# Sun painting - Solarfast vs Inkodye, what's your preference / experience?



## jeremiah1223 (Jul 10, 2009)

I posted this a few weeks back, but I think it got deleted for some reason...

I recently became aware of Solarfast and Inkodye 'sun paints' and am excited to try this new method of printing without the need to burn a screen. But, before I get started, I was hoping that those who may have already tried both brands could shed some light on which they might prefer / recommend. I'm also curious as to whether the wash that both companies sell to remove the remaining dye after exposure is really necessary or if soap and water will do the trick.


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## kepano (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm obviously biased since I co-founded Lumi, but the short answers to both questions are very clear: 1. use Inkodye, 2. use a professional detergent such as Inkowash or synthrapol to wash your prints.

A little more detail:

1. Try both for yourself and I think you'll find out very quickly why most people are using Inkodye. The dyes are deeper in color, more permanent and wash out better. We developed Inkodye because we're printers ourselves and wanted a better way to print photography. Solarfast is simply a poor quality copycat.

In addition, if you have a reseller license you can apply for a pro partnership and get bulk quantities at a discount: partners.lumi.co

2. Soap and water won't do the trick unless you are printing Inkodye additively (e.g. through a screen or stencil). If you are printing with negatives, you need to fully rinse out excess dye or it will continue developing. The best way to do this is with a professional scouring detergent meant for dye such as Inkowash or synthrapol. We have a lot more detail in our help section: lumi.co/help


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## jeremiah1223 (Jul 10, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. I did purchase a bottle of inkodye the other day and this morning was looking through instructables to see what advice others have given. I'm excited to give it a go, but first a few more questions:

Can you use over fabric paint? Say you were to paint a white square on a dark colored shirt? 

I saw in one instructable a 50/50 inkodye/water mix put in a spray bottle to apply. Will this bring the same results as brushing on? 

Assuming these dyes can only be used on light fabrics, are you developing a product for dark colors?


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## kepano (Jan 18, 2012)

> Can you use over fabric paint? Say you were to paint a white square on a dark colored shirt?

No, Inkodye only binds to natural fibers, it cannot bond if the fibers are obstructed. However, it is possible to discharge or bleach a square area. Here is a similar technique you can work from.

> I saw in one instructable a 50/50 inkodye/water mix put in a spray bottle to apply. Will this bring the same results as brushing on?

Inkodye is fairly concentrated so you can dilute it with water and still get vibrant results (although the consistency will be more runny). The spray method helps apply it faster (probably needs to be masked), or if you're looking for a feathered edge. Also note that great results can be achieved from stenciling or silkscreening a shape that you print inside of. Here's an example.

> Assuming these dyes can only be used on light fabrics, are you developing a product for dark colors?

No current plans for that. It's a limitation of how dyes behave. The technology for such a product would have to be inherently different.


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## socceronly (Jul 22, 2012)

If you screen the Inkodye on, set it in the sun, is there any need to wash the shirt?


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## kepano (Jan 18, 2012)

socceronly said:


> If you screen the Inkodye on, set it in the sun, is there any need to wash the shirt?


No. When screen printing with Inkodye, washing is not necessary. An immediate wash is only necessary if you are using the photographic method of printing.

The one benefit would be to rinse out some of the thickener in the ink, but this will happen whenever the first wash of the garment is done (which could be months later).


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