When it comes to sustainable apparel, many focus on the materials used to manufacture the garment but overlook the system used to to print it.  Using environmentally friendly water-based inks and phthalate-free plastisol inks, we work with our clients to use screen printing solutions that present the least environmental impact depending on their design, desired colors, fabric, garment style.

Below is a brief description of the types of inks we use, along with a few key considerations when it comes to screen printing with each ink.

Water-Based Screen Printing Ink

Our water-based ink system is the Matsui 301 RC ECO-Series Water-Based Ink System. The inks in this 15-color system are a premixed combination of pigment and water-based semi-transparent base which are Ready-for-Use, or can be combined to custom match nearly any Pantone (PMS) color.

Benefits:

• Water-based inks are more environmentally friendly than plasitisol inks when printing on light-colored garments
• Water-based prints are absorbed by the garment; the result is a very soft hand (soft feel) with a very smooth finish (the ink looks like it's a part of the fabric)
• Can be used to achieve vibrant, long-lasting prints (prints fade only slightly even after numerous washes when normal garment care is followed)
• During printing, uncured water-based inks are easily cleaned using water

Considerations:

• Our water-based inks are semi-transparent so bright colored prints cannot be achieved on dark colored shirts; the ink itself can be custom matched to any Pantone (PMS) color, but the color of the final print is dependent on the color of the fabric
• Printing on white is the only way to achieve a close color match of the actual print with a Pantone (PMS) color
• During printing, water-based ink is relatively less user-friendly than plastisol inks because it is more likely to dry Apply in the screens
• Water-based prints require longer curing time: optimal curing temperature must be reached by the ink, and then held long enough to sufficiently allow all of the water in the base to evaporate

Phthalate-free Plastisol Screen Printing Ink

Our phthalate-free ink system is the QCM XOLB-Series. This system has 34 standard colors that are Ready-for-Use, or can be combined to custom match Pantone (PMS) colors. These inks contain no CADMIUM, AZO, FORMALDEHYDE, CHROMIUM, LEAD, TIN, NICKEL, TRICHLORO PHENOLS, CHLORINATED ORGANIC SOLVENTS, TETRA CHLOROPHENOLS, PENTA CHLOROPHENOLS, OR DISPERSE DYES.

Benefits:

• Our most environmentally friendly screen printing solution for printing on dark-colored fabrics
• Phthalate-free plastisol inks are relatively more environmentally friendly than traditional plastisol; visit our manufacturer's link to learn more about phthalates (orthophthalates)
• Prints can be closely color-matched to nearly any Pantone (PMS) color and can be used to achieve brighter-colored prints even on dark fabrics
• Long lasting prints that are resistant to fading and cracking can be achieved when normal garment care instructions are followed
• Shorter curing time than water-based inks

Considerations:

• Plastisol ink cures on the surface of the fabric so prints are heavier than water-based prints (non soft-hand)
• Printing on dark-colored garments requires a flash (partial curing of the ink between prints) to achieve full opacity, so an additional $.50 charge per print location applies. If an underbase is required (a white base), it is charged as an additional print / screen based on the qty / number of colors of the order

A Message About Discharge Screen Printing (a water-based process)

We no longer offer bright water-based printing on dark-colored garments because achieving this print requires a process known as discharge printing, in which discharge base, color-pigments, and a chemical additive are combined to actually dye the garment being printed on. Aside from being nearly impossible to achieve color matching due to the nature of the process (inconsistent dying) and the incompatibility of many fabrics with the process, the chemical additive used to activate the discharge base is toxic (contents include formaldehyde) and is released into the air during the curing process. We're kinda fond of breathing clean air in our shop, so all of our printing on dark-colored garments is achieved using phthalate-free plastisol inks. =)