Water based ink for paper *and* shirt printing?

[manuish]

Hello!

I'm setting up to do a lot of poster printing (read: total newbie) but I'd also like to have the ability to print t-shirts as well. I like the environmental aspects of using water based ink. Seems like that should be fine for paper printing, but would it be permanent on cloth that will be laundered? Just light-colored cotton? What about polyesther? It looks like i'll start off w/ speedball ink if possible, simply to offset startup cost. Thanks for any insight, the only thread I could find was from 2003

-matt

[steve w]

I wouldn't take on t-shirt "jobs" if you're not using plastisol.
Speedball has Acrylic for paper and Fabric for shirts.
The NazDar 9500 series is better for shirts, and you can get an additive that
eliminates the heat-setting step.
Polyester can be complicated.

[mono_666]

I wouldn't take on t-shirt "jobs" if you're not using plastisol.
Speedball has Acrylic for paper and Fabric for shirts.
The NazDar 9500 series is better for shirts, and you can get an additive that
eliminates the heat-setting step.
Polyester can be complicated.

what is the additive called

[steve w]

I'll see if I can find some.
Just a sec.
Whoever you buy the ink from should know.

[steve w]

NazDar AQ58 Aquacat
Aquaprint series crosslink additive.
You have to mix exactly what you need for the job.
The ink goes bad a few hours after mixing

[crosshair]

yep.
Trying to do shirts with WB inks will only end in tears.
You want plastisols.

Look at it this way if it makes you feel better: Nothing goes down the drain when you print plastisol, except your emulsion when you reclaim, same as with WB.

Franmar makes biodegradable, no-fume, soy-based screen cleaner, reclaimer, dehaze, etc. designed for use with plastisols. Basically, biodiesel-type products.
Franmar Chemical - Environmentally Friendly Cleaners and Removers

[strawberryluna]

you can use (i do and have and will again let's hear it for conjugation!) WB acrylic inks from Speedball for tshirt printing.

but! note! it won't look "pro", meaning you will be dying the fabric, not so much laying a nice bit of ink on it so that the shirts will look totally DIY home made. you can't feel the inks when you touch the shirt and there won't be good "fill" in between the fabric mesh.

which can be really nice, but most folks who might hire you to make shirts want that tradtional tshirt ink look and feel.

[steve w]

Craft Show Grade

[strawberryluna]

haw haw.

pretty much, yeah.

[steve w]

that wasn't an insult.
I like the way it looks.
you can add a reducer to plastisol to get that soak-inny goodness