How to Fix Cracked Print On Shirt? 3 Easy Methods

How to fix cracked print on shirt is a frequently asked question. In short, you can use a hot iron, exterior paint or medial alcohol to fix this problem. Learn the causes of cracked print and how to fix this problem in our post!

One of the trendiest garments is screen printing on clothes. The print on the shirt catches the eye and makes you stand out from the crowd.

However, you may have realized that after wearing a printed shirt a few times or even once, the image started to crack, even though it was just bought a few days ago.

Don’t worry, in this article, I will explain how to solve this problem step by step.

What Is A Print Crack?

Prints on shirts are prints printed on shirts using different methods.

For example, printing images or other graphics that need to be printed or scripted on shirts.

How To Fix Cracked Print On Shirt? 3 Easy Tips

In fact, high-quality prints on shirts can also crack if you’re not careful. This way, you can actually prevent print damage, and you don’t need to think about fixing it. However, when a fix really becomes necessary, you can use three basic techniques that will be explained below.

Use a Hot Iron

Specifically, you can use a steam iron to fix cracks in shirts. In this method, the print is actually removed from the shirt, not corrected. This means you can get a new shirt after removing the print.

• First, turn the shirt over and place a board inside just below the print. This board can also help protect the other side of the shirt.
• Place the medium-sized paper on both sides of the print to cover the entire print. Do not use cardboard or magazines as paper. Get the official white papers without lamination and use them the same way. This way, the paper on the top will protect the canvas from the iron and the paper on the bottom will stick to the melted print after ironing.
• Now, fill the iron water tank and heat it up at the highest temperature.
• After that, turn on the steam function and iron the top sheet. When ironing on the top, the print melts into the bottom sheet. Now use a plastic card or knife to remove the entire sticker.
• Perform all tasks very carefully so as not to burn your fingers or damage the fibers. If the entire fingerprint cannot be scraped off the first time, repeat the process several times to remove it completely.
• When the entire print is removed, wipe the shirt with nail cleaner. If the glue from the print is still not removed, you can use regular vinegar to clean the glue. After that, you can put your clean shirt back on.

Use Exterior Paint

In this method, you need to paint over the previous design so that the shirt can get the same look again. Hence, this technique is called paint masking. Because you’re actually covering up the cracked print for a new look.

• Choose a paint mix to repair cracked prints. Only one combination of a project is enough.
• Before painting the shirt, you should mix a volume medium in the paint. Adding this medium will thicken the paint and cracks can be filled in a better way.
• After adding this medium, another common medium needs to be added, which will help the paint adhere more firmly to the fabric. However, don’t forget to read the instructions, as sometimes you may need to iron after painting.
• When the paint completely adheres to the fabric, let it sit for a while in a dry place. When the shirt is completely dry, your crack repair task is over.

Using Medical Alcohol

Repairing cracked fingerprints with alcohol is uncommon. However, it is very effective at removing fabric prints. Not to mention, thermal printing suffers when using this agent. Because solid polymer-based printing is very reactive to alcohols.

• First, clean your shirt carefully without leaving dust on the fabric. Because the dust will deform when it comes into contact with alcohol.
• Pour alcohol into the print and remove the print. During this process, the print becomes so delicate and damp that you can simply remove it with scratches.

Also Read:

• How to Remove Screen Printing?
• Can You Screen Print on Polyester?

Process of Fixing A Print Crack On Shirt: 3 Common Methods

In order to be able to repair cracks on a printed shirt, you first need to have a good understanding of how the print is actually on the shirt. This is because the method used will determine the fixation method to use.

In most cases, the three methods commonly used to print shirts include sublimation, thermal transfer, and flexible foils.

For sublimation, it needs to be printed on the shirt by a special printer. In this example, the printer prints the shirt in the desired color. So if the fabric fibers of the shirt can be seen on a specific part of the shirt being drawn, then the print on the shirt was printed by sublimation and the image cannot be removed. However, you can use different methods such as embroidery with colored thread can be used to secure the print.

In thermal transfer, the printed portion of the shirt is usually denser than the rest of the shirt. If so, you can iron the cracked print, or cover it with paint.

For the flexible foil method, the printed surface is either smooth or rough and comes in at least two colors. The print was originally welded to the shirt with heat-activated glue.

Even if you can use a hot iron to remove the image, you need to be careful because stronger heat-activated glue is used on the shirt to place the print, and when you start removing the print, you can end up damaging the shirt.

Read More: How Long To Cure 3D Resin Prints?

Why Does The Print Crack?

Printed shirts and t-shirts have also left their mark in this fashion age as people are becoming more fashionable and always looking for new fashions. Often, printed shirts have letters or patterns, or even patterns. Not to mention, the prints here are actually textile prints and are only used for durable fabric types.

Often, the image or design of a shirt breaks for three reasons. details as follows:

• Long-term use

Anything you use for a long time will cause its quality to degrade day by day. Likewise, the pattern or image of the shirt starts to fade after prolonged use. If your shirt is of good enough quality, you don’t actually need to fix a cracked print. Because, the print will only crack after prolonged use, and you would never want to attach the print to an old shirt.

• Low print quality

In this case, you may have bought a low-quality shirt and the print will obviously crack after a few days of use. Although the print is cracked, the garment may still be new. So, in this case, you need to fix the cracked fingerprint.

• Improper care

Without proper care of the clothing, the pattern or image of the shirt can start to crack. For example, if you bleach or use a harsh chemical to wash your shirt, and it wasn’t made for it, you may break the print at some point. So, in this case, you can also fix cracked fingerprints.

Read More: Why is My Sublimation Print Faded After Washing?

FAQs

Final Thoughts: How to Fix Cracked Print On Shirt?

Everyone eventually throws the entire shirt because of a tiny cracked or damaged print part. However, there are times when the shirt is still good but the print is damaged and frustrating.

For complete removal of the print in this situation, use an alcohol or steam iron. Use an external paint mixture to print again when you just need to fix the print.

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• How to Wash Printed Shirts?

• Why Printer’s Prints Are Blurry?

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