White or Grey Base Ink - non tacky?

[Admiral]

Looking for a base ink that mattes down fibers well but isn't tacky - when the ink is shearing to the garment against the screen, to try to handle difficult to print garments.  Quick white is too tacky as the first down ink, we ended up going with a regular grey ink as the base but it doesn't matte down fibers well is the issue.  I'm not sure if the tackiness correlates to the fiber matte down (to kind of pull and lay the fibers down maybe?) so maybe such an ink isn't a thing...

edit: maybe there is a good additive instead? perhaps SHAPE would work to thin the ink or Softee base? some reducer you would recommend?

[Colin]

If you are going to add anything to a white to make it "print better".... just add some black to get to the grey you want.

The addition of black pigment will also help it to flash a little faster.

As for after flash tack..... That is all about ink chemistry.... Some inks are waaaaay worse than others.

Do you use a regular smoothing screen or a teflon one?

[Robert Clark]

Not trying to hijack any post .. But we have been listening to our customers and came out with Comfort Fast Flash White. Take a look and let us know if you have any questions.

Sorry for the disturbance in this post : )

[Admiral]

If you are going to add anything to a white to make it "print better".... just add some black to get to the grey you want.

The addition of black pigment will also help it to flash a little faster.

As for after flash tack..... That is all about ink chemistry.... Some inks are waaaaay worse than others.

Do you use a regular smoothing screen or a teflon one?

This isn't about after flash tack though.  It is the fact that large open areas of ink clear the screen differently onto the garment, with some the ink tends to stick to the garment / up to the screen more so.  This isn't an off contact issue but a garment issue I am trying to resolve.

We have a teflon smoothing screen, just looking for a basing ink that works well that isn't really 'sticky'.  It may not exist and the stickiness is in fact the property that mattes down the fibers of garments well.

[Colin]

So, is the issue more about the garment lifting off the board?

Or the ink pulling the screen onto the shirt and the screen then releasing behind the squeegee path very slowly?  Very slow screen snap off?

[Admiral]

So, is the issue more about the garment lifting off the board?

Or the ink pulling the screen onto the shirt and the screen then releasing behind the squeegee path very slowly?  Very slow screen snap off?

Garment - and a ton of tack isn't really an option, causes even more issues.

[Printficient]

I like Russel Grey from Wilflex.  With that said, it sounds like you are over heating your base as it should not be sticky but feel like warm paper.

[Admiral]

I like Russel Grey from Wilflex.  With that said, it sounds like you are over heating your base as it should not be sticky but feel like warm paper.

Negative, not a print issue, regular warm and stirred up inks but all inks have different properties of course...Trying to figure out a way to deal with a piita garment is all.

[Colin]

Been there..... had terrible prints as a result.....

Some garments can not be printed on......

Try a vintage look maybe?

Discharge?

[Inkworks]

Telling us what the garment/material is might help. There are all sorts of tricky fabrics out there and I'm betting you'll get better answers with a more specific question.

[Inkworks]

Try a vintage look maybe?

I've become an expert at selling the "vintage look" on Triblends.  "You don't want to put a heavy plastic-feeling print on this nice fabric do you?"

[Admiral]

Telling us what the garment/material is might help. There are all sorts of tricky fabrics out there and I'm betting you'll get better answers with a more specific question.

Viscose blend - doesn't tack to platens with any tack we could find, unless using 10x the normal amount of the solvent spray tacks.  Trying to avoid this.

[Inkworks]

Ahh yes, Viscose... I suggest staples or small screws with big washers.

Seriously though, they are a major pain, sometimes a blend of adhesives (tons of web-adhesive with flash-mist on top or the like), super short flashes and a healthy does of pure luck will help, but generally I think you need to pre-empt the problem by selling your a customer a different shirt, or a 1 col. "vintage-look" print.

Be warned if you do get the .030" of web adhesive with flash-mist on top to work, you'll need to re-paper your platens or at very least de-tack the platens with a nice fleecy hoody before going back to cotton, or your shirt puller is going to have a hernia trying to get cotton off them....Yet another reason to upcharge for special materials that are a p.i.t.a.

[Admiral]

Ahh yes, Viscose... I suggest staples or small screws with big washers.

Seriously though, they are a major pain, sometimes a blend of adhesives (tons of web-adhesive with flash-mist on top or the like), super short flashes and a healthy does of pure luck will help, but generally I think you need to pre-empt the problem by selling your a customer a different shirt, or a 1 col. "vintage-look" print.

Be warned if you do get the .030" of web adhesive with flash-mist on top to work, you'll need to re-paper your platens or at very least de-tack the platens with a nice fleecy hoody before going back to cotton, or your shirt puller is going to have a hernia trying to get cotton off them....Yet another reason to upcharge for special materials that are a p.i.t.a.

Yep, and this is exactly how we do it now, and the printers aren't the biggest fans for obvious reasons.  Anyone with an ink idea for the base to help though? it may just not be a thing / possible / or just unknown.

[Printficient]

I like Russel Grey from Wilflex.  With that said, it sounds like you are over heating your base as it should not be sticky but feel like warm paper.

Negative, not a print issue, regular warm and stirred up inks but all inks have different properties of course...Trying to figure out a way to deal with a piita garment is all.

I was talking about after flash "feel"