Make your own T-shirts with a T-shirt design you print out from your 3D printer. PLA pieces can be easily ironed on to any cloth!

Materials needed:
Blank T-shirt
PLA filament
Aluminum foil

Tools needed:
3D printer (FDM type)
Iron
Ironing board

Step 1: Step 1

Your printed T-shirt design need only be about 1.8 to 2.0 mm thick. In order for your T-shirt to flex better, your design should not be one whole solid piece. You should design it to have breaks. The space between pieces can be as narrow as you require.

After you have your design printed out, arrange your design on an ironing board. The design should be oriented face down on the ironing board. If your design includes words you should have the words reading from right to left so that, once ironed on and viewed from the front of the shirt, they will appear in the proper left to right order.

Step 2: Step 2

Use a piece of aluminum foil place on the inside of your T-shirt to prevent the design pieces from adhering to both layers of your shirt. Lay your blank T-shirt with the piece of aluminum foil on the inside, over your design.

Step 3: Step 3

Set your iron settings so that steam is turned OFF. Plug in your iron and let it heat. I had my iron turned up about 3/4 from full heat.

Pressing your iron down will lead to your design smashing and deforming. You need only let your irons own weight press down on your shirt. Move your iron every few seconds around your design. Make about 4 passes over every part of your design with your hot iron and then set the iron aside and let the T-shirt cool.

Once the T-shirt is completely cooled, lightly peel the shirt up from the ironing board. Inspect each piece of the design for full adhesion to the shirt. Lay shirt back down and iron over any parts that have not fully bonded with the T-shirt. Let cool and reinspect.

Step 4: Step 4

Your custom designed T-shirt is ready to wear!

You can wash your new T-shirt in the washing machine with cold water. Only put your 3D T-shirt in the washing machine inside-out. Do not dry in the dryer!!! Let air dry.

If at anytime you notice the design peeling off your shirt you may iron it again to re-bond the design with the shirt.

An easy way to re-iron your shirt is to turn it inside-out first. Slip your T-shirt over an ironing board so that the face of your design is face down on the board and the back side of the design is exposed (back of T-shirt should be on the underside of the ironing board). Iron until pieces are re-bonded with T-shirt (steam turned off!).

Have fun making custom T-shirts!