For the Business of Apparel Decorating
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/467566
Graphics Hot Spot BY WAYNE POTTER Wayne Potter has more than 25 years of experience in the screen, litho- graphic, and gravure printing of heat transfers and industrial marking devices. He is a pioneer in the area of digital heat transfer papers. Potter has spent most of his career in sales, developing new business, managing marketing, and writing technical trouble-shooting articles. Up through early 2012, he was vice president marketing development at Air Waves Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. Currently, he is senior sales executive for Joto. | | | | 26 | PRINTWEAR M A RC H 20 1 5 A lthough we give little thought to a decorated gar- ment after it leaves the shop, customers want a durable design, and much of that comes down to washability. Archaeological evidence indicates that prehis- toric humans cleaned themselves and their clothing largely with water and no soap. Perhaps, ancient Romans were the first to use soap for washing clothes in public laundries, or fulleries. From there, the early inventions of the scrub board and a hand-powered drum washing machine devel- oped as a way to reduce the amount of manual labor need- ed for weekly home laundry. THE WASHING PROCESS Interestingly, washing has changed little since the washboard. In fact, the optimal washing process involves four basic actions: temperature, chemical action, mechanical action, and time duration. Detergents perform a variety of functions in the wash process, some of which include water conditioning, maintenance of optimum pH conditions, wetting soiled fabric, emulsifying oily soils, and stain removal. In addition, detergents improve a fabric's whiteness and brightness and provide a safe, washed garment. The essential components of laun- dry detergent are: • Surfactants that rapidly wet the fabric and remove particles of soil. • Alkalis to provide an appropriate pH level to optimize bleaching and enzyme conditions. Squeaky Clean Create durable graphics for long-term washability By taking the proper steps for creating heat transfers, graphics can stand up to the strong de- mands of wash- ability. (All im- ages courtesy the author)