Printing Techniques

Your creativity, our know how.

Water based & discharge ink

What is water based ink

Water based ink is a special type of decorative ink that literally soaks into the fabric instead of sitting on top of it, as plastisol does. It is generally used on lighter colored garments and allows for a bright print. Since the fabric isn’t compromised by the ink, garments are left with a super soft and natural feeling print. You literally won’t even feel the print, which is one of the many benefits of water based inks.

What is discharge ink?

Discharge ink is still a water based ink that soaks into a shirt’s fabric. The only difference is that there is a discharge agent mixed into the ink that removes manufacturer dye in the shirt. Once the manufacturer’s dye has been removed, the discharge ink will then re-dye that print area in a desired ink color. Discharge ink is tailored for darker colored shirts.

Why use water based & discharge inks?

You have the opportunity to have your shirts printed with the highest quality inks and really stand out in the apparel industry. Let your ink choice compliment your design–ultimately making an impact. Remember, the final presentation leaves a long lasting impression with your customers, so let’s make it a great!

1. No added weight

Unlike plastisol ink, water based and discharge inks don’t require an under base. This means your printed shirt will maintain its original light weight, soft feel, durability and pliability.

2. Large prints

With larger designs, it is highly recommended to print using water based inks. It’ll keep your large print area soft and lightweight. If you decide to tackle a large print with plastisol ink, odds are it’ll feel like a plastic bullet proof vest.

3. Breathable

Since the ink has soaked into the threads, there’s no extra layer of ink blocking the path of airflow between fibers. Your shirt will remain lightweight, comfortable and suitable for wearing on a regular basis.

4. Soft prints

The inks soak into the threads so the image becomes a part of the shirt. Because the graphic is now soaked into the fibers, there is ultimately no “hand” to the print, which means you can’t feel a thing.

5. No cracking, no peeling

Plastisol, the unfortunate standard of the screen printing industry, is known for cracking and peeling since it sits on top of the shirt. With water based ink, since it soaks directly into the fiber, it’s impossible for this to happen.

6. eco-friendly

Water based inks are PVC free and contain no harmful or toxic substances. They are completely safe to work around and wear!

DTG Printing

What is DTG printing?

DTG stands for Digital to Garment. With this technique your design is printed directly on the garments with a special garment printer.

Why DTG printing?

DTG printing offers interesting opportunities for small runs and high detailed prints. It allows to print digital formats directly without having to separate colours or setup machinery which results in an important cost advantage for small runs, especially in case of multicoloured prints.
The ink used is water based and oekotex certified. The hand feel is incredibly soft, especially on light colours. This technique allows to print photographic material as you would on paper with a resolution up to 1200 DPI.

Flock printing

What is Flock printing?

Flock printing or flocking is a printing process in which short mono-filament fibers are applied to an adhesive-coated surface. This adds a velvet or suede-like texture to the surface of the print.

Why Flock printing?

This technique is great for tone on tone printing as the difference in texture between the print and the garment guarantees that the print remains visible from all angles. It is also a great way to give a retro look to your prints as this was a popular technique in the seventies. Flock also offers good opportunities for kids tees and sweaters.

Embroidery

What is Embroidery?

Embroidery is a process where thread is stitched into your custom product. Some logos may have to be altered a little in order to embroider them as it is not possible to obtain the same detail as with screenprinting.

Why Embroidery?

Embroidery is often the preferred technique for products with a more classic look for use in a corporate context. It is mainly used for discrete logos on polo shirts, shirts or jackets.

Transfer Printing

What is Transfer printing?

With transfer printing we refer to a technique where the design is printed on a support and then afterwards applied to the garment with the help of a heat press. There are different types of transfer prints depending on the technique used to print the intermediary support. INK works with water based screen printed transfers.

Why Transfer printing?

This technique is appropriate to print on materials that are difficult to handle or locations that are hard to reach. It has the advantage that the print can be applied in one short handling, independent of the number of colours to be printed or the size of the print. A further advantage of transfer prints is the higher elasticity of the prints and the flat, smooth surface. For this reason it is often the preferred technique for technical sportswear. Other examples are prints on caps or bags.

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