02Water based · Discharge · Soft hand
Water based &
discharge printing.
Soft hand prints that sink into the fabric instead of sitting on top of it. Water based ink dyes the fibers; discharge removes the garment dye and replaces it with yours. Both run on the same automatic presses as everything else, in Phoenix, shipped nationwide.
- Ink applications
- 14
- Colors, one pass
- 18
- Mesh
- 230
- Flash temp
- 320°F
01Which one, and when
Dyed in,
not sat on.
Plastisol is a film that sits on the fabric: opaque, durable, the workhorse. Water based and discharge go the other way, into the fibers, which is what gives a retail tee its hand.
Water based
A thin ink that soaks into the garment, so the print has almost no feel and breathes with the fabric. It is at its best on light garments and on designs that want a soft, worn in, retail look rather than a bright plastic film.
The vintage soft hand application takes the same idea further: a print that looks worn in from the first wash.
Discharge
Discharge ink removes the garment’s own dye where it prints and leaves a color behind in its place, so a dark cotton tee can carry a soft, light print with no heavy underbase. It works on natural fibers and results depend on the garment’s dye, which is why every run is sampled first.
- What the art needsBefore it burns to screen
- Layered files where you have them; art is separated and output in house
- A garment chosen for the ink: cotton for discharge, lighter colors for water based
- A high resolution digital proof and a written print spec
- An approved sample on the actual garment before production starts
Sinks into the fabric.
02On the press
Same press,
same numbers.
Soft hand inks run on the automatic presses to the same registration, mesh and cure as everything else on the floor.
| Colors, one pass | 18 | Including simulated process. Most programs land well under that. |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | ±0.5 mm | Automatic press, tunnel cured, wash tested. |
| Mesh · emulsion | 230 · 25µ | Squeegee 70A. Flash temp 320°F. |
| Inks | Compliant | Lead free and phthalate free. Compliance documentation is supplied with the program on request. |
| Before production | Sample | A high resolution digital proof, a written print spec and an approved sample before the run starts. |
03Questions
Soft hand,
answered.
What buyers ask before a water based or discharge run, answered straight.
- Softer.
Is water based softer than plastisol?
Yes. Plastisol cures into an opaque film on the surface; water based ink sinks into the fibers, so the print has almost no hand and moves with the fabric.
- Mostly.
Does discharge work on every shirt?
Discharge works on natural fibers and depends on the garment’s dye, so some colors discharge cleaner than others. Every run gets an approved sample on the actual garment before production.
- Yes.
Can you mix soft hand inks with other inks in one design?
A design can carry water based, discharge, plastisol and specialty screens together; the written print spec calls out each one.
- Yes.
Are the inks compliant?
Every ink we run is lead free and phthalate free, and compliance documentation is supplied with the program on request.
- Yes.
Can you print a vintage, worn in look?
The vintage soft hand application prints worn in from the first wash, with the separations built here.
- Yes.
Will you sample before the run?
You get a high resolution digital proof and a written print spec, and an approved sample before production starts.
Talk it through sales@halftonetextilemfg.com
Quote a soft hand run