# How To Avoid Printing



## rccola712 (Aug 26, 2008)

I'm about to get my carry concealed permit as soon as I can. I just got a Galco IWB holster, for my G19. So far, I love it, standing it's comfortable, and barely prints, even though i was actually wearing a tighter shirt than normal. One predicament I came across, is bending down, how in the heck does one go about moving around throughout the day with a gun concealed and not showing everywhere? Is it all in the clothing, do you change how you move? I couldn't be newer to this so any tips & suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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## BeefyBeefo (Jan 30, 2008)

rccola712 said:


> I'm about to get my carry concealed permit as soon as I can. I just got a Galco IWB holster, for my G19. So far, I love it, standing it's comfortable, and barely prints, even though i was actually wearing a tighter shirt than normal. One predicament I came across, is bending down, how in the heck does one go about moving around throughout the day with a gun concealed and not showing everywhere? Is it all in the clothing, do you change how you move? I couldn't be newer to this so any tips & suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


Just out of curiosity, which Galco holster did you get?

As far as printing when bending over, the trick IMO is to bend at the knees and not the waist. Other than that, it sounds like you're not having any printing issues. When you first start to CC, you will be overly paranoid about printing and everyone seeing your gun, but that's far from the case. Nobody has a clue what's going on around them, let alone what that small bulge might be in your shirt (for the limited few who actually see it).

Anyways, you'll learn to be more and more comfortable and you'll also learn to better dress around the weapon. You'll also likely go through multiple holsters in the beginning trying to find the right one.....just like most of us have done. 

Either way, good luck with everything. :smt1099


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## kg333 (May 19, 2008)

BeefyBeefo said:


> As far as printing when bending over, the trick IMO is to bend at the knees and not the waist.


I'd been wondering that myself actually...that's better for your back anyway. :mrgreen:

KG


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## bruce333 (Sep 1, 2006)

> BeefyBeefo said:
> 
> 
> > As far as printing when bending over, the trick IMO is to bend at the knees and not the waist.
> ...


Yup +1 to both. I lived with a pinched sciatic nerve for quite a while and this was the only way I could reach anything below waist level. I still cringe inside when I see people bend at the waist with straight legs.

Everyone that starts carrying thinks their gun is sticking out for the whole world to see. Most people aren't even paying any attention to you, let alone looking for a bulge at your waist. Unless the gun is right in their face they don't know what it is even if they do notice a bulge.

I'm always in shorts and a tank top during the summer. If anyone has ever seen my gun they haven't said anything to me.

I visited my Mother recently, she knows I carry and she didn't realize I had it on until I took it off for the night.


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## AirForceShooter (May 6, 2006)

Sometimes it's going to print and there's nothing you can do about it.

AFS


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## propellerhead (May 19, 2006)

Most people won't care. I was at a pool hall with a friend who is a police officer. He was wearing jeans and a tshirt and was carrying a full size Glock. Every time he took a shot, the grip of his pistol would stick out like a tent pole. I watched the people playing at the tables next to us. None of them seemed to notice or care at all. After that night, I quit being so paranoid about printing. Look at it this way, when was the last time you checked out another man's sides to see if they are symetrical? Also, with lots of people wearing their cell phones on their belts, a slight bulge looks rather normal.


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## mikej997 (Jan 26, 2008)

I think IWB is usually the best way to go to reduce printing. You will also learn subtle little things to do or change to make it easier. For example, when I stand after having been sitting down I will pull my shirt down as I've had the shirt fabric get caught behind the grip of the gun. It didn't expose the gun but really made it noticable as something being there. You will probably have a few shirts that you find that seem to cover better due to their size and cut. The type of fabric and design ( color and print pattern ) also make a big difference. If you have a patterned shirt, even if you do print a bit it is less noticable. The other guys are right as well, nobody pays attention and even while I was learning some of the above things by trial and error (and pretty obvious on occasion) nobody ever spotted my gun to my knowledge. I think you would have to take it out and show them for people to notice.

My advice is start with a loose shirt and just experiment some. You will get more comfortable with it and figure out that it isn't really that hard. I also would advise you to get more holsters as you can. You will find a favorite and maybe you got lucky with your first one but it wasn't that way for me. I like holster options anyway to suit my activities for the day. My IWB is awesome unless I'm driving a lot then I will pick a belt holster that is more comfortable even though it may be a bit harder to conceal.

Good luck!


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## EliWolfe (Nov 20, 2010)

That's why the good Lord invented hawaiian shirts! :smt082
Eli


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## john doe. (Aug 26, 2006)

BeefyBeefo said:


> Just out of curiosity, which Galco holster did you get?
> 
> As far as printing when bending over, the trick IMO is to bend at the knees and not the waist. Other than that, it sounds like you're not having any printing issues. When you first start to CC, you will be overly paranoid about printing and everyone seeing your gun, but that's far from the case. Nobody has a clue what's going on around them, let alone what that small bulge might be in your shirt (for the limited few who actually see it).
> 
> ...


This pretty much says what I was thinking. I wear loose fitting shirts, usually button up. If I'm concerned about it I ask my wife to take a look to check for printing. If she can hardly see it then I figure it's pretty much invisible to everyone else.


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## Old Padawan (Mar 16, 2007)

rccola712 said:


> even though i was actually wearing a tighter shirt than normal.


Drape is our friend. Don't wear a tighter than normal shirt.

As your wardrobe changes so must your gun/holster. Holsters are like shoes. You don't wear the same shoes running as you do to a wedding. Develop a "Holster wardrobe". The right holster for the right occasion. I often tell my customers that one holster works 80% of the time. You need five holsters for the other 20%.

I wear one of three IWB, one shoulder, one belt and one training belt holster (not at the same time). I am armed 7 days a week 12-16 hours a day. 
Don't get me started on spare magazines&#8230;:mrgreen:


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## wiredgeorge (Nov 21, 2010)

I wear a teeshirt and jeans almost all the time. IWB works well for me. Check out Duluth Trading... they sell a line of shirts that are made a bit longer than normal... You can bend over all day in one and not show a grip or anything else hanging out that is unsightly.


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