Specialty Ink Printing: Glitters, Foils, Glows, Reflectives and More!

Posted by Mary Yaeger - 5/19/17

In the world of screen printing there is an overwhelming amount of inks on the market, and the newer you are to screen printing, the harder it is to decide what inks you should try and which you should avoid - for now at least. Being a more advanced screen printer, although knowledgeable, you still face the challenge of working with multi-color processes and finding the right ink for your next print job.

The variety is what makes the screen printing industry one of the most interesting to work in and be a part of. There is so much growth potential for screen printers. The world of ink is expanding and the demand for specialty inks is out there. We are even starting to see a blend among the print industries. Graphic design has adopted screen printing to develop posters and unique brand packaging. Screen printing has adopted 3D printing to take textiles to the next level. The industry is developing fast especially with people being able to print on the go or at home!

My exposure to screen printing has been limited to a small table top printer that I received one year for Christmas. Being green in the industry, I have had my eyes opened to a million different possibilities when it comes to screen printing - even witnessing an automatic press in action. Today, Texsource-U is teaching a class on how to use specialty inks in screen printing so I thought that it would be appropriate to write a blog article on specialty inks.

My favorite printed tees (as i’m sure some of you would agree) are the ones with quirky little quips that are decorated in some way such as gold shimmers or mounds of glitter (the kind that you find in your hair days later). The shinier it is, the more it catches my attention. But what I didn’t realize was the process for printing those inks was different from any other process. I had some idea that special screen printing inks would be different, but I wasn’t sure HOW different they would be from each other. Below, we will explore some different specialty inks and how to effectively use them for your next screen printing project!

Types of Special Effect Inks

Phosphorescent Glow Inks

Phosphorescent is a glow-in-the-dark plastisol ink which is ready to use right out of the bucket.  This ink is formulated for application to cotton and cotton / polyester garments and novelty items. The glow inks print well on white, but they can also work for colored garments.

When printing on colored garments, it’s best (and recommended) to use a white underbase to really make those colors POP! It is also recommended that you use a 86-110 mesh screen and thick stencil to get the best graphics.

Crystalina

Glitter Plastisols are extremely flexible inks. They provide a glittering texture and metallic-like finish when printed directly on textiles or used in transfers. Glitter inks are available in two variations.

1. Regular Glitter Plastisols - recommended for direct printing
2. Super Glitter Plastisols - recommended for heat transfer printing.

Crystalina is used to produce subtle sparkle effects with high gloss and excellent durability. For printing, it is highly recommend using a 25-40 mesh screen. Mesh counts higher than 40 (15 metric) should not be used as this will limit the inks ability to flow onto the garment and will result in a very spotty, irregular finish.

For stencils you can use any direct emulsion or capillary film. And due to the reflective nature of this ink, it requires a longer curing time and more heat to reach the required temperature than a standard plastisol.

Silver Luster

These inks are very versatile and can be used to enhance graphics or create a unique standalone product. Silver Lustre inks are specially formulated to give maximum coverage, and have been incorporated in the clearest, glossiest plastisol available. Not only do these inks create a dramatic effect, they also have excellent wash durability. These inks can be printed using a 60-86 mesh screen.

Pale Gold Glitter

Similar to crystalina, glitter inks are very flexible to work with. When heat cured, that’s when the glittering metallic finish shines through. These inks take on the finish of release papers like you use during heat transfer printing.

You can print these inks directly on textiles. Another great feature of these inks is that they are lead free plastisol and have great opacity when printing. For printing, it is recommended you use a 25-40 mesh screen like the crystalina. Any count higher than 40 will result in a not-so-great finish.

Puff Additive

Puff additives are formulated to be mixed with General Purpose (GEN) Series inks to give designs a raised or elevated effect. Puff Additive allows you to minimize the number of products you have on your shelf and gives you great results. For best results, you should use a screen with a good thick stencil and a medium to soft squeegee for good ink laydown. Puff additive is especially useful in smaller shops that may not want to inventory a complete set of puff colors.

HD Rubber Base

HD Rubber Base can be used as a high density gloss/clear or as a high gloss overprint to any ink.  You can also add colors to create special gloss images. These inks are an excellent adhesive carrier for foil, special flakes, caviar beads, and other creative textures. They can be used on most fabric types. The “Super Elongation” 110 mesh with 200 micron cap film is recommended if you are going to print with an HD Rubber Base.

