks. Improper handling of water-based ink prints can cause un-dried or mis-dried prints. These prints require a larger heating capacity than standard plastisol. Water-based ink print applications can also only be used on a small selection of mediums such as 100% cotton, and poly-cotton blends, whereas plastisol can be used in larger varieties of material including wicking fabrics. Also, the

When choosing the variety of inks for your t-shirt application, you have to make in-depth decisions in regards to the feel, the texture and the opacity of the coloration. When you have come to a consensus with these decisions, you can furthermore learn to choose which ink is best for you.

The Basics of Screen Printing (Part Two)

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

What are the different types of screen printing?

There are several methods of printing on garments. With these methods, you can achieve multiple feels, qualities, and distinct looks. By understanding these different methods of screen printing, you can decide which ink is suitable for your application.

Plastisol Ink

Plastisol is the industry standard for inks. It achieves great longevity on t-shirts after multiple washes, a textured feel on top of the shirts, as well as vibrant coloration. There are several types of Plastisol inks that vary from standard, heavyweight and soft-feel. The standard is used by many large clothing companies such as Vans, Hurley, Nike, Supreme, and etc. This gives a light texture over the shirt depicting that the ink is firmly applied and vibrant to stand out. Here is an example of standard plastisol:

Heavy weight plastisol is typically used for shirts that require heavier prints. Imagine a basketball texture on your shirt. It is typical that those are printed using heavy weight plastisol.

Lightweight/Soft-Feel plastisol on the other hand mimics Water-based Ink. It creates a softer texture that is almost sunk into the shirt which isn’t as rigid as standard or heavyweight plastisol ink. Here’s a cool little example that depicts a lightweight soft-feel plastisol:

On later updates, we’ll continue with water-based inks, discharge inks, direct-to-garment printing, and specialty inks. Stay tuned in for more updates!

As always, if you have any comments, questions or concerns, feel free to contact us here at Blankstyle.

Email: tickets@blankstyle.com
Toll-Free: 866 792 5265