Discharge printing has been around, apparently since the 90’s. About ten years ago discharge prints were a hot item but since then interest has dropped off. I’m not sure why. But like other ‘fads’ in our industry such as, say, fluorescents, discharge prints could make a comeback. So what s it?
Discharging is basically a process of ‘bleaching’ or discharging (the official term) the dye in a dischargeable garment (usually 100% cotton garment with dischargeable dye) during the printing process. One thing you can do is discharge the dye in the shirt and end up with a natural-coloured print which will be the colour of the cotton before the shirt was dyed. You can also mix the discharge base or additive with most ink colours (be sure to use the appropriate ink ) and the ink will discharge the dye, thus doing away with the need for an under-base white.
The hand is softer with discharge and part of the reason for that is the absence of an underbase white. Underbase whites tend to be laid down in a thick deposit which can then give the print a harder hand.
Another aspect of discharge printing to be kept in mind is that you need an emulsion specially formulated for discharge.
Discharge printing presents a number of creative possibilities but a BIG caution is that testing before attempting a production run is essential.
For more information on discharge printing you can make a quick call to Stanley’s Wilflex ink experts for tips and information about discharge printing. Craig in Cambridge (1 877 205 9218) and Wendy in Calgary (1 800 661 1553) will be happy to help you.