DISCHARGE PRINTING
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Minimum order: 36 pieces
Typical turnaround time: 10 business days from deposit payment and approval of the artwork.
Maximum print sizes (width x height):
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Adult unisex garments: 18" x 21"
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Fitted women's garments and youth shirts: 11" x 15"
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Women's boy-beater tank tops and toddlers: 9" x 15"
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Infant garments: 6" x 10"
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Sleeve prints: 3.5" x 16"
Setup Fees:
- Screen setup (per color): $20
- Ink change: $15
- Pantone color match: $15
Limitations:
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Discharge works on 100% cotton: Discharge does not affect the dyes used for synthetic fibers so garments using polyester, nylon, etcetera may not discharge as well as 100% cotton.
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Problematic fabric colors for discharge: Some dyes used for 100% cotton fabric do not react completely to the discharge process, leaving the print partially discharged. The most notorious colors are kelly green and royal blue.
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Seams and zippers: Waterbased printing can deal with rough printing surfaces better than plastisol inks, but there will always be some inconsistency of ink deposit when printing an irregular surface.
Screen printing with waterbase ink is all the rage now because of the soft prints that this process yields. The inks are pigments suspended in a base which mostly cooks off in the curing process. There is a thin layer of ink deposited on the garment and most of it penetrates to dye the fabric.
Discharge ink is a water based product that is formulated to deactivate the dyes used on natural fabrics. You have probably seen many shirts with a very soft print that looks like the color of natural cotton - this is discharge printing. Discharge can be used to print colors on dark garments that in the past would have required an additional layer of white ink in order to achieve proper opacity of top colors.
When cured correctly, a waterbase print will last the life of the shirt and will soften up considerably after the first wash.
We can use waterbased inks side by side with plastisol and special effects for interesting textures and looks.
Colors: Color matching with waterbased systems is not as exact as with plastisol inks. There may be a reasonable variation in color due to a number of factors including garment dye dischargability, base color of the natural fiber, tightness of the fabric weave and amount of ink deposited.
Warning about garment colors: Some dyes are more resistant to the discharge process than others. In particular, royal blue and kelly green are notorious for not discharging completely. Often the effect looks just fine, respectively, a powder blue tint on discharged royal garments and a mint green tint on discharged kelly garments. Some other colors may resist discharge as well - it varies by garment manufacturer and color.
Synthetic fabrics: Discharge chemistry works on "fiber reactive dyes." These are the dyes used on natural fibers. Different dyes are used on synthetic fabrics like polyester blends. These dyes are often resistant to the discharge process.
Chemical warning: Discharge inks use a zinc-formaldahyde formulation in order to work their magic. We encourage customers to wash these garments before wearing. The ink is relatively safe but has been known to cause minor skin irritaion in some people if worn before washing.
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