How much has anyone reduced dark inks? I have the reccomended proportion for white as 1:10. I would like to get as soft a hand as possible when printing in light colored garments. I have reduced some dark ink and it is better, but I'm still getting more hand than I would like. I guess I'm asking, "how far is too far"?
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we have reduced inks back with cureable reducer as much as 50% Your opacity is killed eyt for light shirts ands towels it rocks. Ill check tomorrow but I believe we have gone higher. Will have to check our records. MUST be a cureable reducer NOT SoftHand
This thread started out with Controlled Images asking about "curable reducer" and then it got off onto "reducer/retarder" and then back and forth. These are two different things. Curable reducer is used for plastisol ink and reducer/retarder is used with water-based ink. Let me explain...
Curable Reducer
Curable reducer is also known as “Reducer-Detackifier” by some ink companies, such as Union Ink. It is used with plastisol inks.
Reducers and Extenders are very important to the textile screenprinting industry. Every shop that I have found to be efficient, uses these products in their ink departments and are using them to produce higher quality printing.
It is important to understand the roles that these products play in the printing process. The two are not interchangeable and actually have very different roles.
Reducers are used to lower viscosity and extenders are used make opaque inks right for printing on light substrates. As with all screenprinting products it is extremely important to learn to use the products in the correct manner. Just as anything worth knowing it will take time and effort to learn how to use them, but in the end the increased quality that can be achieved, the lower ink cost and ultimately the money saved is worth the effort.
When plastisol ink is heated in the curing process the PVC resin swells and absorbs the plasticiser. As the two combine and cross-link and then begin to cool to a flexible film of cured ink. That is the “bumper sticker” explanation of what happens when plastisol ink is cured.
It is extremely important to know that the main component in plastisol reducer is plasticiser, which is one of the main components in the aforementioned plastisol ink. Plasticiser is the liquid component of plastisol. In order to use the product correctly it must be blended in proper balance with the PVC Resin, the solid component of plastisol ink. If they are not in balance the plastic film will not be crosslinked and much of the ink will be washed away when the substrate is laundered.
There are many types of reducers on the market. Some are curable and some or not. The only ‘right’ type is the curable reducer. An easy way to tell the difference is that curable reducer will be a milky white or light cream color. If you have reducer that is clear it is nothing more than pure plasticiser. Do not use it with plastisol ink as it will create an unbalanced mix and will not crosslink. On the other hand, curable reducers are a mix of plasticiser and resins that will cure even if you print nothing else. You could add as much as you wanted to your ink and the only thing you’d be doing is reducing the pigment of the ink.
Reducing Water-based Inks
While water-based inks can be reduced with small amounts of water, some ink companies make reducers and retarders that can actually increase the control over the printability of the inks.
Generally speaking, almost all water-based inks are very creamy when first purchased and are considered ready to use right out of the container. If you must add a reducer, never add more than 5 to 10-percent of reducer by volume to the ink. This means that you should never use more than 1 part of reducer to 10 parts of water-based ink.
Retarding Water-based Inks
All water-based inks are air dry and will sometimes dry in the screens, especially in those shops that lack the proper humidity controls that air conditioning affords. If the ink is drying in the screen, you can add a small amount of the retarder to the ink, but never more than 5- to 10-percent by volume in order to retard the drying time. This is especially helpful to those who live in very hot, dry areas or at higher altitudes.
The retarder component in most reducer/retarder is actually nothing more than glycerin. If you are ever having a problem and need a quick fix, you can always add a small amount of glycerin to your water-based ink to retard the drying time. Never use more than 10-percent by volume. You can also use the propylene glycol type of anti-freeze if pushed.
Thanks for clarifying the difference between reducer/retarder and reducer/detackifier, Bill. I have much to learn.
The reason for this thread is that it seems that the the Ultrasoft Plus black ink from Union Ink that I'm using needs to be thinned a bit so it will flow through the screen(12xx) easily. I'm having to use way too much pressure when printing.
we have reduced inks back with cureable reducer as much as 50% Your opacity is killed eyt for light shirts ands towels it rocks. Ill check tomorrow but I believe we have gone higher. Will have to check our records. MUST be a cureable reducer NOT SoftHand
So you have used as much as a 1:2 (or is it 1:1) ratio for mixing the curable reducer? Does this ever cause the ink to flow thru the screen under it's own weight? Do you take any extra steps or precautions when printing. I'm using a 4X4 manual press.
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Thanks for clarifying the difference between reducer/retarder and reducer/detackifier, Bill. I have much to learn.
The reason for this thread is that it seems that the the Ultrasoft Plus black ink from Union Ink that I'm using needs to be thinned a bit so it will flow through the screen(12xx) easily. I'm having to use way too much pressure when printing.
Your biggest problem may be that you are using a multifilament mesh. This mesh is not good for ink transfer. It is used mainly by hobbyist. The multifilament mesh has a much smaller mesh opening that will not allow as much ink to transfer to the substrate. Another thing that will hamper the ink transfer is that the walls of the mesh opening are not smooth and will 'hold' ink instead of allowing it to fully transfer as it will with monofilament mesh.
Ultrasoft inks are normally smooth and creamy direct from the bucket and should need no reducer to easily pass through a 128 mesh (equal to a 12xx mesh). While you could use a reducer, I believe that there are other problems existant that are preventing the ink transfer to take place.
Can you explain what exactly is happening that would make you believe that you need to use a reducer?
Ken, you have the wrong idea about curable reducer. It is nothing more than plastisol ink without the pigment. The results of using a curable reducer is not really cumulative in that at some point it will run like water. Curable reducer will not reduce your ink to that extent.
Bill, the ink doesn't appear to be 'creamy' to me. Maybe I received a thicker batch than normal. It seems that I'm having to use too much pressure to transfer the ink.
I agree, the use of a multifilament mesh may be a part of the problem, too. I just received two #110 screens today and will try them out.
Thanks for all the help. Maybe I should attend some of the classes you offer.
I use that same black Union ink. You can get the curable reducer from McBee Supply in Houston which is where I buy all of my inks. I think the item number's PLUS-9000. The Union book on page 31 says regarding Reducer "Generally, no more than 10-15% by weight should be needed in the ink." It also says "Reducer/ Detackifier will reduce the opacity of the ink and should be added no more than 1-3% by weight to high opacity ink". I got the book from McBee and it has some good info on the union products and usage.
Don't know if this helps but thought I'd throw it out there...
Curable reducer, where to buy? 
