Ink & Printing Techniques

WATER BASED INKS

Water based inks are one of the most environment-friendly inks in the mass screen printing market today. These inks adhere to the fabric instead of sitting on top of the surface like plastisol inks. The hand feel becomes very soft after washing. Water based inks will not crack but they will fade after washing.

PLASTISOL

Plastisol inks sit on top of the fabric, creating a thick surface. Plastisol is the most common ink used in the industry because of its versatile use in most fabrics. Color vibrancy stays true even after washing. Plastisol inks will crack over time, depending on the thickness of the application.

DISCHARGE

Discharge inks are water based inks with an additional agent added to the ink. When printed, it acts as a bleach removing the dye from the fabric. Discharge works best on 100% cotton fabric and color vibrancy will vary per fabric.

SOFT HAND PLASTISOL

Soft hand plastisol, just like the name states is plastisol ink mixed with an additive that allows the plastisol to become softer when printed on fabric. We recommend using this type of ink on triblend fabrics for a washout look.

PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES

Photographic images can be achieve in black and white. Unfortunately we do not offer full color process or digital printing to achieve a full color photographic print.

FOILS

Foils or foil printing is a technique where an adhesive is printed instead of ink, following a foil application with heat transfer. We recommend washing foils inside out for longer intact application.

HEAT SEAL

We offer heat seal to plastisol ink application. Its a process where the ink is seal with heat to make it smoother and thinner. It does not work well on all garments. Ask for our recommendations.

METALLIC & SHIMMER

Metallic inks are considered specialty inks. They carry small particles that make the ink shimmer and shine. They come in plastiol and water base form. Ask us about or recommendations on your design.

CLEAR GEL

Clear gel is considered a specialty ink because of it creative versatile use . You can apply it as a color or on top of a color to add a clear wet gel look to a design. Specialty inks include but not limited to, puff, glow in the dark, glitters. These inks provide a bit more variety to the plain printing look. Ask us about our specialty inks.