# Glow in the dark ink printing



## majkthreads (Mar 29, 2006)

Ok I'm pretty stoked that I actually get to ask an actual screen printing question. That means I have a print job.

Now my question. I printed a couple shirts last year for a guy but used water based ink with a simple ez screen print setup. 

It's a two color design, black and yellow. The yellow I used was a water based glow in the dark ink to mimic the customers product that glows in the dark. I'm printing on white shirts. 

He wants me to use glow in the dark ink for the order he placed. I advised him how expensive the plastisol glow ink is and he still wanted so we agreed on a price. 

Now for the sample shirts I used International coatings lemon yellow. That's what color he wants the glow ink to look as close too. I haven't printed any shirts yet with the glow ink yet but it's not a lemon yellow color. My question from the printers here that have way more experience, what would be the best way to print this design. 

Would it work to print the lemon yellow, flash and then a layer of glow ink over that? Or could I mix the glow ink with the lemon yellow say 50-50? Or maybe even two coats of glow ink to try and get some yellow color?
Any suggestions would be really welcome. If it wasn't for the glow ink I was set to print with just the lemon yellow as that was the closest to the yellow, water based glow ink I used for his sample last year. I did get about a 1/2 gallon of water based glow-yellow and some screen hardener so I could use water based but mixing water based and plastisol didn't appeal to me. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Bryan, I am having a hard time following exactly what you are trying to say. Are you saying both your yellow and black ink glow in the dark? And your yellow is lemon yellow color?

What's with the yellow underbase? What purpose are you using this for? Are you asking if you can use a waterbased underbase with plastisol over it?

Sorry, but very confused.


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## midwaste (Apr 8, 2008)

I was just talking to my Lawson sales guy about this today. I am going to be doing the same thing. You can get powdered glow stuff that you can mix with ink.
Normally it is mixed at 10-15% with a clear base, however, when mixing it with a color, they recommend 20-25%. Its like 23 bucks a pound, which may be enough to mix into a quart. However, I dont think this is going to turn out well as far as glowing goes. You have to figure at least 50% of the glow particles are going to be completely submerged in the ink, and not glow.

At $45 bucks a quart for pre-mixed clear base/powder, Im just going to print (lemon yellow as well), flash, and print an overcoat of the glow. He said they have had good results with this in the past.


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## majkthreads (Mar 29, 2006)

midwaste said:


> I was just talking to my Lawson sales guy about this today. I am going to be doing the same thing. You can get powdered glow stuff that you can mix with ink.
> Normally it is mixed at 10-15% with a clear base, however, when mixing it with a color, they recommend 20-25%. Its like 23 bucks a pound, which may be enough to mix into a quart. However, I dont think this is going to turn out well as far as glowing goes. You have to figure at least 50% of the glow particles are going to be completely submerged in the ink, and not glow.
> 
> At $45 bucks a quart for pre-mixed clear base/powder, Im just going to print (lemon yellow as well), flash, and print an overcoat of the glow. He said they have had good results with this in the past.




Might just do that then. I'll print the Black, then put a layer of the lemon yellow, then flash, then the layer of glow in the dark ink on top of the yellow. 

I knew someone would have an idea. 



Splathead,

What I was asking was I have too lay the black ink first.Then to get the glow in the dark ink laid down, should I try two coats of the glow in the dark ink, or lay down a lemon yellow coat then flash and lay a glow in the dark coat over the yellow. That way I'd have the yellow look but it would glow in the dark. My customer wants the yellow color to be yellow, but also glow in the dark. I do have a gallon of the wilflex glow in the dark ink. 

I knew what I wanted to say in my post but it didn't come out right. Sorry about that.


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## majkthreads (Mar 29, 2006)

Here is part of the design. Basically what my customer wants is the yellow to be a glow in the dark type of yellow. My problem is that regular plastisol won't glow, I do have a gallon of wilflex glow in the dark. But the wilflex isn't yellow, it just has a yellowish tint. 













So I was basically asking between the two inks, regular yellow lemon plastisol and wilflex glow in the dark, how to lay it down so it looks like lemon yellow and glows?

I do have some of the glow in the dark powder but not enough time to play with it to make it look good. 

Thanks all.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Now I understand. The glow in the darks i am use to are almost off white in color. It then takes a greenish glow in the dark. 

Seems like Midwaste's idea is a better option.


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## majkthreads (Mar 29, 2006)

splathead said:


> Now I understand. The glow in the darks i am use to are almost off white in color. It then takes a greenish glow in the dark.
> 
> Seems like Midwaste's idea is a better option.


Thank you though for taking time to try and offer a suggestion. That's what I was looking for, lots of ideas to help make this work. I do have 5 more days before I have to print them so I might experiment a little. I just knew there were tons of people on here that had way, way more experience than me since I just started. 

But I do want to learn so all I'm looking for is a suggestion so I can go try it and see if it works. I learn better by doing anyway. 

Thank you to all who have given me suggestions. You all rock!!!!!!


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