Discharge and Water Based Printing Services

Discharge and Water Based Printing Services

When it comes to print custom clothing, it’s always good to have options.  As you may already know, certain designs need the right mixture of services to be realized on a garment.  Most screen printing in America is done with plastisol inks because they are cost effective and easily reused without detriment to the pigment.  Generally, people don’t notice the feel of the print, also known as the ‘hand’, on their garments.  Some lightweight fabrics or garments with many colors printed on them tend to have a more obvious ‘hand’ which may be unpleasant to some.

Discharge and Water Based Printing Services

Discharge and water based printing services are alternative options to plastisol printing.  One of the benefits of using water based inks is the soft ‘hand’ it leaves on the fabric.  Water based inks are much thinner than plastisol inks and because of this, you can barely feel the print on the fabric.  So if you have picky customers at your custom garment store that complain about ‘weighty’ prints, water based printing will quiet them down.  Discharge printing is water based printing with a discharge agent added to the ink.  When the discharge ink is printed and then run through a dryer, the discharge agent removes the existing dye from the fabric.  If you tint the discharge ink you can simultaneously remove the old color and apply a new color in its place!

Discharge and water based printing services generally cost a little more because water based ink has a short shelf life; once you mix a batch, you must use it before it expires.  However, sometimes your designs call for specialty services so it’s important to find a printing company who can help you out.  At AMBRO Manufacturing we can hook you up with our discharge and water based printing services!  You can contact us for any questions or concerns, or to find out more about or company, by email or by calling us at (908) 806-8337.

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Discharge Screen Printing

Discharge Screen Printing

So let’s talk screen printing.  Firstly, what is it?  Screen printing, at a glance, is applying ink to the surface of a garment through silk screens.  The screens have designs etched out in an emulsion that covers the holes in the mesh.  Once all the layers of the design have been applied, the garment can be dried and it is ready to hit the market.  If you’ve been researching around, you might have heard about discharge screen printing.  You may be wondering what that might be and how it is different than other screen printing.

Discharge Screen Printing

Originally, practically all screen printing was done with plastisol inks.  Plastisol inks are made from PVC and contain virtually no solvent, which means that they won’t dry up when left exposed to the air.  They are user-friendly inks that can be re-used over and over again with no degradation in quality.  For some, however, the ‘hand’ that plastisol inks leave behind is unappealing.  Also prints printed with plastisol inks cannot be ironed as it will re-melt the ink.  Luckily, screen printing with plastisol inks isn’t the only option around anymore.  With discharge screen printing, you can get a whole new look for you custom goods.

Discharge screen printing is a method of printing that uses water-based inks to create the image.  The ink is specially formulated to remove the existing color in the garment, the ‘discharge’ step, and then apply a new color in its place.  This method leaves behind a very soft ‘hand’ which many people like for their prints.  If you are interested in having your own custom discharge screen printing projects done, I urge you to come visit us at AMBRO Manufacturing.  You can contact us to place an order, or to find out more about our company and services, by email or by calling us at (908) 806-8337.

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