How To Choose The Right Screen Printing Ink For Your Project
When it comes to screen printing, the type of ink you choose can make or break your project. Whether you're trying to print one t-shirt, hundreds of band T-shirts, or thousands of high school uniforms, there are considerations when choosing the right screen printing ink. This guide will cover the basics of selecting and using plastisol screen printing ink to help get your project off on the right foot!
Choosing inks
To get a crisp, sharp print on a T-shirt, you need screen printing inks that have good coverage and are compatible with various materials. In addition to these base characteristics, each color of ink requires additional properties such as heat resistance and adhesion. Our experts can help you determine which inks are best suited for your project. We can also help you save money by recommending quality products from industry leaders at discount prices. Screen Printing Ink Plastisol can be used on many garments, including cotton t-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, sweatshirts and sweatpants, denim jeans, and vests. It is suitable for both dark and light colors. This ink is easy to use, and will not crack or peel off even after repeated washing. Screen Printing Ink Plastisol is available in 1L bottles or 5L drums. It can be mixed with water or alcohol (1:1) before screen printing, but we recommend using ready mixed screen printing plastisol instead of mixing it yourself as it may affect drying time and thickness of printed image.
Working with plastisol inks
The type of plastisol you use is just as important as how much of it you use. Before getting into screen printing, know a bit of these different kinds of inks and what they can do. Plastisols are available in different viscosities, affecting how much coverage they give and how well they lay down on various substrates. The two main types of plastisol inks used by professional screen printers are water-based duck plastisol and an oil-based tiger plastisol. Tiger plastisol is generally easier to work with because it's less viscous than duck. It also has a higher pigment load, meaning more color per unit volume. This makes tiger better suited for printing smaller areas and fine detail work. Tiger also dries faster than other plastisols, making it ideal for quick turnaround projects such as business cards or postcards.
Choosing water-based inkjet printing inks
Water-based inks offer many advantages over traditional solvent inks. Water-based inks are ideal if you're looking for a safer, non-toxic, environmentally friendly printing solution that requires little maintenance and can be reused repeatedly. However, water-based inks do have some drawbacks as well. Because they dry slower than solvent inks and because it's a thinner liquid, water-based ink doesn't adhere as strongly or last as long when printed on certain substrates like PVC or vinyl. However, on wood and similar materials (such as canvas), there's no better option than water-based inks since they won't damage or discolor porous surfaces. When choosing an inkjet printer, it's important to consider these considerations. In general, printers with smaller print heads produce higher resolution prints but take longer to print each image. Larger print heads typically produce lower resolution prints but are able to print faster—and larger—images. If your business needs a high volume of high quality images quickly, look for an inkjet printer with a large print head and high resolution capability. If you need high quality images but don't need them quickly, consider an inkjet printer with smaller heads that will allow you more time per image but less volume overall.
Choosing UV curable inks
What makes a plastisol ink suitable for screen printing? The first things you should consider are color choice and viscosity. Plastisols come in a wide range of colors, but if you're creating a custom design or don't know how many units will be ordered, it might be hard to pick out just one shade. Fortunately, tint bases are available that can turn any plastisol into any color. Check with a local screen printer or shop around online before choosing one. Viscosity is also important, as different types of ink will cure differently at varying thicknesses. Find out what types of projects you want to use your new ink on so that you'll know how thick it should be when applied.
