Screen Printing Forum

Hi
Im a relatively new screen printer and was wondering which ink I need to print designs on t-shirts?
Also I assume that cotton t-shirts are best to print on??
And do I need to add anything to the ink so it won't wash off or run once washed??
Please help!!

Claire

Cant believe no one has answered yet. If you havent found the info your looking for yet I hope this helps out. Plastisol ink is what you want to get, as for a specific brand it really depends on you. Different people swear by different manufacturers, get quart jars to start out with and try a variety of brands. Nothing needs to be added to the ink for washing. You just need to run it through a dryer to cure it. If not properly cured then it will fade and wash out quicker.

It depends on the color of the shirt. Light colored shirts are the easiest to print on, and you can use either water based or plastisol inks for these. Water based inks actually sink into the fabric rather than just sit on top, so prints using water based inks are much softer to the touch. When printing on dark t-shirts, plastisol is usually a better choice. Just make sure you coat the screen with the appropriate emulsion depending on what ink you are using.