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kopeor · June 17th, 2008

Hey
Been thinking about switching to from plastisol ink to water based after walking around the mall today checking out all the shirts for sale. Besides working quick to stop the ink from drying in the screen, what are some other things I should consider?

How do water based inks work for light on dark prints?

Do these water based inks also work for paper?

I am using a ProChem DXP Pink dual cure diazo emulsion right now, it says it both solvent and water resistant. Would this work with water based ink?

Are there any special cleaners needed for clean up? Or will water do?

Any suggested brand of water based ink?

My reasons for switching are; no need to buy flash cure unit, no need to buy conveyor oven, more environmentally friendly. And since I am just starting out, plastisol isn't burned in my mind.

Thanks much

splathead · June 17th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by kopeor


	Hey Been thinking about switching to from plastisol ink to water based after walking around the mall today checking out all the shirts for sale. Besides working quick to stop the ink from drying in the screen, what are some other things I should consider? How do water based inks work for light on dark prints?

Same as with plastisol. You would need to flash on dark garments. print normal on lights.

Quote:


	Do these water based inks also work for paper?

Most do. No flash needed

Quote:


	I am using a ProChem DXP Pink dual cure diazo emulsion right now, it says it both solvent and water resistant. Would this work with water based ink?

Yes.

Quote:


	Are there any special cleaners needed for clean up? Or will water do?

There are, especially for dried ink. Water Based Screen Opener and Cleaner For WB Inks.

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	Any suggested brand of water based ink?

Matsui seems to be the favorite here.

Ryonet has some excellent videos on youtube explaining all the steps to printing with waterbased inks. Must viewing.

Steelheader100 · June 17th, 2008

I use Matsui water base but they recommend a conveyor dryer for it. They do make opaque or at least semi opaque water base but I bet some of what you saw at the mall was discharge if it was on dark shirts. You definetly need a lot of heat to make discharge work.

splathead · June 17th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelheader100


	I use Matsui water base but they recommend a conveyor dryer for it.

The Ryonet videos I mentioned in the above post has techniques to dry Matsui ink with a flash.

Solmu · June 18th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by kopeor


	How do water based inks work for light on dark prints?

Anything from terrible to fantastic, depending on the skill of the printer and the ink. But more difficult than plastisol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kopeor


	Do these water based inks also work for paper?

They do, but you're better off using paper printing ink, rather than fabric ink.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kopeor


	Are there any special cleaners needed for clean up? Or will water do?

For cleaning screens, water, or soapy water.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kopeor


	My reasons for switching are; no need to buy flash cure unit, no need to buy conveyor oven

"No need" is overly strong. It's not required, but it's still preferable.

brent · June 18th, 2008

I think a printer using water based inks and doing any sort of considerable volume should have an oven. If you want to do opaques and use print/flash/print or if you are doing multiple colors, you should use a flash cure unit. You could get away with a heat gun for that, but it's definitely not preferable.
I use Matsui. It's really nice stuff.

kopeor · June 18th, 2008

Thanks for the info everyone.

Seems I misunderstood, I was under the impression that water based based could air dry. Is there any air dry fabric inks? What about acrylic?

midwaste · June 18th, 2008

It will, eventually.
Acrylic is paint, not ink.
If you are doing low-low volume, try a heat gun before you step up
BTW, there are comments that water-based inks are no more environmentally-friendly than plastisols.

splathead · June 19th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by kopeor


	Thanks for the info everyone. Seems I misunderstood, I was under the impression that water based based could air dry. Is there any air dry fabric inks? What about acrylic?

There are some inks where air dry is possible. Here's one: Unidye Water-Base Textile Ink

Solmu · June 19th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by kopeor


	Seems I misunderstood, I was under the impression that water based based could air dry.

They do, but air drying is not the same as air curing. Air curing additives do exist, but they're slow to activate (the shirt takes several days before it's considered cured).

Solmu · June 19th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by midwaste


	BTW, there are comments that water-based inks are no more environmentally-friendly than plastisols.

There are also comments that, for various reasons, those comments are in turn wrong. I wouldn't trust anything much I read on this board about environmental factors, positive or negative. As a general rule, people either don't know enough to be all that helpful on the topic, or by the time they do know enough they have institutional biases at play. You can trust the broad statements, and if people are in consensus, but if there's a disagreement, all bets are off as to who is actually right.

spankthafunk · July 24th, 2008

is there a concensus that Waterbased inks are better for your health than Plastisol? I am printing in an apartment and am looking for better ways to keep my health safe. I'm currently drying my prints with the flash curer, so I get a bit of steam/fumes when I dry. Only option for now is to open up the windows, which in turn causes a draft and messes with my temps on the curer.

neato · July 24th, 2008

I don't know if the ink itself is better for you. I think that's up for debate, and it depends on the inks you use. But you do eliminate the need for the harsh cleaners associated with plastisol inks. Instead, your main cleaning solution is just plain water!

karolina · July 24th, 2008

Hi -

I hear Permaset Aqua is the best waterbased ink on the market. Check out their video - Looks very promising and I've heard nothing but positive feedback about their inks...

YouTube - Permaset Aqua Screen Printing Inks

splathead · July 24th, 2008

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