Fabric, printing and care

How do you stop a T-shirt print from cracking?

Turning the shirt inside out is the highest-value habit and the one people skip. It puts the print against the soft inside of the drum and other garments rather than letting it scrub against zips, buttons and stiff denim, which removes most of the abrasion that dulls a design before it cracks.

Washing cold addresses the underlying cause rather than the symptom. Heat is what makes the fabric move under the ink; at 30°C or below it barely moves at all.

Air drying removes the other half of the problem. If a dryer is unavoidable, use the lowest heat setting and take the garment out slightly damp — the last few minutes of a cycle are the hottest and do the most damage.

Detergent matters less than temperature but is not irrelevant. Chlorine bleach destroys pigment ink outright, and the optical brighteners in most standard powders gradually dull coloured prints. A mild liquid detergent on a cold gentle cycle is the safest routine for anything worth keeping.

• Inside out, every time — this one matters most.
• Cold wash, 30°C or below.
• Gentle cycle where available.
• Air dry; if you must tumble, lowest heat and remove damp.
• No bleach, no fabric softener, never iron the graphic directly.