Inks & Process
Water based inks are pushed into the fibers of the shirt, instead of sitting on top of it like plastisol.
Regular water based inks work best on darker garments, but will typicallly require an underbase. This will reduce the softness a bit, and give the print a slight satin finish.
An underbase is a layer of white ink printed before color inks, giving the colors a bright background.
PROS:
Super soft on light colored garments.
Eco-friendly
Precise color-matching.
can be used on any garments.
CONS:
Darker coored garment prints with an underbase will be thicker and not as soft.
WHAT IS WATER BASED INK?
WHAT IS DISCHARGE PRINTING?
One of our artists will either create or review your artwork. Sometimes, clients provided artwork will need to be changed in order to print properly.
You will be sent a proof to approve before we send an invoice.
Your order is inspected to ensure every garment is up to our standards.
Your order is counted, stacked, and boxed.
Boxes are ready to shop or be picked up from our Main Street facility! Walk-In Pickup hours are 10-2, contact us to schedule an alternate time.
Printing process notes
o our tunraround time is typically 10 business days, if you need your order sooner, we can accommodate you for a rush fee.
o our minimum order size for one to three color prints is 25, for more colors, the minimum is 50.
o we can mix custom colors for your brand at no additional cost.
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Approve or request edits on your mockups before we print!
Once you're happy with your proofs, payment is due in full.
Now, we send your order to production. This process involves several steps.
First, we create a film positive of your image.
We then "burn" the image onto a screen coated in photo-sensitive emulsion.
Next, ink is custom mixed to match your artwork and is loaded onto a screen on our industry-leading automatic press.
Once the print is set up, squeegees pull the ink across the screen, pushing the ink into the fabric, creating your image.
AFTER YOUR PRINT IS COMPLETE, IT CURES IN OUR CONVEYOR DRYER TO GET THE PERFECT CURE FOR
A LONG-LASTING PRINT.
We can print on thousands of garment choices, or you can browse our curated selections in our Catalog to find the right fit for your brand.
PROS:
Insanely soft prints - as soft as the shirt itself.
Crisp detail.
Can handle bright or light inks on dark garments
CONS:
Only prints well on 100% cotton shirts.
Limited garment color options.
ink colors can change slightly during the curing process
Water based discharge printing is a technique that uses ink mixed with an agent that strips the pigment from the garment during the curing process and replaces it with a pigment we mix into the ink. After bonding agent is washed out, you're left with a print that is entirely pigment, creating the softest possible print.
The discharge agent will only react with pigments in 100% cotton fibers, so this process isn't recommended for poly blends unless you want a faint print.
Since the colors interact with the garment pigments, some colors will discharge better than others. Black cotton tees tend to react the best to this process. Bright colors like Red or Roya Blue typically don't react well.
