The Great Water Based/Discharge Showdown!!!

[ninjawhiteboy12]

Hey Guys,

So here’s the deal.  Recently things have been slow and I have had a lot more free time than usual and instead of letting it go to waste I thought I would put it to use.   For the last few weeks I have been trying to choose a water based/discharge color matching system to purchase for my shop and after talking to a numerous people here on the forum including Tony Prep, Chris Johnson, Brandon, Lon at Graphic Elephants and reading a lot around the internet I got a good idea of which inks performed well, but never quite got the definitive answer that I was looking for. 

That is where this extra time comes in.  I’m going to do some real world testing and see how everything performs.  I will be testing as many types and brands of water based/discharge ink as I can get my hands on and will be testing their printability, initial print results, and finally wash durability. 

This test will be performed in a very scientific manor and all results will be displayed using quality head to head pictures and all data will be recorded and presented in an easily interpreted excel spreadsheet.  Mixing formulas, pantone colors used, substrate manufacture/model/color, % activator used(in the case of discharge), emulsion used and coating technique, squeegee angle, print technique, number of strokes, number of washes and trips through the dryer and all settings used will all be displayed.  Everything will be conducted in a controlled environment and procedures will be explained in depth.
 
In the hopes of benefiting both myself and all forum members looking for the answer to this question, I would like to ask for the help and input of anyone willing to assist me in this project.  I am willing to buy small samples of ink from individuals or companies willing to participate in my testing.  The more samples I get the more accurate and helpful the results of this test will be.
 
Suggestions for any aspect of the testing is welcome and encouraged so as to make this the most rounded and thorough comparison possible.  I am in no means a master printer and help from wiser and more experienced printers would be much appreciated.  In the same effect if there are any ink company representatives on here looking to promote their product I am more than happy to test anything at my disposal.  I have a small garage based shop and will not be a large purchaser of ink for your company, but merely a way of for you to get an unbiased comparison and review of your product.

If there are any questions, suggestions, or inquiries please send me a PM and I will give you my email and phone number so we can have easier correspondence in the future.

Thanks,

Josh.

[tonypep]

Heres an interesting footnote. 20 ys ago there were pretty much three companies that offered these products to the lowly tee shirt printers. The others concentrated on the bulk sales (PCs in drums) to the rotary printers. And by the way the rotary folks had and still do have master colorists; no Pantone software formulation. Some of them had 5 gal minimums for PCs. I still have several of those products.
At Precision Screen Machines we had to make everything from scratch. Chemicals such as latex base, antifoam, and antibactericides were just some of the ingredients. I would make WB and DC bases in drums and make our own colors. We would belt print and spray garments in a clandestine facility around the corner. It was all very hush hush.
Fast forward to today and that number of suppliers has more than tripled and keeps growing.
Many may find that a hybrid system of bases, PCs, finished inks, and modifiers will suit the bill. However there is no handbook for this. In the rush to get these new inks to the scene there has been a bit of confusion. Often when I see here that known products that are succesful fail with people trying it out I can't help but wonder if its because of lack of knowledge, improper prepress and on press application, handling, storing, dispensing, etc.
It is a conflict of interest for me to go further in depth however testing like this will shine a little more light on the subject but as we all know......what works for one does not always work for all.
Good luck with the project !

[dirkdiggler]

save yourself some time, I will let you in on a little secret!  THE ONES FROM THE MAJOR COMPANIES ALL WORK!  Just got to work out the bugs in each system, they all have them.  Once you commit to stick with one and test test test, any will work.  My opinion, I and have done what you are about to do.

[TCT]

save yourself some time, I will let you in on a little secret!  THE ONES FROM THE MAJOR COMPANIES ALL WORK!  Just got to work out the bugs in each system, they all have them.  Once you commit to stick with one and test test test, any will work.  My opinion, I and have done what you are about to do.

Very good point! You find the one that works best for YOU and then tweak it if needed to harmonize with your set up.