# Discharge ink looks spotty...



## Nifty Prints (Nov 23, 2017)

Hi guys, so I have printed this shirt with discharge inks. I just did a wash test, to compare colors and test the durability. It seems "Spotty" to me. I get that the fuzz from the shirts will come through the print, but think this could be better for sure. Any ideas?
The shirt is a Bella Canvas 3001 CVC Midnight Heather Navy tee. 52% Cotton, and 48% Polyester.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

The printed part doesn't look any "spottier" than the non-printed part. Looks like the heather pattern of the shirt, which is the 48% that is Polyester.

I have printed discharge inks, but only on 100% cotton. I've also printed regular water based inks on cotton/Poly blends and heathers. I would _expect_ the pigments in the discharge ink to color the Poly as well as the cotton, but it looks like it has not ... so perhaps my expectation is wrong? In any case, I think it looks "right" with the heather showing equally in the print and the background, so I'd call that "bug" a "feature" and move on.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

This print looks as it should because of the polyester content.
The only way around it is using high density inks or plastisol. Both can be combined with discharge.


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## Nifty Prints (Nov 23, 2017)

NoXid said:


> The printed part doesn't look any "spottier" than the non-printed part. Looks like the heather pattern of the shirt, which is the 48% that is Polyester.
> 
> I have printed discharge inks, but only on 100% cotton. I've also printed regular water based inks on cotton/Poly blends and heathers. I would _expect_ the pigments in the discharge ink to color the Poly as well as the cotton, but it looks like it has not ... so perhaps my expectation is wrong? In any case, I think it looks "right" with the heather showing equally in the print and the background, so I'd call that "bug" a "feature" and move on.





NoXid said:


> The printed part doesn't look any "spottier" than the non-printed part. Looks like the heather pattern of the shirt, which is the 48% that is Polyester.
> 
> I have printed discharge inks, but only on 100% cotton. I've also printed regular water based inks on cotton/Poly blends and heathers. I would _expect_ the pigments in the discharge ink to color the Poly as well as the cotton, but it looks like it has not ... so perhaps my expectation is wrong? In any case, I think it looks "right" with the heather showing equally in the print and the background, so I'd call that "bug" a "feature" and move on.


I ended up running another test through the heater a couple times, and washing those. The end result being much better. I used a 130 mesh, and a push stroke. I think that ended up laying down so much ink that the cure time needed to be bumped way up. I will redo the screens on 160's and use a pull stroke so that less ink is laid down.


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## Nifty Prints (Nov 23, 2017)

TABOB said:


> This print looks as it should because of the polyester content.
> The only way around it is using high density inks or plastisol. Both can be combined with discharge.


I knew that I could get a better print using the discharge inks, and think the cure/dwell time needed to be bumped up. I hate plastisol inks lol, and only print with water based and discharge inks. The polyester does cause some textures in the print, but I think the problem with the test was just a heavy print (low mesh, and a push stroke), so I tested again, and with a longer dwell time, think I fixed the issue.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Nifty Prints said:


> The polyester does cause some textures in the print, but I think the problem with the test was just a heavy print (low mesh, and a push stroke), so I tested again, and with a longer dwell time, think I fixed the issue.


I can see the problem now...
It's hard to tell without seeing what the print looked like before washing.
The ink was obviously not cured enough in the first attempt.



Nifty Prints said:


> I hate plastisol inks lol, and only print with water based and discharge inks.


I use all of them... even silicone inks. They all have their applications. 
Plastisol can be left on the screens for years, and that's very useful for me.


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