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.