WHAT IS water based screen printing?

Water based ink is essentially pigment suspended in a base mixture composed of primarily water. Water based ink comes in a lot of different varieties and can be used to achieve a worn vintage look as well as a pretty vibrant bold look. The main benefit to water based inks is the light hand feel that they provide. Generally speaking these inks are not more environmentally friendly than their modern plastisol counterparts even though they are often heavily marketed as an “eco-friendly” method.

PROS:
+ Versatile
+ Soft hand
+ Lightweight
+ Good breathability
CONS:
- Higher cost
- Inconsistent color matching across garments
- Risk of color inaccuracy

summary of water based ink.

Water-based ink is an excellent choice for lightweight and light-colored garments because of its ability to provide a soft and breathable feel on the fabric. It's ideal for simpler designs with one to three colors, where softness is the primary concern. However, it may not be the best choice for reproducing important brand colors, intricate high-color-count artwork, or photorealistic designs, as it can have limitations in achieving vibrant and accurate color results. Additionally, when used on dark garments, water-based ink loses some of its softness and tends to be more comparable to plastisol in terms of feel and opacity. So keep in mind that the suitability of water-based ink largely depends on the specific garment type and design requirements.

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