Printing on Fabric 101: Washable Prints

Continuing the series Printing on Fabric 101, today let’s look at ways of making your inkjet prints washable.

Images on Fabric

One of the most common questions when printing images on fabric is … can I wash the prints? And of course you can .. but you do need to use fabric that has been pretreated with special solutions that make your printer inks permanent.

It’s worth noting that some printers use inks that are water-resistant however this doesn’t guarantee that your prints will be washable; this only guarantees that the inks will be water-resistant. This will be discussed in depth in a later article.

The most common ways to get washable prints on fabric is to use a product called Bubble Jetset 2000, or purchase fabric sheets that have already been pretreated and precut to size.

Bubble Jetset 2000

Bubble Jetset 2000 has been around for some years and has proven itself to be the best diy solution for making your inkjet prints washable. You can get around 40-50 sheets of fabric from one bottle of solution which costs around $16.00 so this is quite economical if you plan do lots of prints.

The process is extremely easy to do and you can find detailed instructions on the manufacturer’s website, as well as lots of other useful information about printing on fabric.

Bubble Jetset only works with fabrics that are 100% silk or cotton, and you need to iron your fabric onto a paper carrier to be able to print on it. Refer to The Basics for information about attaching your fabric to a paper carrier.

Very important things to remember about using Bubble Jetset …
… don’t wring the fabric – lift the fabric from the solution and let it drip dry or place on a towel to dry.
… once the print is dry, rinse with a mild detergent such as Bubble Jetset rinse – this removes any excess ink.

I’ve been using Bubble Jetset for almost ten years with excellent results so I am always happy to recommend it. Poor results are usually caused by not following the directions correctly, and in particular, ignoring the two steps mentioned above. It’s important that all the directions are followed exactly for the best results.

Pre-treated fabric sheets

An alternative to using Bubble Jetset, is to purchase fabrics that have been pretreated. This is a super quick and convenient way to get fabulous printed images and is a good option if you only plan on printing a few images. Pretreated fabric sheets can be found in most craft stores or purchased online and come in a wide variety of fabrics including twill, canvas, silks and organza.

You can generally use these types of fabric sheets with any inkjet printer and they already have a paper backing attached so they are ready to go through your printer. They are slightly more expensive than using Bubble Jetset, but the convenience of having the sheets precut and ready to print may be worth the extra expense.

Also, make sure you read the directions on the pack; different manufacturers have slightly different instructions.

It’s worth noting here that some of these pretreated sheets also result in prints that are extra vivid in color; Bubble Jetset does not affect the color of your prints, it only makes your prints washable.

NEXT … Printer Feed Paths