Choosing the Right Ink for Your Custom T-Shirts

When it comes to printing quality, the type of ink used during the print plays the most significant role in deciding the quality and durability of the print. Inks are the foundation of your brand image on your printed apparel. There are two main Silkscreen inks that are being used in the market at the moment.

Water-Based Silkscreen Ink

Water-based inks are a dispersion of pigments in a water-based medium. One of the main features of water-based ink is the ability to seep into fabrics due to its thin & light texture when printed on a garment, making it a lot more breathable than any of the other inks available. Not only that, water-based inks provide a much softer texture than other inks as they are absorbed into the material upon being printed.

This makes them ideal for custom t-shirts in Malaysia’s hot and humid climate, especially for microfiber t-shirt printing. Additionally, water-based inks provide a softer feel compared to plastisol inks as they become one with the material upon printing.

However, there are also a few limitations when printing with water-based ink. Some of these are that water-base inks do not appear as sharp when printed on materials due to the ink not having a very dense base. On top of that, when printing on lighter garments, water-based inks are perfectly fine. However, once paired with a dark-coloured garment, the colours of printed water-based inks tend to vary depending on the garment (white print on dark garments may appear greyish).

Plastisol Silkscreen Ink

Plastisol Silkscreen ink is currently the most durable ink on the market. Its prints have been known even to outlast the life of the garment. Not only does the dense plastisol ink provide a better texture, but it also creates a vibrant and sharper print. Not only that, with the use of Plastisol Ink, printers are able to replicate the exact colours of your company logo, providing they are provided with the Pantone colour codes.

Although there are many benefits of using Plastisol inks, there are also shortcomings when using thicker silkscreen inks. One of them is that the thick prints may cause apparel to be less breathable when large-area prints are done. Not only that, but as there are PVC and plasticizers in the inks, applying direct iron to the prints will cause them to melt. 

If you are still indecisive about the types of inks to use, please consult your local printer. Plastisol inks have become very well-known over the past few years due to their durability. However, water-based inks also provide a vintage print effect with light ink.

If you are interested in custom printing services, we are offering a wide range of custom t-shirt printing services in Malaysia, using both water-based and plastisol inks to meet your specific needs. We can handle it from custom-made t-shirts and tote bag printing to screen printing and custom polo shirt printing! Contact us today for a quote today!