Ultra Reflective Ink

Ultra Reflective inks are exactly what they sound like. These inks are easy to print with and create a unique reflective surface. When a garment printed with Optilux ink is exposed to a focused beam of light such as that from a flashlight or headlight, it reflects or returns light back to the light source. You can use these inks to create a novelty item or create a unique decorative tool to increase nighttime visibility of a printed design. To get the best print it is recommended that you use a 160-230 mesh screen.

Silver Foil

The great thing about foil inks is that they are press ready. They provide a bright, non-tarnishing metallic sparkle to any printed garment. The inks consist of a fine shimmering glitter flake in a low fusion, and easy to print base. This is a real plus for hand and automatic printers when it comes to equipment wear and tear.  To get the most out of foil inks it is recommended you use a 86 to 125 mesh screen.

Over Print Clear Gel

Over print clear gel  is a super smooth, multi purpose gloss clear that can be used in both high-density printing techniques and as a flat overprint onto colored inks and textured surfaces. The advantage to using Over Print is that it will create shiny finishes to any design. For this type of ink it is recommend you use a 24-110 mesh screen and 200-600 micron cap film for best results.

Now that you have learned about some of the different inks for screen printing, what inks are you considering trying for your next project?

The Top 9 Screen Printed Shirt Trends for 2017

Posted by: Mary Yaeger 5-5-17



As screen printing enthusiasts, it’s important to stay on top of the trends in the industries that impact us the most. Staying current not only allows your business to produce relevant designs, but it also provides an opportunity to design outside of the box when everyone is looking at the same thing. If there is one thing that people don’t like it’s repetition so it’s important to know what people are looking at, what the fashion industry says is in style and decide how to best apply your own unique touches to the trend.

For screen printing, take in consideration these top 9 trends and how you will be able to use them in your own business. The inks and screen printing methods used to make these styles vary, but with a little know-how and digging into what makes these such popular styles will give your screen printing business the advantage over your competitors.

9 The Whole Wild World  

This trend is especially important to the up and coming generations who are trying to get back to the basics of life. More people are starting to realize how important it is to unplug and invest their time in the natural pleasures of life. People are enjoying the outdoors in such ways as hiking and surfing. This trend is all about embracing nature's creations. With naturalism on the rise it is important that your screen printing business explores people's new mindfulness of a care free well being. When searching for inspiration for your next design, be sure to look to the natural environment. It's time to restore the balance. Printed designs such as the ones pictured above are grounded in natural landscapes and takes inspiration from the earth's beauty.

You can achieve this look by experimenting with different kinds of inks and printing methods. When printing, it’s important to use the right kind of ink. Certain ink textures will make natural prints look and feel imbalanced. To get the most natural feel for a flexible shirt, we recommend using discharge inks. Not only will you still see the natural texture of your design, but you will get the natural texture of the shirt which will make the shirt more appealing to the nature seeker.

8 Luminescent Inks  

Luminescent inks have become increasingly popular during the last few years, and in 2017 we’re going to witness an explosion of these “holographic” designs. The type of ink that you use can create a new reality and illicit a certain response from the people that wear and view it. Luminescent colors combined with futuristic textures present the idea of exploration, escape and the psychedelic. Inspiration for this trend is a fusion between reality and fantasy. Figures like unicorns and mermaids have been a recurring theme in recent months. Combine mystical creatures with natural phenomena like the aurora borealis, gems and shells makes these prints look digitized and surreal.

7 Bold Typography

Recent generations have a lot to say and not enough time to say it. Typographical prints and with bright and bold lettering bring a feeling of rebellion through slogans, quotes and get out of my way statements. It’s all about having a ‘don’t care attitude’ and saying what you want in written form. The origins of these prints come from contemporary street style. This style is about color, contrast and most importantly; the message written on it. This kind of shirt is screen printed using one color, or for more dynamic prints can even be printed as a 4 color process. Another popular choice is to use vinyl for small print runs, since there are usually just a few solid colors involved in the design.

6 Black and White Prints

Black and white prints are something that everyone is used to seeing. This isn't a really new trend, but it is still one that is relevant. The allure of the high contrast shirts has everything to do with space. It is impossible for the eye not to concentrate on white lettering or shapes when surrounded by black. Likewise, you eye will automatically be drawn to the bold black helvetica that has been strategically placed on your clean white tee. This year we are going to see more of the white ink on black shirts as it really makes screen printed designs stand out. While it does create an interesting print, white inks can be tricky to screen print with. Printing with white ink takes proper artwork preparation as well as choosing the right mesh count. There are also classes that are dedicated to teaching people how to properly set up their next screen printing session using special effect inks and techniques.

