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Catspit Screen Print Supply - Phoenix, Arizona
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Amex Manoukian Water Based Inks

Amex Manoukian Water Based Inks

Amex Water Based Textile Inks

amex-logo.jpgCatspit Productions offers Amex Arsen Manoukian water based textile ink for screen printing shirts and other garments. Water based inks are perfect for the soft hand feel that many consumers want today.

Opaque water based ink for textile printing. Ready to use. Ecological.

This is a water based textile ink for direct printing on light and dark fabrics, ready-to-wear or pre-cut articles. Suitable for cotton, jersey, Lycra and other natural and synthetic fabrics like polyester. This ink has a very long drying time but traditional methods for water based ink printing are recommended. It has a very smooth yet pasty consistency much like frosting. It will not run on the screen when it is in the up position. Working with this ink compares to working with plastisol inks due to its thickness and long evaporation drying times.

Water based printing will demand a different set of screens and even your art can be designed accordingly. Artwork creation, especially for halftones, will be a whole new animal due to the way the ink is absorbed into the garment fabric. Obviously this in turn requires particular screens and mesh counts. Making very small and detailed artwork with tiny stencil openings can promote ink drying on press. Therefore artwork for water based work is done specifically for it. Distressed and textured prints or loose, hand sketched art, blends well with any irregularities in printing due to ink flow issues. Just as it is with standard plastisol screen printing, your artwork can make or break you.

Remember to use an emulsion that is designed for water based inks and solvents. A special additive can be used with some emulsions to protect the stencil from water based discharge inks. You can reclaim any screens used for water based printing the usual way but make sure to clean the screen of any ink immediately after use. If you do not, the water based ink can clog the mesh permanently. Also keep in mind these inks are much thinner than plastisol inks and will not need as much squeegee pressure when printing.

And one last note: if you plan on doing any large volume commercial printing with water based inks, you should seriously consider a decent size forced air belt dryer. The larger oven chamber will facilitate the curing process and ensure consistency throughout your print run. Just because water based inks are said to "air dry" they most often need to be heat set to properly cure in commercial applications.

- 100% Water soluble
- PVC Free
- Phthalate Free
- Formaldehyde Free
- Heavy Metal & APEO (alkyl phenol ethoxylates) Free
- Made in Italy