Scientific Mindset in Entrepreneurship

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I recently got into a new niche -- heat-pressing vinyl designs on various fabrics and making stickers. I am confident in my ability to draw and design, and that's honestly the easy part in this process. In my opinion, trying to figure out material chemistry is more difficult than the actual design process. 

Current findings include:
Inkjet printer ink isn't waterproof -- at most cold water tolerant when printed on printable vinyls. The water temperature plays a huge role in whether the ink would stay on the vinyl or bleed. Moist heat like steam and hot water causes ink to bleed on vinyl, which is not ideal for a sticker's longevity.  
I got my hands on some waterproof stickers today. I am going to test them by washing them in hot water and cold water to see if they're actually "waterproof". My hypothesis is that they will be fine if washed in cold water. I expect to see some ink-bleeding if washed with hot water.
Let's see what happens. 
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I also got two white cotton shirts for cheap. I'm planning to pre-wash one of them before heat-pressing designs on it. I'll proceed to wash it in cold water -- inside out of course -- to see whether the vinyl stays intact. For my control, I won't pre-wash the other shirt. I'll heat-press design on it and wash it inside out with cold water.
My hypothesis: pre-washing shirt will make it easier for heat-press designs to stay intact compared to a shirt that wasn't pre-washed. 
Let's see what happens. 
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I'm also expecting some blank mini canvas tote bags.
I'm excited to see what I could make with these material.

02-13-2026

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