Despite the many advancements in garment printing technology, plastisol ink screen printing remains the gold standard. While there are other great options available here at Shirt Agency, we have seven reasons why you will love having your custom shirts printed using plastisol.
Strong adhesion
Plastisol ink adheres extremely well to garments. This means that the ink will go on the clothing item and stay there. You don’t have to worry about the design cracking, fading, or peeling over time as the garment is washed. The reason the ink stays so well on the clothing is that rather than absorbing into the fibers of the material, it wraps around the fibers to create a mechanical bond.
Won’t dry on screens
When you’re using water-based inks in screen printing, they can dry on the screens and make them difficult to clean. This cuts into profits and drives up the price of shirts. Plastisol inks won’t dry on the screens, which makes them much easier to clean and reuse.
Opaque on dark garments
Compared to direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, screen printing with plastisol places a much thicker ink on the clothing. This makes for an opaque design that doesn’t allow a dark garment to show through the image on the shirt. The ink will entirely cover the fibers of the shirt without allowing them to fray through the design, which can make it look cheaply made.
Vibrant printing
With opaque printing comes more vibrant designs. While screen printing will stack colors on top of one another and can make for a thicker print on the shirt, it creates a crisp and clean design with strong, bright colors. It’s recommended that screen-printed designs are limited to three designs at most to save on costs and preserving the texture of the fabric. That being said, those three colors will present very well on any clothing item.
Printing is easy
Once the ink is mixed and the screens are made, screen printing with plastisol is easy. If there are multiple layers needed to complete a design, the print can be done wet, then immediately flash cured and it’s ready for the next layer. If there are areas where ink might have splashed or the design on the screen didn’t hold as well, you can easily remove any excess ink with a spot gun cleaning.
Diverse printing ability
A major benefit of using screen printing is the ability to print a variety of different types of designs. Rather than being limited to a single texture of printing, plastisol inks can be used to create glitter, metallic, and puff ink prints. This means that you can create the perfect design for your t-shirt, nylon jacket, or fleece hoodie.
Easy to dispose of
Compared to other inks and materials used in shirt printing, plastisol inks carry incredibly low risk to you and the environment. It’s not flammable, explosive, or hazardous so it’s easy to dispose of the ink properly. While the contamination risks are minimal, it’s still important to properly dispose of ink to ensure that you’re able to minimize the impact on the environment.
Get in touch to learn more
If you’d like to learn more about plastisol ink screen printing, please get in touch with our team at Shirt Agency. We’re experts in the screen printing industry and can provide you with all the information that you need to make an educated decision for your custom t-shirt company. Give us a call at 213-358-6593 or send a message using our online contact form. We look forward to speaking with you.
