[Nikar]

Hi all,

1) Can ring-spun cotton take screen printing well? I've touched and felt the 100% Cotton t-shirt samples and they seem to be rough against the skin, so I'm looking for better alternatives. The soft t-shirts I always see in retail stores seem to be ring-spun.

2) For screen printing using plastisol ink, does the plastisol ink become softer after the first couple washes? I got some t-shirt samples printed with plastisol ink and the print feels thick and plasticky. I like that it's clear and vivid though.

Thanks!

 

[NoXid]

The other spec to look at is the coarseness of the weave. You may see a number like "32 singles" or "40 singles." The larger the number, the finer, smoother the fabric. The best feeling, and printing, garments will generally be ringspun and a fine weave.

No. Plastisol doesn't really soften up. If anything, over time and many, many washings, it gets stiffer and a bit brittle.

Plastisol sits on TOP of fabric, so has more hand feel. One can improve on that with the right inks and technique, or make it much worse. But it is the nature of Plastisol to have obvious hand. The ridges and valleys of the fabric weave will be obscured by the ink.

Dark-ink water base on light color garments has essentially no hand once it is washed. It is absorbed into the fabric rather than sitting on top.

White/opaque water base on dark garments has a bit of hand, but less than Plastisol. It is absorbed into the fabric, but when you print/flash/print you also develop a layer on top of the fabric for opaque coverage and "pop." The ink will follow the ridges and valleys of the fabric rather than filling them in level and obscuring them.

 

[Nikar]

The other spec to look at is the coarseness of the weave. You may see a number like "32 singles" or "40 singles." The larger the number, the finer, smoother the fabric. The best feeling, and printing, garments will generally be ringspun and a fine weave.

No. Plastisol doesn't really soften up. If anything, over time and many, many washings, it gets stiffer and a bit brittle.

Plastisol sits on TOP of fabric, so has more hand feel. One can improve on that with the right inks and technique, or make it much worse. But it is the nature of Plastisol to have obvious hand. The ridges and valleys of the fabric weave will be obscured by the ink.

Dark-ink water base on light color garments has essentially no hand once it is washed. It is absorbed into the fabric rather than sitting on top.

White/opaque water base on dark garments has a bit of hand, but less than Plastisol. It is absorbed into the fabric, but when you print/flash/print you also develop a layer on top of the fabric for opaque coverage and "pop." The ink will follow the ridges and valleys of the fabric rather than filling them in level and obscuring them.

Thanks, what about water-based inks? You know, those inks that seeped into the fabric itself and becomes part of the fabric.

I heard they're all the rage now, only thing is they probably cost more and the output is not as vibrant as plastisol.

 

[NoXid]

Thanks, what about water-based inks? You know, those inks that seeped into the fabric itself and becomes part of the fabric.

I heard they're all the rage now, only thing is they probably cost more and the output is not as vibrant as plastisol.

There is discharge, is that what you mean? It bleaches the color out of the fabric and replaces it with its own. It has essentially zero hand.

Then there is opaque water base, as I described before. I use Permaset Aqua SuperCover. You print/flash/print until you have the opacity and "pop" that you want.

Of course, the water base inks tend to have a matte finish. Whereas Plastisol might be shiny and will feel a bit more like a piece of tape or vinyl on top of the fabric than like part of the fabric. So, sure, Plastisol probably has more "pop," but water base can have more than enough.

Plainly said, no matter the subject, you can NEVER have everything. The compromise you choose depends upon which aspect matters more to you than the others.

As far as costs ... it probably costs more to have someone print water base for you because you can't just walk away from the job and have lunch since the ink would dry in the screen. On average WB inks do cost more than the cheapest Plastisols, but there are some expensive Plastisols too. That said, the Permaset WB I use is fairly expensive.