• 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.
See also: