Its been a busy week here at Sapphire...we are printing for Local Motion Hawaii! We love working with them! Their prints are always clean and colorful, but also love them because they tend to use Water Base inks. Not only does this feel and look great, but these inks are also environmentally friendly.
Like most Screen Printers we normally use Plastisol Inks, but Water Base is much more preferrable when it comes to the look of the garment. Lets compare the two:
Plastisol is a PVC based ink and is what the majority of printers use. Water based is a water based ink with pigments suspended within it. Water based inks can be used to print stickers, towels, fabric yards, canvas and paper, as well as apparel such as shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jeans, aprons, jackets, hats and practically any other item as long as it can be put on the press to be screened. Designs can be printed on cotton, polyester, or poly/cotton blends. Prints made with water based can be ironed, while plastisol prints cannot be, as the iron's heat plate would melt the PVC in the ink.
Water based ink sits into the fabric of the printed shirt, not on top of the fabric like plastisol printing. This allows skin under the design to breathe better, and can increase the amount of comfort felt while wearing the decorated item.
To add to the before mentioned advantages to Water Base printing, Water based inks are definitely more environmentally friendly! After a run of prints, screens can be cleaned with just water, and it can go down the drain, being no more harmful than mild household cleaning products. Water based inks are simply not toxic, do not contain lead or any heavy metals, nor do they contain any ozone-depleting chemicals (CFC's, HCFC's, etc) or volatile solvents.
The Green movement is having a serious impact on consumers' choices. People are wearing organic clothing, buying hybrid cars, and eating non-GMO food products. Plastisol may be the default choice for most professional screen printers, but water based does have a foothold in the industry, and its popularity will continue to grow, due to increasing demand from the level of the consumer and enlightened persons in charge of clothing lines. Will you be next to join the movement?
If you have any questions regarding our printing techniques, feel free to contact us anytime. :)
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