Discharge Screen Printing

Given the proper amount of time, any industry is subject to an evolution.  The technology and marketplace around the industry start to change and grow as consumer needs change.  In the screen printing world, one of these developments was discharge screen printing.  To understand discharge screen printing, it’s important to first understand how it compares to traditional screen printing.

Discharge Screen Printing

Traditional screen printing previously used all plastisol inks.  These inks were great because they do not dry up so, if kept clean, they can be reused over and over again which is cost effective.  Plastisol inks, however, require strong cleaners to remove them from the screens which isn’t always the most environmentally-friendly.  Plastisol also leaves a “hand” to the print which means that you can feel the print on the shirt.  For some, a print with a hand is preferable while for others, they prefer printed garments without a hand.  Water based screen printing is a more recent development in printing technology that counteracts some of the disadvantages of plastisol screen printing.  With discharge screen printing, you are starting out with a water-based ink.

Water based screen printing gets its name from the way that it reacts with the garment to be printed.  The ink is formulated to remove the existing color from the fabric, “discharge”, and then deposit a new, desired pigment into the garment.  It is a rather fascinating process to watch because the discharge ink reacts to the heat during the drying process.  The ink is printed on clear and when it passes through the dryer, it comes out as a fully rendered color print.  If discharge screen printing sounds like a service you are interested in, we’d love to help you create your own custom garments here at AMBRO Manufacturing.  You can contact us by email or by calling us at (908) 806-8337.

Discharge Screen Printing