Plastisol Ink Printing
Plastisol can best be described as a “user-friendly” ink because it is very easy to manage. Plastisol can be left in the screen for extended periods of time without clogging the mesh. It is ready to use right out of the container more than 90% of the time. In most applications, it can be printed wet-on-wet, which allows for increased production speeds. It comes in formulations that can be printed on light and dark fabrics. And, in most municipalities, the disposal of waste plastisol is a very simple process. Plastisol does not “dry”. In order for a compound to dry, there must be evaporation of some kind of solvent. Since plastisol has little or no solvent, it cannot dry. Because of this characteristic, plastisol can be left in screens; the lids can be left off of the ink containers (although keeping them covered is a good practice to keep lint and dirt out of the ink). And ink left at the end of the job can be returned to the container for reuse without any adverse effects. This last practice is a great benefit in reducing waste product. Plastisol is extremely versatile in that most printers never have to amend the ink. They are able to use it direct from the container without ever adjusting the viscosity or the strength. Plastisol comes in strengths from transparent to very opaque and most printers will have the various versions available to use, depending upon the type and color of fabric they are printing on. The various opacities of ink also vary greatly in price with the most opaque being the most expensive, mainly due to the cost of the increased pigment. So, good shop management dictates that the proper opacity be applied to each fabric in order to be cost effective. (Source: http://www.pneac.org/sheets/screen/plastisolvwaterbase.pdf)