5 The Dark Side of the Moon

The "space" trend, as it is often called, pays homage to the infinite discoveries that are yet to be made in the mysterious universe that we live in. Discoveries are made all over the world, everyday, by explorers and scientists, but there is still so much we can explore and learn. This trend tends to focus on the idea of space exploration, alien beings and catchy space related slogans - especially those for people that still can't handle Pluto not being a planet. Screen printing for this trend needs detail and reflective areas to represent constellations, movement and our unquenchable thirst for the unknown.

4 Boho Inspired  

"Boho" is an informal version of Bohemian. The term Bohemian came about during a movement of artist and poets in late 19th century France, especially in Paris. Bohemians believed in living outside of the bourgeois mainstream culture. In today's culture, the artsy style "boho" is expressed through thin geometric patterns and even takes on concepts and designs from Native cultures. This graphic print trend explores eclectic directions inspired by a passion for handcrafted and centuries-old techniques. Inspired by free-thinking and an appreciation for craftsmanship, this theme is a curated collection of textured surfaces and mixed patterns.

3 Faded Throwbacks

Everybody loves a new vintage t-shirt that looks 20 years old, so you’ve probably seen this trend quite a bit over the past several years especially with band t-shirts. A good tip, if you're going to screen print faded designs, is to make the typography work together with the colors. Complementary colors are a must for throwback designs. These shirts should also be soft. Remember, you're trying to give the illusion of an old and worn in shirt. So your shirt can't be crisp and brand new looking. The softer the shade of the shirt, the more natural your faded tee will look. White and black shirts take too long to fade and look worn. The screen printing technique will vary depending on the design. This is another great opportunity to play around with discharge inks to get that worn in look.

2 Geometry and Color Blocks

This trend sticks on the basic side of design. With the rise of more simplistic design, your underground electronic band tee is about to hit the mainstream. To get the right fit, it's important that the shirt complements the design. These shirts are usually kept to one color, so it makes an economical and quick screen printing option. When done well, geometric and color block designs can compliment a woman's curves and enhance the chest and arms for guys.

1 Accented Designs

Accented designs are another great example of contrast. Patterned accents bring attention to the elements of a t-shirt that would normally go ignored - pockets for example. By embellishing a t-shirt in this manner, the designer ads value to it without doing an overall design which means that the price of the shirt increases but not as much as one would expect.

What do you think about these trending designs? There is a lot of opportunity to try different screen printing techniques, test specialty inks and get creative with your designs. Are there any screen printing techniques that you would like to implement in your own shop? Let us know in the comment section!

Pocket Printing Tips for Screen Printers

Posted by Ryan Bolin - Outside Sales on 8/22/2016

Printing on shirt pockets can be a bit of a pain for those new to screen printing.  Here are some easy tips to help.

As a screen printer we always try and find ways to make our lives easier when it comes to printing t-shirts. Any shortcut that we can use that will speed up the screen printing process always helps. In my opinion the number one thing on everyone’s wish list would be to find screen printing ink that you only have to print once when printing on dark garments and being able to avoid a ‘print - flash - print’ process. Well, this is the real world and the reality is that it’s not going to happen (at least not any time soon).

However, there are some tricks and tips that screen printers have learned throughout the years to help with this issue, and today ill share one of mine. In the correct application my tip will allow you to be able to print white ink on a black garment with just one stroke, no flash and your print coverage will be great. Although, I have found that this only works with left chest prints, pocket prints, small linear designs or small-bodied designs.


                    adding Puff Additive can help you with whit-on-black prints

My tip is, Puff Additive! Just add a small percentage (5% or less) of Puff Additive to yourwhite ink, print it once and your shirt will be ready for the dryer. By adding the puff additive it causes your design to rise slightly (and I mean very slightly) off the shirt giving your design a good ‘pop’ and vibrant look to it. Whereas before, printing normally without the puff additive and with printing one stroke you loose the nice bright white and your design looks dull. By using this tip you eliminate having to flash cure your design after your first squeegee pull as well as skipping the second stroke, thus allowing you to save a lot of time and money. It is very important though to make a couple test prints or strike-offs FIRST before printing an entire job! This is key for getting the correct percentage of Puff Additive added to your ink and for your finished product to look perfect. No one likes having to eat a hundred shirts after the customer refuses to take them. This handy tip can help!