it depends on the ink, and how much you are laying down...
we had rough issues with Rutland, even with adding their softener... however, if we snapped them at the end of the dryer, they would get a bit softer.
Matsui on the other hand has been really good... if we lay down a ton (doublestroking), it may be a little brittle until washed, but overall with their softener product, it's been better than the Rutland inks ever were.