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Comparative properties of water-based inks for printing on cotton

I used water-based screen-printing inks for T-shirts in the early 90's. In the 20's, I'm using high-acrylic solid (HSA) inks. They're water-based, but they contain less water. As the name implies, they are partially composed of polymers that transition between viscous and solid upon curing. In this way they are between plastisol, a vinyl ink that is the industry-standard, and the old water-based inks I used to use.

Sometimes I miss the old water-based inks. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages in production. Both are durable on 100% cotton garments.

The HSA inks don't dry easily, and are unlikely to irreparably block a screen. You can leave a project set up and ready. If you attend to it with an occasional spritz of water, you won't have the same drying risks that you had with the old inks.

But HSA inks also don't dry to the touch during production. You can't set printed items around the shop for a brief amount of time and then stack them. They will stay wet to the touch and that ink will spread onto anything in contact forever. You'll have to partially cure the pieces to get them dry enough to handle.