Printing Methods

Plastisol - The most common ink used for screen printing is Plastisol. When printed, plastisol lays on top of the garment. Plastisol can be printed on just about any garment type. One of the great things about plastisol is its diversity. Mixing colors is made easy, therefore full color process jobs are a breeze.  Another great characteristic of plastisol is its ability for colors to turn out vibrant on dark garments, especially white ink. When in doubt it is probably best to go with plastisol for even and vibrant colors.

Dye and Discharge - Have you ever felt an Affliction or Ed Hardy t-shirt and noticed that you can't actually feel the print? This is done with a process called dye and discharge! Discharge is a specialty ink used for screen printing. It has been around since the early 1990s, but was seldom used and has recently come back to life. Discharge prints are much smoother than plastisol, resulting in a very soft print. Instead of laying ink on top of the garment as with traditional plastisol, Dye and Discharge dyes the fabric leaving a smooth print. Discharge has recently gone green with new eco-friendly forms of the ink. Not only does it help the work environment by eliminating dangerous fumes, it helps the natural environment as well, with safer disposal. Despite the wonderful characteristics of discharge, there are a few drawbacks. Discharge can only be used on 100% Cotton garments and does not dye certain color garments properly.

Glitter and Shimmer - Glitter and shimmer inks are metallic in nature.  They can be plastisol ink or discharge ink.  Metallics can print only on 100% cotton or 50/50 material.  It can print on light or dark garments.  These inks are a great way to add value to your garment without killing your wallet!

Waterbase Printing - Waterbase printing is the same as dye and discharge printing, except for the fact that the garment is not bleached prior to printing.  Waterbase printing is only meant for white or light colored garments.