Smelly con shirt?
I don't know if this has been a problem with anyone else (and I've asked at least one other person to check theirs to verify), but it seems that no matter how many times I wash this year's con shirt, the decal on the shirt always smells funky. I follow the care instructions on the tag to the letter. I use the average amount of laundry detergent and dryer sheets. Is there something I'm doing wrong, or is it just the residual smell of the material used to make the design, and should fade over time/washes? Or am I just cursed with a bad shirt? 
I do have a nonathrocon shirt that is like that, and despite it being washed a lot. It seems to have that new pressed on decal smell. There is chance that your nose is sensitive to that particular smell.
Hmm, sounds plausible. I just hope it fades after a while. It's horrendous when I pull it over my head to put it on. XD
Any odor is caused by volatile compounds. You can try washing the shirt and then hanging it outside on a nice hot summer day to dry. That will help drive off any residual volatile compounds that might be present.
Spoken like a true scientist. 
You might also try turning the shirt inside out when you hang it outside.
GL
Thanks for the advice, both of you! I shall try that out next time I do laundry.
I've had different advice over the years and the best and cheapest one I've had is to wash it on gentle cycle once with a nice big towel and a cap full of white vinegar - no detergent -. Let air dry. Then wash it as normal.
I'll have to try this, since simple air drying after a wash seemed to only exacerbate the problem. :x
Hey, it works for pet stains. I've had a lot of luck throwing the item in the wash with the regular amount of soap and about 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar.
(chemistry-hat)
That's because pet stains (and odors) tend to be alkaline compounds that will react with acid in vinegar. The volatile compounds in the printing process are most likely to be hydrocarbons and neutral oxidized hydrocarbons (ketones and esters) that will not react easily with vinegar. The best thing to do is to drive them off with a good hang on the clothesline with the warmth of the sun.
(/chemistry-hat)
Know of anything that'll remove stains (e.g., ring around the collar) w/o bleaching the color too, or are they too similar in chemical make-up? 
did you get out that little pink mark on the back? i think it was under that A, below the image
No, those are permanent. Goes back a few years when someone came out of a rave all covered with Da-Glo paint, and ran up and hugged me.
heh.
What you need is a stain guard.
Stain Guard "What is that on your paws? Why do you have paint on your paws? Ok...Please take a few steps back from UncleKage. What are you doing?! Stop! Stop!
WE HAVE HUGGER! CODE RED! CODE RED!" insert slow motion NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Poor stain guard would have to go back to work for Thompson's water seal company. 
Actually, it was very much like that. "Don't worry, it's water-based!"
A chemist will tell you: that does not mean "Water soluble." And it has a strong, strong affinity for fabric.
Any artist will tell you the same thing. Heck, acrylic is water-based, but it may as well be liquid plastic.
If the air-drying in the sun does not work the first time, should I keep trying until it does?
Surprisingly I found very little on this problem online. I searched for about 10 mins and the only thing I found that was not suggested was using baking soda. There was no info on the results of using baking soda. We might need a scientist opinion on the baking soda thing, but where could we find one. 
Darn, I was thinking there's something now called "Smelly Con" and you happened to get a shirt from it
The South Michigan Lansing & Ypsilanti Convention opted for a different acronym, but alas, after they printed their T-shirts.
Smellycon, Smellycon, what are they feeding you~?
This came up in today's reading: http://comics.com/brevity/2010-11-05/
Con funk?
Sounds like a 70's disco Anthrocon theme song.
BTW
Someone needs to make a Furry parody of the AX commercials.
you could sell that at the charity auction! "con funk splatter art"
:dance: im awesome.
This sentence is false.
I've noticed no particular odors on mine. Tried a little Febreeze or such?