Water Base Screen Printing Inks - Types, Considerations & Usage
Explore the world of water-based screen printing inks, including types like acrylic and polyurethane, considerations before switching, and common questions answered about artwork, mesh counts, emulsions, and ink types.
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Presentation Transcript
Water Base Screen Printing HSA, Polyurethane & Discharge Charlie Taublieb drprint@aol.com www.TaubliebConsulting.com
Introduction Inks to be discussed are: High Solid Acrylic Medium Solid Acrylic Low Solid Acrylic Polyurethane Discharge Standard Water Base For many years, plastisol was the ink of choice. Companies like Nike started pushing for their garments to be printed with water base inks based on the thought that these inks are environmentally friendly. We ll examine if they are or are not environmentally friendly a little later and the various types available today. But because of all the noise about water base inks, more and more large and small shops have taken the plunge and are working with water base inks. Some are more successful than others because they have figured out ways to keep the ink from drying in their screens. 3/19/2025 Company Website/ Slide Number
Questions & Answers There are several things to consider and questions to be answered prior to taking the plunge into water base inks 1-Do I have to change the way I do artwork A-The artwork can usually be done the same way that it was separated for plastisol 2-What mesh counts work best A-Depending on your skill level, you can choose the mesh that best suits the image you want to print based on the detail. Most shops work with mesh counts between 110 and 156, but there are shops using mesh as high as 305.
Questions & Answers 3-Which emulsions hold up best 3A-The emulsions that hold up best are the ones made for printing with water base inks. These emulsions usually have a WR in their description. Most are Dual Exposing emulsions, but there are newer SBQ Polymers that work well too. 4-Do I need to use a hardener 4A-Using a hardener is not recommended unless you are doing a long run. Most hardeners do not reclaim so you will lose the mesh. The questions is always, what is a long run and that depends on how well you make your stencil. There are companies that get several thousand prints done without using a hardener and other that are not able to get more than a few hundred before their stencil breaks down.
Questions & Answers 5-What are the different types of water base inks 5A-Although the term Water Base Ink is used for everything that washes up with water, not all water base inks are the same or used for the same purpose. A-HS-High Solids Acrylic-high solids acrylic-very opaque, used on dark colored garments. B-MSA-Medium Solids Acrylic-medium solids acrylic- medium-colored garments, but not very popular. Often HAS used instead is C-LSA-Low Solids Acrylic-low solids acrylic-used on light colored garments. Usually has a softer hand than HAS.
Questions & Answers D-Discharge-removes the dye from most 100% cotton garments. There are some 50/50 s that are made with the cotton on top and discharge well. Often used as an underbase for multicolor printing with plastisol on top to get a softer hand. E-Polyurethane-very similar to HAS but has the ability to stretch without breaking. F-Standard Water Base-basic pigment and carrier ink, designed for use on white or light-colored fabrics. Not capable of blocking dye migration or opaque enough to print over dark garments
Questions & Answers 6-How do I chose which type of water base ink to use A-Choosing the type of water base ink to use will often be decided based on the color of the garment and the content 7-Can I print wet on wet or do I have to flash A-Water base inks (except for high solids acrylics and polyurethane) can often be printed without flashing if the print is going on light colored garments. Raster image designs, such as simulated process or four-color process usually are not flashed if on light to medium-colored garments. A lot will depend on how the artwork is set up, color order and coverage. 8-Are there additives I can add to the ink to slow down the drying A-There a several chemicals that can be added to the ink to slow down the drying process in the screen. Every ink company that sells water base ink has a wetting agent or retarder to slow down the drying process. Ethyl glycol is a wetting agent that was used heavily in the industry prior to the ink companies manufacturing their own chemicals.
Questions & Answers 9-How can I get the prints to be very soft A-Getting the prints to come out with a soft hand is something everyone wants. The main ingredient or chemical used to help with this is silicone. Some manufacturers have built it into their inks while others off a softener which is silicone that can be added to the ink. 10-Are there chemicals to thicken or thin the ink A-There are thickeners and thinners for water base inks. It s important to check with the manufacturer to see what the have available and how to use their products.
Documentation It is critical that all weights be recorded so duplication will be possible. On press, all procedures also need to be recorder, such as number of strokes, squeegee durometer, mesh count, etc.
Artwork Vector Raster 25 LPI-150 LPI
Emulsions Diazo WR Dual Exposing WR SBQ Polymer A-Diazo Sensitizer B-Hardner
Mesh-Water Base & Discharge 110 (43cm) - Most popular 86 (34cm) - Heavy deposits 156 (60cm) - Good detail 230 (90cm) - Fine detail Experienced printers 305 (120cm) - Extremely fine detail Very experienced printers only
Additives Fiberbond add 1%-2% for garments that require low heat.
Squeegees 55/90/55 Durometer Automatic & Manual Printers 65/90/65 62/90/62 Automatics 65-70 Durometer Manual Double Blade squeegee Roller Squeegee
Discharge Ink The difference between water base ink and discharge ink is the base, plus, discharge requires an activator. Following are step by step directions for using discharge. Water base would use similar steps except using a different base and no activator.
Garments Discharge can be used on light and dark colored garments. Water base is only used on light colored garments. Discharge works best on 100% reactive dyed cotton. Water base works on almost all light colored fabrics including 100% cotton, poly-cotton, polyester and others using special additives.
