What is Discharge ink?

Water-based ink is a type of ink that doesn't contain PVC, and is able to soak into the fabric instead of sitting on top of it like standard plastisol inks. As a result, the print is crisper and doesn't feel think or heavy at all--it just feels like any other part of the tee! Since it soaks into the fabric, it really works best on fabrics that are white, or otherwise very light-colored and that are high in natural fibers like cotton. In fact, water-based inks can't work at all on 100% polyester or other synthetic materials.

Discharge is a kind of water-based ink that removes the dye from the fabric of the tee so that the color if the ink shows up, even on tees that are darker than the ink.  For example, even if you wanted to print white on a black tee, discharge would be able to do it.

However, depending on what percentage of your blank is synthetic and/or the dye lot, the print itself may not appear as vibrant or as clear as your artwork might look on your screen. Your white ink might have a pink tinge to it because the tee was dyed-over at the manufacturer or look "vintage" or faded if you're printing on a tri-blend rather than on 100% cotton. Below are some examples of what to expect.

White water-based ink on a black 100% cotton t-shirt

White water-based ink on a black poly-cotton blend t-shirt

White water-based ink on a black tri-blend t-shirt

If you're not sure whether or not water-based inks, including discharge, are right for you, reach out to us as print@clockwise.io so we can help you figure out what's best for your print!