There’s a lot to know when it comes to printing with water-based ink. From darkroom setup to printing and curing, all the way to cleaning up, there’s lots to absorb about the water-based printing process. But before you pull your hair out, take a minute and read through this blog. We’ve compiled everything you need to know about water-based ink, so you can get started on the right foot.
WHAT IS WATER-BASED INK?
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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WHY WATER-BASED INK?
Intrigued by water-based inks? Water-based inks are great because they feel so soft on the garment and simple to print basic jobs, but it becomes challenging when printing complex art and it requires more legwork. Whether you’re ready for a new challenge or you received a request from a customer, printing with water-based inks is a whole new ball game compared to printing plastisol inks. Ink master Colin Huggins has shared helpful knowledge you need to know about water-based printing to help you decide if it’s right for you.
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PLASTISOL VS. WATER-BASED INK
Screen printers debate which is better: plastisol or water-based ink. Some printers start out with plastisol ink, while others opt to jump right into water-based printing. But how are they different? Why would you use one over the other? Ink master Colin Huggins lays out the differences and nuances to printing each type of ink. You’ll be able to decide which ink is best for your shop.
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PRINTING WITH WATER-BASED INK
Water-based ink is a versatile screen printing ink. It can be printed on many mediums — not just garments — and can be printed in a variety of different ways. Check out these printing tips and techniques for water-based ink.
PRINT ON BOXES
Why bother customizing the boxes you ship garments in? It's actually a small, but significant way to stand out from the crowd and look incredibly professional. That package is the customer's first impression of your business, why not make it a good one? Luckily, it's fairly easy to print on cardboard boxes. Rogue Lab Owner Lee Stuart breaks down every step of the process — from creating the artwork to curing the ink — so you can customize your own boxes effortlessly.
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PRINT ON WOOD
Screen printing doesn’t have to just be about printing t-shirts. You can print on just about anything with the right tools and process. One unique material to print on is wood. It’s a fun process that can make you stand out from the pack as a screen printer. Want to know how to do it? Here’s a step-by-step guide to screen printing on wood.
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PRINT BUSINESS CARDS
Screen printing isn’t just about printing T-shirts. You can print so many different things: tote bags, posters, heat transfers, boxes, and more. One creative way to showcase your screen printing skills and add a personal touch to your brand is by screen printing your own business cards. Think of it as a small sales pitch. Giving out hand-printed business cards is a great way to show the customer what you can do and show off your standard of quality. In the video, print expert Josh Wells shows three easy steps to screen print your own business cards.
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CMYK PRINTING
Have you ever wanted to screen print CMYK, but didn't know where to start? Here's a crash course. In the video, print expert Colin Huggins shows you how to do CMYK color separation in Photoshop and how to screen print a photo in CMYK using water-based inks.
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PRINTING WET-ON-WET
Wet-on-wet printing can save printers a ton of time since they do not have to wait on the flash. However, wet-on-wet printing is a technique that isn’t mastered overnight. You have to know how to do it, and that means practicing. Want to dip your toes into the world of wet-on-wet printing? Here’s a crash course on printing wet-on-wet directly to t-shirt fabric.
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USING ADDITIVES
Green Galaxy Water-Based inks are sustainable, friendly to the printer and planet, and economically priced. There are tons of options for specialty printing with these High-Solids acrylics (HSA) inks: puff, gold, silver, and more. Starting now, there are even more printers that can do with Green Galaxy inks. Make ink keep vibrancy, stretch further and stay wet on press longer with three new specialty additives.
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CURING WATER-BASED INK
Curing your prints is one of the last steps of the screen printing process, but it is one of the most important steps. Ink needs to be cured properly so it sets into the garment. If the ink does not cure fully, it will crack, fall apart, and not last for long. Water-based ink only cures once the water has been evaporated from the ink. The ink layer needs to hold at cure temp for a few seconds to properly cure.
If you’re not using forced air technology, adding Warp Drive to the ink will chemically cure the ink over 48 hours, giving you the insurance that the ink is fully cured. Printers use either heat guns, heat presses, flash dryers, or conveyor dryers to cure inks. Let's take a look at how each curing device works.
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CLEANUP & RECLAIM
It’s important to clean water-based ink out of screens as soon as the print job is complete. Water-based ink will dry in the screens, making it difficult to rinse out, especially if Warp Drive was added.
Water-based inks can be cleaned up with water. However, the water in water-based ink evaporates as soon as it is exposed to air. The more it evaporates, the more difficult it will be to clean. Using a product like Sgreen® Aquawash will greatly reduce the image stain by picking up water-based pigments.
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Printing with water-based ink takes vigilance and practice to master. With these guidelines, you’ll be able to nail the basics of water-based printing. Want more information? Check out our free education to learn the basics of printing and dive deeper into printing techniques. We also offer one-on-one services to printers looking to improve their skills with the help of an expert. Learn to print with water-based ink today, start pulling a squeegee tomorrow.
