SkullandBonesSkateboards.com Forum Index » SCREEN PRINTING » water base vs plastisol for shirts |
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masonmayhem |
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:26 pm |
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1376
Location: Redneck Riviera, AB
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i was wondering if anyone could give me the run down on water based inks. i work at a sportswear store so i do a lot of hockey jerseys and we use plastisol ink for these. i also do shirts for bands and tattoo shops and what not, but i don't want to use plastisol anymore for those.
so my questions are:
what's the curing process for water based inks? relatively the same as plastisol?
will those inks work on black/dark colored fabric?
i imagine the clean up process is different too...right now i leave my screens up with the ink still on them, for weeks sometimes. i'm guessing with water based inks they would dry to the screen if i left them unattended?
and i know i could've searched google or searched this site for it, but i thought i'd just straight up ask. |
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modskin |
Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 12:43 am |
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Joined: 29 Mar 2003
Posts: 2696
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Alright..
Water based printing gives a "soft hand" feel.. It's lighter on the shirt and doesn't give you the body armor feel like plastisol does on larger prints.
You can print light on black or dark shirts. It can be flash cured just like plastisol.
The main problem is the drying on the screen. You can retard the drying process by mixing in propylene glycol at 10%. It will still dry in the screen after 30 minutes or so. I keep a bucket of water and a sponge handy to open up the screen if it dries in.
Also, it's crucial to "charge" the screen after each impression.. Meaning you need to make sure the onscreen image has been covered with ink inbetween prints. This means you need a LOT of ink. |
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x24x |
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:13 am |
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ORDER OF THE SKULL

Joined: 11 Sep 2004
Posts: 835
Location: Hellgium Neurope
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I hate printing with water based inks, sure the plastisol leaves an heavy armor at the shirt, but if you print big runs, waterbase will leave nothing but frustration because of the cleaning that will hold-up your actual work too much.
For small runs it might work out though, we hardly use it here. |
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sheltered |
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:13 pm |
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Joined: 16 Sep 2005
Posts: 86
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I've printed nothing but plastisol for decades. Recently I picked up some of the basic art store type Speedball brand waterbased ink. I've been impressed with its capabilities especially the durability of the image in the wash. I flash cured the shirts like I would a plastisol print. I have yet to do a long run, however. |
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masonmayhem |
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:36 pm |
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1376
Location: Redneck Riviera, AB
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cool. thanks for the advice.
it might be cool to learn it and do a few runs. it sounds like it might test my patience though. |
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newrepublicsteve |
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 1:01 am |
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Joined: 13 Nov 2004
Posts: 674
Location: Birmingham
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I just started work doing art seps for a huge ass shop
75% of what they do is waterbased...
I have never used it before in my shop, but the what they do with it is amazing to say the least...
rule of thumb for screen mesh is 160-180
they flash and run it thru the drier just like plastisol
they are doing all kinds of oversized prints with it since it's so soft hand... |
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