Plastisol Ink

While there seems to be a multitude of different inks available on the market, Plastisol ink is certainly becoming more widely used. Plastisol ink is used in the garment and clothing printing industry, popular for screen printing t-shirts. This type of ink is ideal as it will bind to almost any type of material and textile, and are also extremely easy to print. Printing with Plastisol ink can be opaque or dark depending on the desired effect and the printer can expect for the ink not to stick to the screen.

Plastisol ink is made up of two main ingredients a white powder called PVC resin and a thick clear liquid which is called plasticizer. This particular type of ink needs to be heated in order to properly dry. If Plastisol ink is applied and left at normal temperature, it will not dry, set or cure. This ink must be heated to between 144 and 166 degrees Celsius in order to properly dry. As this ink needs to be heated, they can only be used on fabrics, materials and textiles that can withstand such heating. This is why they are not effectively used on plastic, metal and glass as they are non-porous substrates.

Unlike other inks, Plastisol inks do not actually dye the fabric that they are applied to. In fact they make a mechanical bond with the fabric while wrapping around the actual fibers of the fabric. In some cases, if the material is woven and waterproofed, a bonding agent will need to be used with the ink in order for it to bind correctly. One of the major benefits of Plastisol inks is that they do not produce air-polluting solvents and organic compounds that are volatile. Caution must be taken when using additives with this type of ink as it is easy to upset the sensitive chemical balance of it.

If you are looking for Plastisol ink, contact New Africa Inks, or for any other screen printing inks such as UV curable ink or solvent based screen printing ink, then feel free to browse our selection of inks and over-print varnish products - you are bound to find our range to be extensive, cost effective and offer absolute value for money.