Water base and Discharge Inks

Water base inks are for use on light-colored garments. They provide a very soft hand, as soft as the shirt after one washing. We can do PMS simulations; the color will be matted, not glossy, due to the nature of the ink. With the addition of a penetrate additive, these inks can be printed on the inside of a shirt to show through to the outside for a subtle distressed look.

Discharge inks are water based inks that are designed for use on dark colored garments with discharge dyes. The shirt color is eliminated (discharged) through the drying process, leaving the printed area the natural shirt color, usually tan, although some over dyed shirts may discharge to their original color. Discharge inks can be pigmented to simulate PMS color. Exact PMS matches are difficult with discharge inks and tend to be to the matte color swatch of the ink. Discharge can be used in conjunction with plastisol ink to create a soft hand and vibrant color to achieve the overall design look. All water based and discharge inks are NPT and PVC free.

Non Phthalate Ink

Orthophalates have been used for several decades as the main plasticizers in PVC compounds. There are dozens of orthophthalates used today and they give different properties, e.g. cure speed, permanence and viscosity.

PVC textile inks have been used by the screen printing industry for the last 20 years or so and these normally contain one of these orthophthalates.

There are federal and state laws going into effect in June 2009 banning the use of orthophalates in children’s toys and apparel. The specialty bases labeled NPT in the descriptions are phthalate free. Please note that water based and discharge inks do not contain any phthalates.

Specialty Plastisols

Glitter

Consists of large flakes of a single color suspended in a clear base, best used when overprinting on a base color.

Crystalina

These are large multicolored flakes that have the same application as glitter.

Metallics

There are two types of silver metallic ink, metallic silver and a polished silver look, Sparkle silver looks more like fine ground glitter. Gold metallic inks are similar to the sparkle silver in appearance. Metallic gold can be mixed to a PMS simulation.

Puff

This ink gives a raised look similar to blister base which is harder and smoother in texture. Puff ink is generally used to simulate embroidery and tends to pucker the shirt when large coverage areas are printed with it. This ink can be mixed into a PMS simulation and is NPT.

Suede

Gives a raised look similar to puff ink. This ink is used to simulate the look and feel of a leather sewn on patch. It can be mixed into a PMS simulation and is NPT.

Blister Base

This gives a soft raised look with an irregular bubbling effect that simulates a blister in appearance. It can be used to simulate appliqué or used as an under base to provide texture to overprinted colors. Each print will turn out slightly different due to fabric content, ink blistering effect, etc., giving a cool individual look to the art. Not recommended for large coverage areas. Blister base can be mixed into PMS simulations and is NPT.

Burnout

This ink is used for printing on 50/50 poly cotton blends. Burnout ink removes the cotton fibers from the printed area of the fabric, leaving the polyester threads creating a see through effect.

Chino

This is a plastisol ink that stimulates the look and feel of water base inks. This ink can be mixed into a PMS simulation and is NPT.

High Density

This gives a raised 3-D look similar to a die-cut image. It has sharp edges. This ink can be mixed into a PMS simulation and is NPT.

Gel

This gives a clear glossy look to the print. Gel is used for over printing simple images to give a glossy 3-D look or printed directly on the shirt to give a tone on tone effect. Best used in small areas to enhance the look and feel of a design or the highlight certain features. This ink is NPT and cannot be mixed to any PMS colors.

Meteor

This is a version of high density ink that results in a glossy hard finish. This ink is NPT and can be mixed to any PMS colors.

Foil

This process glues a foil to the garment to give it a metallic look. Best used with water based inks in the surrounding area so that the foil does not stick to them.

Oversized Prints

This is any large print up to a 20” x 20” maximum print area.

Super Size Prints

This fills the front of the shirt excluding sleeves 22” wide and neck to bottom seam.

All Over Prints

This prints the entire shirt including short sleeves up to 42” wide at the sleeves 23” wide at the body and from the neck to bottom seam. This is for sizes medium and larger only.

4 Color Process

4-color process printing is where you start with finished full-color artwork and have a color separator separate out the three subtractive primary colors of yellow, cyan (process blue), magenta (process red) and black. The artwork will NEVER look better than the original. the print will look a little different on a knitted shirt than it does on a poster or paper. With this process you can come within 80% to 90% of the original. This process works only on white or light colored garments and is not recommended on black or dark at all. The four colors are semi transparent and blend together to make up different colors in the image.

        

Various Placements

1.    Side seams

2.    Neck seams

3.    Over zippers

4.    Hoods and pockets of hooded sweat shirts

5.    Inside the hood of a hooded sweat shirt

6.     Sleeve

7.    Lower back print, sometimes know as a “tramp stamp”

8.    Neck labels and inside neck tags

Specialty Garments

1.    Jackets

2.    50/50 poly cotton blends

3.    100% polyester fabrics

4.    Nylon fabrics

5.    Stretch fabrics such a Lycra or Spandex

Downloadable Documents

These documents can help you sell to your customers.

• Specialty ink document
• Ink Cheat Sheet
• Pallet Size Chart
• Pantone Mixing System Colors