3 Reasons to Dive into Water-Based Inks.
If you’re in the business of screen-printing, you’re no stranger to the battle of inks: water-based vs. plastisol. At MADE Laboratory, the answer is neither; it’s actually both. Yes, plastisol and water-based inks are both great tools for the screen-printer to use in their shop. If you aren’t using water-based inks in your shop, you need this essential tool to screen printing success. So here you have 3 reasons why you should be printing with water base inks in your shop. Check out this year’s WB/WEEK, where you can learn this and more. So jump right in and swim!
Soft-Hand, Better Feel
While there are ways to get a soft hand with plastisol, water-based provides a softer hand-feel that gets better with washing. To make a plastisol ink soft, you must add curable reducers or soft-hand additives, which reduce the viscosity of the ink. This modified plastisol ink doesn’t wash as well as water-based inks, leading to fading through fibrillation over time. Unlike plastisol, low-solids water-based inks are inherently low-viscosity and, when printed, penetrate into the fabric, resulting in a soft-hand. When properly cured, the printed image will maintain its integrity throughout the lifetime of the tee. ‘But aren’t water-based inks a pain to deal with?’ Not to fear, water-based printing is not as challenging to work with as one might think when engineered correctly.
Eco-Friendly… Sort of ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Within the textile-printing community, there has long been debate over the eco-friendly advantages of water-based inks over that of plastisol. On the surface, the composition of most water-based inks are likely more environmentally friendly than most traditional plastisol inks. Still, one must consider the entire printing process, evaluating every step regarding sustainability (think waste and energy). Therefore, using water-based ink combined with a holistic approach toward sustainability is genuinely eco-friendly.
Get the Water-Based Retail Look
Water-based discharge ink, combined with a compatible tee style, appropriate design, and proper pre-press, opens the avenue for retail-ready print results. When printed, activated discharge inks remove the fabric dye and replace it with the pigmented ink color. This is the best way to achieve vibrant colors with the softest hand-feel possible on dark fabric colors.
You Can Do It!
Three reasons you should consider incorporating water-based printing into your operation. Join us at WB/WEEK and learn directly from the industry’s top manufacturers and international award-winning printers display how to apply the inks described above for the best and most consistent results. Learn more about WB Week and take advantage of discounts here.
