White on Light

For most PODs there is a difference between how light and dark apparel is printed. The most noticeable effect of this difference is where white appears in the design. On light apparel there is no white ink and white in the design simply shows the fabric color. Designers sometimes get the idea that the POD is replacing the white, removing it, for some mysterious reason. So they decide to "work around" the issue by using some light color such as a light grey or light blue. This doesn't work for printing on light apparel for the same reason it wouldn't work on your home printer. The ink is translucent, not opaque.

To print any color lighter than the fabric requires something that entirely blocks the color of the fabric. The ink for most light apparel processes is unable to block the color of the fabric. It isn't just white that is affected. All ink color will be influenced by the color of the fabric. Printing your design on colored paper will show the same effect. The physical quality of the ink being very liquid is one reason why it can be well bonded to the fabric fibers and why fine detail is possible. The light apparel process results in printing that is extremely durable, and does not add any new texture or feel.

Blocking the color of the fabric to enable printing of lighter colors requires an entirely different process. An opaque underlayer is put down first in the same pattern as the design. The apparel is first treated with a bonding agent, then the opaque layer of white is printed then the layer is cured. The white layer is quite a bit thicker than ink and has embedded fibers to block the underlying fabric color. After curing the design is printed on top of the white layer with ink the same as for light apparel.

The dark print process will eventually be offered on on colors but there will be tradeoffs. The process is more expensive so the base price will rise - perhaps as much as 4-5 dollars per item. It takes longer to process. Because it requires multiple passes there is a higher risk of error. The feel is different, and the design wears more quickly. The range of design techniques is narrower. The required undercoat is textured which gives a different look and reduced detail.

Designing for White

For the most part the designer is more bothered by the fabric color showing through than the customers are. Customers will easily buy pink, green and yellow tinted dogs. A home color printer and a stack of colored papers will help the designed get an idea of how any particular design will print. The product previews are pretty reasonable. In my experience they are, if anything, more exaggerated than the real product. People typically see what they expect to see, even if it isn't really there. Colors will be influenced by the fabric color. So printing red on green results in brown. Printing blue on yellow results in green. Silhouettes do really well regardless of the fabric color.