# how long is water based ink good for?



## SMB Printing (Nov 30, 2009)

I have some water based ink I mixed about a week ago and I need to reuse it to make a few more tees that had been forgotten. The cases with the ink in them have been covered however they were left open for about 12 or 13 hours after the first print was done. They are not dry, and look as if they could be mixed and reused but I did add a fixer to the mix. So my quesstion is would you all recomend reusing the ink, or should I just mix new inks? Thank you all


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## tlbays (Apr 9, 2008)

Hi Matt

If you resealed the ink containers after the 12-13 hour stint they remained open,
they should be OK to use (even with Fixer present).

The crusty chunks around the container edges will be your biggest obstacle to avoid getting into the useable ink.

The moisture lost while open a week ago can be carefully reintroduced with a mist spray bottle on the flood stroke ink surface,
with multiple strokes (onto pellon or another blotter) to mix it back in for something close to the original viscosity.

FYI- Many "water-washable" Acrylic Ink formulas have a shelf-life of 1 year,
but if kept sealed and stored at ambient temps, they can be stretched past that.
Do test for a wash-fast cure if ever you're in doubt of age, and decide accordingly.

Happy trails!


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## SMB Printing (Nov 30, 2009)

Thank you for your help. So I will not have any problems with the ink fading while the tees are being washed?


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## tlbays (Apr 9, 2008)

......it will depend upon the Fixer type and original % used.

Certain types (Matsui "F", for example) weaken hours after mixing,
others (Matsui "N", for another example) remain active much longer; much like a binder.

Note that if a minor amount of fixer was originally mixed in,
you can add 1-2% additionally to regain that increase in aftermarket durability.
As indicated, it's still always a good idea to regularly test for washfastness when in doubt.

Here's something I learned yesterday....
.....don't ask about Fixer "Q".

Happy trails!


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