How Does Water Based Screen Printing Ink Work?

What is water-based ink? What makes it a desirable ink for screen printers? The basic answer is that water-based ink uses water as a base. Seems pretty self-explanatory, right? There’s a lot more to know about water-based ink than just the base itself. Let’s dive in and talk about what water-based ink is and how printers can get the most out of it.

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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Water-based ink uses water as a solvent base instead of a plasticizer, as plastisol ink does. Water-based ink lays down a thin, soft, flexible layer of ink on the garment. You can print a thin ink deposit that will still hold up after countless washes. When you’re finished printing, you can clean up with water or a similar cleaning product like Sgreen® Aquawash. Thanks to the little to no chemical usage, you’re able to reduce your eco-footprint. 

Printing with water-based inks isn’t a walk in the park. Since water-based inks contain water, the ink begins to evaporate once it’s exposed to air. If you take a break, wipe off the image area before you walk away. Be conscious of your time and energy. Plastisol, however, doesn’t dry like water-based ink does. Because of this (and a few other reasons we’ll get to later), water-based ink might not be for all printers and all shops. 

RELATED: PRINTING WITH PLASTISOL VS. WATER-BASED INK

IS WATER-BASED PRINTING FOR ME?

Water-based ink is soft and flexible on the garment. With a thin ink deposit that soaks into the shirt instead of sitting on top of the fabric, it’s a great choice for fashion prints and any customer who wants a soft-feeling print. 

There are a few factors to take into account when printing with water-based ink. Because the ink’s base is water, it prints best in places with high humidity. The ink will dry on the screen and will dry quicker in dry locations. It’s also best to be printed in shops that can control the humidity. A garage shop in Florida, for example, will have a much easier time printing water-based ink than a garage shop in Arizona. 

As mentioned before, water-based ink needs airflow to cure. A forced air flash or conveyor dryer creates this airflow and is the perfect curing device for water-based ink. Shops that don’t have the budget or space for a forced-air dryer can use a regular dryer and/or Warp Drive but will have to perform many tests to ensure the ink fully cures. 

RELATED: IS WATER-BASED PRINTING RIGHT FOR YOU?

CURING WATER-BASED INK

Water-based ink needs airflow to evaporate the water in the ink before the ink can properly cure. Using a forced-air flash dryer or conveyor dryer gets the job done easily. With a forced air flash dryer, a blower at the back of the dryer pushes warm air over the print, evaporating the water from the ink so it can cure.

A forced air conveyor dryer has two zones of heating elements. The first zone is a flash zone where it heats up rapidly, becoming 50% hotter than the rest of the dryer. It’ll evaporate water from water-based inks quickly, then dwell for an extended period of time in the second zone at its cure temperature.

WATER-BASED INKS AND ADDITIVES

In addition to the many varieties of water-based ink, you can make further adjustments by adding specific additives to whatever kind of water-based ink you use. Here are some popular effects printers can add to their ink.

SPECIALTY ADDITIVES

Printing colors are great, but sometimes you want to get creative. To add a little something extra to your prints, use water-based special effects inks. These range from shiny inks like gold and silver to 3D effects like a puff additive. Make your prints stand out with these inks and additives. 

More specialty inks and additives help water-based printers do more with the inks on their shelves. Take stretch core for example. Stretch core helps ink become more flexible on stretchy garments like Lycra. An open-time extender keeps water-based inks moist in the screen for longer periods of time. 

Curing water-based ink can be a bit tricky. Good thing there are a few additives to help you out.

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CURING AIDS

Don’t have a forced-air dryer? There’s still a way to cure water-based ink with confidence.

The most popular way to cure water-based ink without a forced-air dryer is to use a regular dryer and some Warp Drive. Warp Drive is an ink additive that chemically cures water-based ink over a 48-hour period. Simply mix it into the ink at 1.5% by weight, print the ink as normal, and use your favorite curing method. The Warp Drive will make sure the ink cures chemically.

