The Screen Print Column Water-based inks in screen printing
Picking the right ink can be tricky, especially when it comes to water-based options. Seen as more environmentally friendly, it could, if chosen correctly, help produce amazing screen prints, but you need to keep in mind what Beppe Quaglia, CEO and founder of Virus Inks, calls the five answers for those who want to work with them seriously.
T
he term ‘water-based’ covers three technically distinct families and conflating them is the first operational mistake. Traditional water-based ink has an almost liquid consistency and does not deposit on the substrate: It penetrates the fabric fibres, modifying them structurally. It produces an exceptionally soft hand feel with durability matching the garment’s lifespan. One constraint: The ink must stay wet throughout the print run. Discharge ink uses a chemical activator that strips the original pigment from the cotton substrate before releasing the print colour. More viscous than traditional water-based, it is the correct solution for solid whites and bright colours on dark grounds – where straight water-based lacks opacity. Acrylic ink has a rheology like plastisol and sits on the fibre surface without penetrating it. Its growth is driven by digital hybrid printing, where the press deposits on a screen-printed underbase that almost always requires an acrylic as a receptive substrate.
1. Why make the switch
Plastisol is a proven system: It does not dry on the mesh and tolerates long pauses without losing workability. But two structural limitations are hard to ignore. The first is chemical: Uncured plastisol contains PVC and plasticisers, releasing volatile organic compounds during polymerisation. Water-based inks are not petroleum-derived and contain none of these – which is why they are already dominant across Asia, northern Europe and South America, where brand-imposed environmental standards are increasingly stringent. The second is performance-related: On technical and sportswear substrates – polyester, jersey, breathable fabrics – plastisol forms a film reducing permeability even on partial coverage. Water-based ink, penetrating the fibres, preserves breathability even across extensive print areas.
2. Ink drying in the mesh during printing: three solutions to apply in combination
This is the most common problem, particularly with acrylics, and cannot be resolved with a single countermeasure. The retarder is the first tool: every manufacturer formulates their own, calibrated to their ink’s chemistry. It extends mesh open time and reduces drying in low-frequency squeegee areas. Combined with a lubricant, it outperforms either product used alone. The mesh lubricant must be applied before depositing ink: Spread it across the open stencil areas with a clean cloth, work it through the mesh with a small amount of water, and remove the excess.
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Know the different families of water-based inks
This slows evaporation and produces a smoother print stroke. The third solution is less intuitive but highly effective: a cold-mist ultrasonic humidifier – the reptile fogger, originally designed for terrariums – directed at the screen frame during printing. It keeps mesh humidity high enough to slow drying without altering ink viscosity. Distilled water only, to prevent mineral deposits.
3. The stencil breaks down after a few dozen prints: emulsion and exposure
Water is the universal solvent – and an under-exposed emulsion, or one formulated for plastisol, will not hold up against water- based inks.
Diazo formulations offer the highest durability. Blending Diazo powder with water into the base emulsion produces a denser cross-link structure than ready-to-use photopolymer emulsions, with superior chemical resistance to water-based inks. The critical variable is complete cross-linking: The semi-liquid to solid transition through UV reaction. Insufficient exposure leaves the stencil chemically vulnerable. An exposure calculator repays itself quickly. Those using LED units rather than mercury vapour lamps must verify emulsion compatibility with their source’s spectral output.
The most overlooked step is post-exposure: After standard exposure and drying, expose the frame again from the ink side without vacuum – even one minute under direct sunlight. This hardens the face in contact with the ink, the surface under the greatest chemical and mechanical stress during printing.
5. Which ink to choose
The technical answer is simpler than the market suggests. The best water-based ink delivers consistent results on your press and is backed by a supplier offering direct technical support for the process – not just the product. Key parameters: Mesh count compatibility, behaviour with retarder, cure curve in the conveyor dryer, and stencil response to post-exposure. None can be assessed without sample testing. Manufacturers’ representatives almost always supply trial kits: using them before committing to a system is professional practice, not optional.
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