Which Pigments do you use? And what do you like or dislike about them?
Does the color mixing system work easily and accurately?
How do they compare to other pigment systems you have tried?
I’ll go first,
We’ve been using Matsui Neo Pigments for the past 5 years. (and their bases)
Although we almost always can get the color mixed that we want, it is often a struggle getting there. Rarely do I find the color mixing system formulas produce the intended color and once I start tweaking the color it takes forever to get it just right. A drop or 2 extra pigment seems to throw the whole batch way off and then i fight to get it back on track. I often end up just mixing by eye and keep a close watch on the scale to make sure I don’t go too far over the pigment load.
Part of the struggle is that the ink mixed in the container looks one way, then prints to look another color, then dries to look another color. I have gotten into the habit of starting with some extra Opaque base into the mix which at least seems to keep the color in the container closer to the actual printed color.
Also, the bottles the pigments come in suck. They always get clogged with dried pigments and often we’ll get little pieces of dried pigment in our batches, that then get clogged in the screen while printing and frustrate the hell out of everyone.
Are all Pigments created equal? And should I expect the same struggles with other systems?
The only other one that strikes me to be any different is Green Galaxy Fusion system. Any users out there??? Of course their videos intend to make it look easy and awesome. But they seem to address a bunch of my issues. To me the only difference seems to be that they are not Pigment Concentrates and the formulas they list seem to have a higher pigment load ratio.
As for Discharge, last year we started using Sericol Texcharge for our Color Discharge mixes and we have been thrilled ever since. (Thank You TSB!!) We find the color mixing formulas to be pretty much spot on every time. The color mixed in the container looks like the color intended and dam near always discharges out of the dryer the same color (assuming we have garment cooperation) Also, they don’t need any additives, except for discharge agent of course.
So, it’d be great to hear anyone else's Pigment experiences if they’d like to share.
Thanks,
Chris
