Waterbased inks
We are sponsored by Colormaker Industries, which means that we get free use of Permaset Aqua water-based inks. In return, we provide them with feedback from the perspective of a customer and give new/potential customers technical advice to help them make the transition to water based inks. We're one of only a handful of T-shirt printers in the UK to use only water based inks and were the first eco-friendly screen printer to use water based textile inks that contain no white spirits at all.
Why use water based inks?
Most commercial screen printers print garments using plastisol inks, which are easy to use and last well. However, plastisol inks contain PVC and phthalates that are harmful to the environment and have been linked to numerous medical disorders. Plastisol inks also require the use of harmful solvents in the cleaning process. Water-based inks do not contain PVC or phthalates and you don't need solvents to clean the screens down after they've been used - you can clean them with water.
Permaset Aqua inks do not contain ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFC's and HCFC's, aromatic hydrocarbons or any volatile solvents. They don't contain lead or any heavy metals. In fact, Permaset Aqua inks do not contain any toxic chemicals at all! Not even white spirits like other water based inks on the market. It passed the Oekotex Class 1 standard (with 60% to spare!) and is safe to use on underwear, swimwear and even baby clothes.
Why doesn't everyone use water-based inks?
Good question. Water-based inks can be difficult to use. They air dry and can clog up the screen during printing. We think it's worth it. Traditionally water-based inks were not as hard-wearing and durable as plastisol inks and weren't as opaque.
Hard wearing, bright colours and high opacity
Permaset Aqua was developed with this in mind and is highly durable to wash, wear and even to dry clean with a superior pigment colour for colour brightness and opacity. This means that you can use water based inks on dark colours without having to resort to bleaching the fabric using harsh chemicals and the discharge printing method. Water-based inks have the added benefit that they don't have a rubbery feel like plastisol inks or transfer printing and are softer to the touch.
To find out more about Permaset inks you can email David Stuart (the Managing Director of Colormaker, a chemist and a very friendly man) or Pete for advice.