Another additive to help with curing is Fixator NFO. This additive lowers the cure temperature of water-based inks and helps improve pigment wash fastness. Water-based ink can be tricky to handle, but with a little help, you can print and cure it with confidence.

RELATED: DO MORE WITH WATER-BASED INK USING 3 NEW SPECIALTY ADDITIVES

Water based screen printing is a popular technique in the world of customized apparel, offering distinct outcomes compared to other ink types. If you're exploring water based screen printing for your next project, there's a lot to keep in mind. We'll guide you through the essentials of the use of water based ink so you can gain a more thorough understanding of this printing process and determine if it might be the right fit for your design.

What Is Water Based Screen Printing?

Water based screen printing utilizes water based inks and is widely used in the textile printing industry to produce several different effects. With this method of printing, you can achieve prints that are not only vibrant but also have a soft and breathable feel, or you can give your print a vintage or worn look. We’re strong believers that no one ink type is better than another, but rather the type of ink you choose should work in tandem with the design you’re printing. 

Key Advantages of Water Based Screen Printing:

• Soft and Breathable Prints: Water based prints have a soft-hand feel, providing a comfortable experience for the wearer. The ink penetrates the fabric, allowing it to breathe and maintaining the natural texture of the garment.

• Vibrant Colors: Water based inks can achieve vibrant and detailed prints, comparable to plastisol inks. They are available in a wide range of colors, providing flexibility for diverse design options.

• Suitable for Light and Dark Garments: Water based screen printing is versatile and works well on both light and dark-colored fabrics. This versatility allows for a broad spectrum of design possibilities.

How Does Water Based Screen Printing Work?

Similar to discharge screen printing, water based screen printing involves a multi-step process:

• Design Preparation: Digital separation of the design into color layers, preparing it for the stencil creation.

• Screen Preparation: Coating a mesh screen with light-sensitive emulsion to create a stencil.

• Printing: Applying water based ink to the fabric through the screen, allowing the ink to be absorbed by the garment fibers.

• Curing: Drying the printed fabric to set the water based ink, ensuring durability and washability.

• Final Inspection: Thoroughly inspecting each item for quality before shipping to the customer.

What Type of Garments Should I Use for Water Based Printing?

Water based inks are quite versatile when it comes to the type of garments you can use. No need to worry about 100% cotton – synthetic fabrics are compatible with this ink style. However, you will need to keep in mind that there is a possibility of dye migration with water based inks, which means that the color of the garment may alter the appearance of the ink due to the transfer of the fabric dye into the print. 

When using water based inks on dark colored garments, you’ll also need to know if your preference is to have a worn or vintage feel as this technique works best on darker garments with lighter ink colors. 

What Type of Designs Work Best for Water Based Screen Printing?

Water based inks are best used for designs that don’t have strict color matching as consistency across garments can vary due to the ink being absorbed into the fabric rather than settling on top. 

It’s not recommended to choose water based printing for photorealistic printing or designs that require halftone dots for several reasons. First, the appearance will vary as the print goes through the run due to some variance in how water based ink will react with each individual garment and how the ink behaves over time. Additionally, water based ink will begin to dry and close in some smaller details in the design as the print is running on press. This can be fixed, but due to the long process of removing, cleaning, and then realigning the screen, it is less than ideal. Finally, the cost of water based inks is higher, and with a higher color count comes a higher total cost.

Is Water Based Screen Printing More Eco-Friendly Than Other Print Styles?

Contrary to most of the content out there, water based ink is actually no more eco-friendly than other ink styles. Due to the chemicals needed for cleanup and the inevitable amount of waste created, the environmental impact of water based inks is no less than plastisol ink. 

Conclusion

Water based screen printing is an excellent option for some types of prints as long as you understand the results you will get. Water based ink provides a smooth, lightweight print that can be either vibrant or vintage depending on the garment and the print method. No ink style is more eco-friendly than another, so choosing water based ink should rely on your desired outcome for your print rather than environmental impact.

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