Water Based Ink Screen Printing

Water Based Ink Screen Printing

Custom screen printing is a world full of options so sometimes it can be overwhelming to find what works for you.  Traditionally, screen printing was done using plastisol inks, which are composed of microscopic solid pigments.  Plastisol inks work very well for printing onto fabrics and they are easily reclaimed to cut down on waste ink, which is a huge money saver.  Some people, however, aren’t in love with how stiff plastisol prints can be, especially with a lot of ink coverage on the fabric.  Luckily for those people, screen printing with water based inks was developed! 

Water based ink screen printing is, as the name suggests, screen printing done using water based inks and the effect it has on the print is profound.  Water based inks are much thinner than plastisol inks which means they leave a softer “hand” to your print.  When you run your hand over the print, you’ll barely be able to feel the ink from the fabric.  Since the ink is much thinner you can print over the seams of a garment without distorting the print, which makes it great for all over T shirt printing!  By adding a discharge agent to the water based ink you can perform a process called discharge printing.  The discharge agent removes the existing color from the fabric and so that the ink can deposit a new color in its place.

So how will you know if water based ink screen printing is right for you?  Why not reach out to us at AMBRO Manufacturing to find out more?  Our support team is always here to answer questions and to help provide guidance so that you can reach the customization goal you want.  We are a contract screen printing, embroidery, and sublimation company so we’ve got the knowledge and ability to meet your printing needs.  If you would like to place an order or find out more about us, you can contact us by email or by calling us at (908) 806-8337.

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Discharge Printing

Discharge Printing

Just when you thought you knew everything about printing, something like discharge printing comes along to shake things up!  Discharge printing is the process of printing onto fabrics using a water based ink that contains a special discharge agent.  If that pill is too big for you to swallow, discharge printing essentially removes the preexisting color from the garment and deposits the color of your choice in its place.  Why would you want to choose this method for your custom garments?  Well, that’s a great question and I’m here to fill you in the answers!

Discharge Printing

Discharge printing is a type of water based ink which means that your resulting print will be ultra soft.  Water based inks are thinner than the standard plastisol inks commonly used for screen printing and some designers can’t live without it!  Garments come in countless varieties and some are softer and thinner than others.  Putting a thick plastisol print on a flowy top counteracts the purpose and look of the base garment, so why not use discharge printing instead?  This way your print will be barely noticeable to the touch and it will fit the overall aesthetic of the garment.

One note to keep in mind when considering discharge printing is that you will need to use 100% cotton garments.  In order for the discharge agent to remove the color from the garment, the fibers of the material must be cotton because synthetic fibers will not be affected.  Although, you can use water based inks without the discharge agent to print onto synthetic materials and still get a very soft print!  Luckily for you, we offer all of that and more here at AMBRO Manufacturing!  If you would like to place an order for is charge printing, or if you would like to know more about our company and customization services, you can contact us through email or by calling us at (908) 806-8337.

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