# how to get super soft hand with plastisol ink



## xbrandon408x (Jan 24, 2008)

hey iv heard of using addatives like soft hand and curable reducer but they didn't really work to my liking. They still had that cheesy shiny look on the shirt. I don't know if i just didn't add enough. I heard about Chino based plastisol is that good. I don't know any suggestions will help


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

If you're printing light ink on dark and want to keep opacity, there is always going to be a little shine in the ink, unless it's just white ink, which most are sort of a matte finish anyway. Large solid areas are difficult to print without some shine. The best results come from putting down as little ink as possible and still get the look you want. On light shirts doing spot color work, use a 195 - 230 mesh and see if it doesn't help. Additionally, don't overheat your shirts. If you get them really hot, any ink is going to gloss over. Try lowering your temperature so the shirts just reach 300 to 330, and slow the belt speed down to increase the dwell time in the oven so that they reach a full cure, but a little more slowly. Bake 'em, don't burn 'em.
You can try using additives that are supposed to flatten the finish. I've used Union Ink Suede additive, and while it knocks out the shine, the ink puffs up a little and tends to feel like split cowhide. Other manufacturers have similar products, but I don't know that they work any better. I'm not sure many printers use these additives. I think they tend to rely on printing technique to minimize the shiny look. That's the direction I'm taking after trying other things.


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## studog79 (Jul 13, 2006)

tpitman said:


> Try lowering your temperature so the shirts just reach 300 to 330, and slow the belt speed down to increase the dwell time in the oven so that they reach a full cure, but a little more slowly.


 You only get them below 320 without catalyst and plastiol will not be cured and will wash out starting with the first wash. I don't care if you keep them in the dryer for a week if they don't hit high enough temp they do not cure. You can add some soft hand that will greatly help the hand and on light color shirts use a fashion soft base. Also a higher mesh usually helps on the hand.


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

studog79 said:


> You only get them below 320 without catalyst and plastiol will not be cured and will wash out starting with the first wash. I don't care if you keep them in the dryer for a week if they don't hit high enough temp they do not cure. You can add some soft hand that will greatly help the hand and on light color shirts use a fashion soft base. Also a higher mesh usually helps on the hand.


The Union ink I use calls for 300. I measure the ink temperature up in the tunnel and make sure it's just over 320. Once the ink layer hits it's cure temp, it's cured. Keeping it in the tunnel for a longer period at the minimum cure temp insures that the entire ink layer has time to reach it, not just the top of the ink. As you mentioned, using a higher mesh count also aids in keeping the ink layer thinner, enabling a quicker cure time.


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## roudystyle36 (Jul 11, 2007)

any other tips for making a softer hand plastisol??


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

Let me add one downside to high mesh counts, though, especially with photographic type images, is that while you can get it to where you can't feel the print, fibrillation will sometimes raise hell with the image after it's been washed. Some recommend underbasing all jobs like that, even process on white shirts, to help mat down the fibers and keep the print looking good after repeated washings. It's a bit of a tradeoff finding that sweet spot where the hand is acceptably soft, but fibrillation is avoided. It's less of an issue with solid spot colors, but those are the hardest to print thinly and still avoid the shine. I've printed spot colors on black tees using a 195 underbase and a 255 overprint that looked good shine-wise, were bright, and could hardly be felt. Yellow inks on dark shirts are the biggest problem, because you need a pretty solid, bright underbase. Yellows tend to be translucent, even in the hi-opacity inks, compared to others.


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## inkslingermaster (Sep 25, 2016)

You can add a little bit of dulling paste to get rid of the shine, also your best bet is use a Matte Base that is if you are using a pigment system. If you're using pre based inks then you need dulling paste.


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## kreepy20 (Jul 1, 2016)

I tried something after reading about heat pressing the shirt after it comes out of the oven. If you put a sheet of paper over the image and press it. Peel the paper off after the cure and it will be matte and soft.


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## tfike (May 2, 2011)

Chino base will give your ink a very soft hand, almost feels like a waterbased ink. We use the regular chino base and also the opaque chino base in our shop, I like them both.


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