Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison
I have one of our customers asking me for ink that prints clear, and is activated by sweat (Similar to ViewSport?). Matsui makes a hydrochromic ink, but it kind of does the opposite of what I need the ink to do. I found one ink (SFXC) that looked like it would work, but it is sold in the UK. Anyone know where I can find something comparable in stateside? Does anyone have experience printing with this (or similar) type of ink?
Quote from: Atownsend on June 04, 2015, 05:15:09 PMI have one of our customers asking me for ink that prints clear, and is activated by sweat (Similar to ViewSport?). Matsui makes a hydrochromic ink, but it kind of does the opposite of what I need the ink to do. I found one ink (SFXC) that looked like it would work, but it is sold in the UK. Anyone know where I can find something comparable in stateside? Does anyone have experience printing with this (or similar) type of ink?Good morning! Actually the INK is not activated and change color - rather the cured ink film is hydrophobic (repels water). therefore, when the garment gets wet (sweat), the fabric discolors EXCEPT where the ink film is. Take a look at the attached.I have no seen any commercially available product that is TOTALLY invisible when printed and cured, but I could certainly be wrong. I looked closely at the ViewSport product, and it is invisible. Actually, I don't think it is a standard screen print process, but again, I could be wrong.MagnaColours has a product - Resist Paste - that will work. however you can see the image somewhat. Works pretty well on grey/heather colored fabrics. See the attached pics.You could also play around with any water repellent like Thompson's Water Seal or a fabric protector......
Thanks for your help Pierre!Atownsend: This is a special product that we generally do not inventory unless there is a market demand. Most of the water base products have a more limited shelf life than plastisols, and thus we have to be very careful about expired inventory. We have one 30kg container in the states and that is it at the moment. Frankly, we just have not had the demand for this product so far.Email me at the address in my signature your contact information. might be able to scarf up a kilo sample. Attached is a TDS. This product is actually designed to print on a cotton fabric, then dye the fabric, and the ink film will resist the dye leaving an image - hence the name Resist Paste.I think it will be okay on the inside. As long as it is the only thing being printed. If you are trying to register up to an image on the outside - good luck! That is what you see on some of the Viewpsport designs. For instance, a NO PAIN, NO GAIN graphic, that when wet, reveals two "K"'s and two "W"'s to say Know Pain, Know Gain. Also, while the TDS states depositing enough ink so that the dye is fully resisted (110 mesh), in this application, you might very well get by with a thinner deposit through maybe a 160. Test test.Also - remember: THIS IS A WATERBASE product. Need to fully exhaust the water for the binders to be set and wash fast.