Best Practices for Decorating Burnout Shirts

Best Practices for Decorating
Burnout Shirts
Use these simple embellishing techniques to
create unqiue, fashion-forward garments.
By Greg Gaardbo, Contributing Writer
D
espite the ongoing popularity of
burnout apparel, there seems to
be a certain degree of trepidation
among decorators regarding how to
decorate it. Burnout apparel is made
out of the same blend as a T-shirt: 50%
cotton/50% polyester. The only difference
is that it’s treated with a chemical that
“eats” the cotton.
When the entire shirt is treated, it creates
a mottled or splotchy look with randomly
scattered see-through streaks. This makes it
lightweight and soft — two qualities in great
demand by consumers.
Next Level Apparel’s Burnout Ombre Deep V (style 6542)
and Burnout Ombre Razor Tank (style 6532) are made of
30 Singles (125 grams, 3.7 ounces) 65% polyester/35%
cotton preshrunk fabric. These fashionable burnout styles are
extremely soft, comfortable and stretchy. They are available in
seven colors in sizes S-2XL.
Burnout shirts also can be “printed” with a pattern such as flowers or peace signs. You also can do a graphic design
— like a name, animal head or logo — on the front chest. It offers a lot of versatility for creating unique new looks.
I’d estimate that about 80% of the burnout shirt jobs I do are for females. The biggest markets have been retail,
boutiques, bars, resorts and the music industry. It’s definitely perceived as a fashion item. While it originated with a basic
crew-neck style, demand has since resulted in a wider array of silhouettes, such as V-necks, long-sleeve tops, tank
tops, dresses and more. The sample used for the step-by-step portion of this newsletter, Next Level Apparel’s Burnout
Ombre Deep V (style 6542), is an excellent example of a fashion garment that offers endless decorating options.
As far as decorating on burnouts, the truth is that while the lightweight, web-like qualities of this shirt need to be taken
into consideration, it’s not any harder to decorate than a regular T-shirt. I’ve had great success using plastisol and
water-based inks, foil and sublimation transfers. You also can use plastisol or digital transfers, as well as embroidery.
SCREEN PRINTING CONSIDERATIONS
Both light and dark burnout shirts can be screen printed. However, because of the light weight of the fabric, it is not
CREATING THE ARTWORK
Meghan Bartz, art director, Shockwaves Promotional
Apparel, worked with me to create the artwork. Looking
at the bright yellow bottom of the shirt, it was hard
not to think of lemonade. So we decided to create a
lemonade design with a Cracker Barrel restaurant, oldtimey kind of feel. We wanted something that was cute,
light and summery.
Once the theme was decided, the dimensions of the shirt
were measured to create a rectangular box in Adobe
Photoshop that would define the design area. By keeping
a sample of the shirt handy while designing, it’s also
easier to visualize where different parts of the design will
fall on the shirt.
The next step is to set up the Photoshop file. I
recommend making the file 300 dpi because when you
design in high resolution, the resulting artwork always
looks better.
Once the design is finished, the layered Photoshop file
is saved, flattened and converted to a .tiff format to be
printed. A .tiff file prints a lot faster because the printer
doesn’t have as many files to process.
Once the sublimation transfer is created, it’s an easy
process to lay the shirt on the heat press, slide a Teflon
sheet inside, lay the heat transfer print side down on the
shirt and heat press it. For added dazzle, we added a few
rhinestones in selected places and also heat-sealed them.
STEP-BY-STEP
ST E P
1
ST E P
2
ST E P
3
he first step to creating the lemonade
T
design was to measure the shirt and then
using those measurements to define the
design area in Adobe Photoshop. All photos
courtesy of Shockwaves, Des Plaines, Ill.
ext, the first design elements were added.
N
The sign came first and some nails were
added to make it look more realistic. Then,
some lemons were added and the yellow
was adjusted to contrast with the yellow on
the bottom of the shirt. You don’t want to take
away from the design of the shirt; you want
the design and the shirt to work together.
ext, the straw was added. This was intended to be
N
the biggest design element. The red was chosen
because it was bright and would not fade into the
background. It also was a nice contrast to the lemons
in the design and the yellow of the shirt.
ST E P
4
ST E P
7
ST E P
10
or a little bit of texture and
F
movement, bubbles were added
to make it look like a glass of
lemonade.
ut a Teflon-coated cover sheet
P
inside a burnout shirt. Otherwise,
the transfer or rhinestone glue will
go through all the way to the
bottom layer. The shirt likely will
stick to itself and be ruined.
he shirt should be pressed at
T
347ºF using medium pressure for
30 seconds. If the temperature is
too high, it will cause problems.
ST E P
5
ST E P
8
ST E P
11
nce the design was finished, it
O
was saved in .tiff format (they print
faster) and sent to the Mutoh
sublimation printer. This printer can
print two transfers at a time.
he transfer is placed on top of
T
the shirt and is now ready for
heat pressing.
ere, some rhinestones
H
were placed inside some
of the bubbles.
ST E P
6
ST E P
9
ST E P
12
he shirt is positioned on the
T
press. This design will bleed off
the bottom and sides of the shirt,
but it is not an allover print.
hen the shirt is ready to be
W
pressed, completely cover it with
a Teflon cover sheet. This
protects it from scorching or
getting damaged from anything
that may be on the upper platen.
Here is the finished shirt.
Greg Gaardbo is president of Shockwaves Promotional Apparel in Des Plaines, Ill. He has been a speaker at the Imprinted
Sportswear Shows and a contributor to Impressions magazine. His company specializes in a la carte special effects. For more
information or to comment on this article, email Greg at greg@shockwavesapparel.com or visit shockwavesapparel.com.