Ink for Yoga Mat

[DannyGruninger]

Did a search and didn't find too much...... Have a client we need to print a couple hundred big yoga mats for and want to get some ink ordered today.


Any suggestions, mr coleman? anyone else?

thanks

[Frog]

Here's what he said i another thread some time back

BTW - yoga mats are plastisol.  Yup just a foam plastisol that is metered onto a belt.  I used to sell industrial plastisols into this market before it all went off shore to China.  You can print standard plastisols on them with pretty good results as long as the temp stays below 330 or so.
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[DannyGruninger]

Thanks Andy, looks like I will try some super stretch plastisol white.... In the past I have had problems with the ink cracking/coming off the yoga mat material with standard plastisols

[Croft]

how about silicone?

[Rob Coleman]

Danny - you can always add a little nylobond for adhesion promoter.  Or potentially use an air dry solvent ink. 

Croft:  I would not go with silicone -- pvc gassing under heat can poison the Si bond -- basically meaning the catalyst may not kick off and cross link.

[Frog]

Danny - you can always add a little nylobond for adhesion promoter.  Or potentially use an air dry solvent ink. 

Croft:  I would not go with silicone -- pvc gassing under heat can poison the Si bond -- basically meaning the catalyst may not kick off and cross link.

Rob, I always felt that Nylobond type stuff reduces stretch. Is that not the case?

[Rob Coleman]

Frog- you are correct.  It improves tensile strength (adhesion) but decreases elongation.  Maybe I read wrong, but I thought Danny said he had adhesion issues with standard plastisols.  Rereading - yes if it cracked due to  not enough elasticity and then loss of adhesion - nylon additive would not be advised.

Most yoga mats are not terribly stretchy though -- just foamy! 

The thing is with plastisol ink - when printing on a cured plastisol (yoga mat in this case), you are literally printing on a sheet of vinyl and adhesion is difficult.  This is the same phenomena on inter-coat adhesion issues (delaminating) when printed a color on an OVER flashed white ink.  However in this case, the blown foam of the mat gives a bit of a rougher surface to adhere to.  An air dry vinyl ink would probably be the best solution overall.

[Frog]

Frog- you are correct.  It improves tensile strength (adhesion) but decreases elongation.  Maybe I read wrong, but I thought Danny said he had adhesion issues with standard plastisols.  Rereading - yes if it cracked due to  not enough elasticity and then loss of adhesion - nylon additive would not be advised.

Most yoga mats are not terribly stretchy though -- just foamy! 

The thing is with plastisol ink - when printing on a cured plastisol (yoga mat in this case), you are literally printing on a sheet of vinyl and adhesion is difficult.  This is the same phenomena on inter-coat adhesion issues (delaminating) when printed a color on an OVER flashed white ink.  However in this case, the blown foam of the mat gives a bit of a rougher surface to adhere to.  An air dry vinyl ink would probably be the best solution overall.

Danny brought up a stretchy ink, but does not really say if stretch or lack thereof was an issue.
I like the idea of an air dry that etches its way into the substrate a bit if that is available, but without help stacking, even with a reduced dry time with the addition of heat, stacking or racking this stuff to dry is what years ago, got me out of flat stock in my limited space.

[ericheartsu]

man perfect timing. I'm so stoked this thread just came up. in need of the same thing!

[DannyGruninger]

The big issue I have had is when the clients go to roll their mat up into a roll that is what stresses the ink/makes it crack...... Which is why I'm thinking I need something that can really stretch well due to the clients always wanting to roll these up tightly.

[T Shirt Farmer]

my yoga matt appears to be screened looking under a loop, semi pliable ink, feels and looks like it will stick forever... although a very small imprint

[3Deep]

This might be a stupid idea, but what about using some type of vinyl house paint in a 230 or higher screen

[Frog]

my yoga matt appears to be screened looking under a loop, semi pliable ink, feels and looks like it will stick forever... although a very small imprint

When it's small like that, how about pad printing?

[royster13]

Phone Nazdar......They know it all......

[DannyGruninger]

For us pad print not an option as we are having to print full size on the mats - around 24" wide by 65" long...... Tons of ink covering the entire yogo mat hence the reason we need something that will stick, stretch and last a long time...... I might try to test some hsa w/ catalyst on them and see how that does