What Is The Best Ink For Screen Printing?

In screen printing on apparel, there are various techniques and two types of inks that are commonly used, water-based inks and Plastisol inks. So, which one is the best? Well, like many techniques in this field, it depends. In this post, we will compare the two and ultimately give you advice on the best ink for the type of print you are trying to achieve.

What is water-based ink?

Water-based inks are inks made with water instead of plastic or PVC, water-based inks can be split into two primary ingredients which are water and pigment. One of the main features of this type of ink is the fact that it is a more eco-friendly option. Water-based inks soak into the fabric as opposed to sitting on top of the fabric, therefore, making the print smoother and breathable. Water-based inks are better when printing on light-colored cotton, if the design has a lot of details, and if the ideal print has muted colors.

What is plastisol ink?

Plastisol ink is made up PVC particles suspended in a liquid plasticizer, it is very durable, flexible, and is commonly used in apparel printing. Plastisol is thick and opaque and it can be mixed easily to create just about any color imaginable. With plastisol ink, we can create special effects like suede, glow-in-the-dark, glitter, shimmer, or metallic. Plastisol is most commonly used on dark-colored fabrics, and it is ideal when printing designs that are less detailed and very colorful.

Which one is the best?

The best ink depends on what type of print, the fabric, and the design you are trying to accomplish as there as many factors to consider. Below we’ve broken-down the considerations for you to make your choice as well as our opinion.

Softness & Breathability

Water-based inks allow for a lighter and softer print which makes the fabric more breathable and comfortable, while Plastisol tends to be a lot thicker and because it is made up of PVC (or plastic) particles, and the ink sits on top of the fabric, it is less breathable around the printed area.

Color

Plastisol inks allow for more vibrant colors and a more accurate color matching process, especially on darker colored fabrics. Vibrant prints using water-based inks are possible, however, the fabric would need to be a lighter color. Plastisol is considered 100% solid, so every bit of it stays on the fabric when cured.

Durability

While both types of inks are durable, Plastisol ink has the reputation to be the most durable, however, some factors need to be taken into consideration. For example, Plastisol ink is thick and can withstand several washes before fading, although, Plastisol inks tend to crack when exposed to high heat. Water-based inks tend to fade faster with frequent washing.

Versatility

With Plastisol inks, you are able to use a variety of different types of fabrics, other inks, and additives. Water-based ink is best suited for 100% cotton fabrics. Blended textiles are less likely to absorb the water-based ink, although there are some tricks to do this successfully, you will run into a lot of difficulties.

Eco-friendliness

While water-based inks are more eco-friendly, but it’s not by much. Why? Well, water-based inks also contain plastic in the form of acrylics and other binders. they rely on solvents that evaporate, leaving the pigmented binder compounds on the garments. The primary solvent is water, but they often contain co-solvents such as formaldehyde and alcohol. These solvents can be harmful and put you at risk unless you use protective gear to protect you from evaporative fumes. Therefore, the two inks are not that much different when it comes to this issue.

Cost

In most cases, plastisol inks tend to have a lower cost. However, as more people prefer softer prints, water-based inks are becoming more popular and print shops are able to reduce their cost by making large purchases with ink vendors. Therefore, consumer prices may vary from shop to shop.

Based on the criteria above, we believe plastisol inks are ultimately the best option in most cases. It is easier to use, cost-effective, and long-lasting ink. Plastisol is sure to maintain the color and details of the design for a long time.

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Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

How To Design Artwork For Screen Printing With Puff Ink

Puff Prints are here to stay, and there’s certain design rules to follow to ensure your puff print looks perfect. In this article, we’ll take you through some of the design choices that can make your print stand out and some techniques we feel are essential when designing artwork to be screen printed with puff inks.

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What Are Specialty Inks?

Specialty inks refer to specific print finishes. For example, reflective inks, glow in the dark inks and our favorite, Puff Inks. These inks help with making your screen printed designs stand out from the norm. Now, these inks generally require an additive, for inks to create that “puffy” look you will want to select your regular plastisol ink in the color you would like to print and then add a Puff Ink additive which is then mixed with the pigment.

Learn more about Foils and Metallic Prints

So, Does printing with puff ink require A special set up?

Besides mixing the puff additive with your ink and some technical file setup, the process is somewhat similar to other forms of screen printing.

One of the main setup rules are ensuring that there is enough puff ink laid down on a garment in order for it to expand enough to notice, a general rule of thumb is to not have any lines or small details in your artwork that are less than 1pt.

Before puff ink is exposed to heat, it sits flat on the garment like any regular plastisol ink. Heating the finished design (usually by sending the garment down a curing oven) will activate the puff additive and enable the ink to rise and expand about one to two millimeters on all sides.

One important tip we can give you is to prepare for color loss. Because puff ink is an ink additive, it will dilute your plastisol ink color. You can offset this either by starting with a bolder ink color than you planned to use, or if you’re color matching or trying to achieve a brighter color, lay down your puff additive/ink mix, flash the ink lightly without activating the puff additive, and print another layer of undiluted plastisol ink.

Testing Puff Ink Additive

PUFF REQUIREMENTS:

• Halftone: 20 lpi

• Line Weight: 1pt minimum

• Max Art Size: Check with print shop what the maximum art size is as this changes from factory to factory. As a rough guide, an A3 page size would equate to a large chest print for a men’s garment.

• Image File Types: Most print shops will accept .psd, .tif, .jpg, .gif and .png.

• Vector Art File Types: Vector PDF, EPS, AI or CDR Files.

Learn more about How To Prepare A File For Screen Printing

Creative Uses of Puff Ink

Because puff ink does not activate until heat is applied, it allows for you to experiment with different design ideas. However, if you’ve never done it, make sure to consult with your premium screen printing shop.

Multi-Color Prints

When you have a print with several colors, you can add a puff effect to one of them, creating a more dynamic print.

Gradients

a 3 color halftone gradient printed in puff ink is totally possible! By thinking outside the box. Take a simple typographic logo and inject visual interest, tactile feel and a higher perceived value for your garment in one ingenious print.

Placement

You can play around with placement in any way you would like, this gives you the ability to print puff on sleeves, back or front of the garment. Puff can also be applied to accessories like hats.

Learn more about Different Screen Printing Techniques

What Not To Do with Puff Ink

• Don’t use puff additive when screen printing fine detail. Some of the detail of your print will be lost when your ink puffs up in the dryer. While some level of image detail is possible to achieve with puff inks, images with extremely fine detail will be lost.

• Don’t print abutting colors. Similarly, puff ink doesn’t work when printing two colors that register right up against each other. The fine edge will be lost to the puff effect.

• Don’t over cure your puff ink. Be careful to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on curing your puff ink.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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