Articles

Water-Based Ink Options

Published

10 years ago

October 19, 2015

Screen Printing Screen Printing September 2015 Issue

• Traditional
     o 88- to 92-percent water;
     o Transparent, designed for printing on 100-percent cotton light backgrounds (pastels and whites);
     o And, virtually no hand.

• Traditional
     o 88- to 92-percent water;
     o Transparent, designed for printing on 100-percent cotton light backgrounds (pastels and whites);
     o And, virtually no hand.
• Discharge
     o 88- to 92-percent water;
     o Designed to print on 100-percent cotton, reactive-dyed dark garments;
     o Works through a “bleaching” process, where the color of the ink replaces that of the garment;
     o Capable of producing very bright colors;
     o Can be used as underprints with traditional water-based (or plastisol) inks printed on top;
     o Most use ZFS activator and should be washed prior to wearing to remove residual formaldehyde;
     o And, little or no hand, particularly after wash.
• High solids (also known as HSA, or high-solids acrylic)
     o 30- to 40-percent water;
     o Opaque inks designed for printing on 100-percent cotton, dark-colored backgrounds;
     o Excellent ink coverage that maintains a very soft feel;
     o Dark goods are printed similarly to plastisol, with a white underbase;
     o Most commonly used PVC-free alternative to plastisol;
     o Can be used on a range of fabric types;
     o And, underbase gray ink is used on polyesters for dye-migration resistance (similar to plastisol).
• Hybrid acrylic/polyurethane
     o 35-percent water;
     o Most often contains a blend of acrylic and polyurethane polymers;
     o Good stretchability, durability, and opacity;
     o And, ideal for stretchy woven fabrics.

Let’s Talk About It

Creating a More Diverse and Inclusive Screen Printing Industry

LET’S TALK About It: Part 3 discusses how four screen printers have employed people with disabilities, why you should consider doing the same, the resources that are available, and more. Watch the live webinar, held August 16, moderated by Adrienne Palmer, editor-in-chief, Screen Printing magazine, with panelists Ali Banholzer, Amber Massey, Ryan Moor, and Jed Seifert. The multi-part series is hosted exclusively by ROQ.US and U.N.I.T.E Together. Let’s Talk About It: Part 1 focused on Black, female screen printers and can be watched here; Part 2 focused on the LGBTQ+ community and can be watched here.