Hanes Nano brand was released to appeal to a fashion-forward audience. The ring spun cotton makes it ideal because of its soft nature and introduces a vintage feel reminiscent of a favorite old t-shirt. Many t-shirts that are 100% cotton or a cotton polyester blend can feel a little rougher on the skin. Cotton fibers are twisted together to make yarn and then woven into cloth. When creating ring spun yarn, the process is different in that as the yarn is being twisted, it is also continuously thinned. The diameter of the ring spun yarn will determine how strong and soft the final woven material will be.
Ring spun yarn also makes the short fibers of the cotton stick out which introduces a challenge to screen printers known as fibrillation. These fuzzy fibers go mostly unnoticed until you try to lay ink down and the customer washes the product a few times. Not enough ink and the result will be a furry look and quickly fading color vibrancy. Too much ink and the printed area will feel like a lightweight plastic badge. This is where experience and smart judgment calls come into place.
When a customer chooses a product and finalizes the design, the artist and the screen printer must collaborate on what screen printing mesh size to use and the methodology of the actual print. A lot of technicalities have to be considered to achieve a great screen print including the mesh tension, proper calibration of the press, angle of the squeegee, and even speed of application. The mechanics can be further complicated by the number of colors required to complete the design.
A delicate balance must be struck. Today’s custom t-shirt consumer demands what the Hanes Nano tee satisfies, a soft and stylish tee. And the best screen printers understand the complexities of printing on ring-spun materials and succeed in printing a long lasting and great looking design.
We’ve retained many of our highly qualified screen printers for five or more years. The sharing of knowledge and ongoing education fosters a top notch crew that consistently produces exceptional screen printed apparel for our clients. Choosing the Nano tee does not mean trading comfort for a quality screen printed design and the color selection is impressive.
