Water-Based Inks
Water-based inks have become a popular choice for printing in recent years. Let's talk about how water-based ink might be the right choice for you.
The first advantage of water-based inks is their use of water as a carrier of pigment versus a resin as found in plastisol. When you wash a water-based ink there are fewer microplastics going down the drain. Additionally, they don't release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air – which may happen even with quality plastisol ink. Water-based inks also tend to use simpler water-based cleanup solutions in the production process. This edges out water-based ink over plastisol since plastisol often needs special solvent to break up the plastisol ink. The screens for water-based inks will require more processing compared to a screen for plastisol ink, and water-based inks do still have certain chemicals that require proper disposal, so it's not an entirely waste-free solution. In total, water-based inks do have features that make them more friendly to the environment. The printing industry overall is working for more sustainable solutions, and we at Allthread Ink are following the latest trends and implementing the latest standards in the printing industry.
One of the advantages of water-based inks is the hand of the garment – basically how smooth the surface of a fabric is with the least smooth having a stiff or harsh hand and the smoothest having a soft hand. Poorly applied plastisol inks can have a vinyl or a plastic feel to them. The advantages of water-based inks are, generally, a softer, lighter-weight feel to the print on a garment. Plastisol can still be applied in a manner where it has a lighter-weight, less plastic feel to it. Comparing plastisol ink to properly applied water-based ink, the hand can be almost indistinguishable between the two. Lastly, water-based ink adheres to textiles and garments differently than plastisol inks. Plastisol can be thought of like melting a poster onto a shirt so it grabs into the fabric mechanically. Water-based ink directly dyes the garment or textile, so the ink wash fastness is largely determined by the quality of the garment it is applied to. If a garment was dyed poorly, water-based ink can have a poor wash fastness. If water-based ink is applied with the correct additives, and to a quality garment, water-based ink can last for many washes. It's a great option for vintage-style prints and for eco-conscious printing.
Water-based inks can be challenging for an inexperienced printer. Make sure you go with a print partner that has the experience to help you make the right choice, and get you the best out of water-based ink.