TS Designs

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Print Technology

TS Designs has been screenprinting since 1977, and we like to think we’ve gotten pretty good at it.  Though our experience is great, we also continue to push the envelope to new, better, and more sustainable printing technologies.

TSD uses water-based technology in its printing and, through our patented REHANCE technology, can provide a bright, vibrant water-based print on a dyed t-shirt.

Ink Composition

Below are some comparisons of standard plastisol ink contents compared to TSD water-based ink contents. As an obligatory disclaimer, this information is to the best of my knowledge based on what I researched in early 2009.

It’s important to know that not all water-based inks are environmentally friendly and not all plastisol inks are terribly detrimental to the environment. If you’re not printing with TSD, make sure to investigate and verify the composition of your printer’s inks in order to make an enlightened decision. Make sure to get full ink content disclosure from your printer!

There are four basic components of a screenprinting ink:

Pigment – the color. Pigments can either be powders or liquids. Pigments, as opposed to dyes, are not water-soluble.

  • Plastisol and some water-based inks often contain heavy metals in order to make them heavier and more opaque or to increase the light- and wash-fastness of the print. Certain Azo-based pigments contain structures that are suspected to cause health problems.
  • TSD pigments contain only trace heavy metals by design (less than 100ppm, the same as drinking water), but maintain good light- and wash-fastness because of the printing methods used.

Carrier – the vessel for delivering the pigment to the shirt

  • Plastisol inks use a solvent, typically petroleum-based with high VOCs (volatile organic compounds), as a carrier to dissolve the pigment and the binder.
  • Our inks use potable water as a carrier, which suspends the pigment in the mixture rather than dissolving it.

Thickener – keeps the ink from bleeding out onto the shirt after being printed

  • Plastisol inks typically use a synthetic, petroleum-based plastic polymer as a thickener. The most common thickener for plastisol inks is PVC (poly vinyl chloride), which contains phthalates and other chemical additives that can leech out over time.
  • TSD inks use a cellulose-based thickener; in other words, made from wood. It is completely biodegradable.

Binder – binds the pigment to the fiber

  • PVC is the standard binder for plastisol inks. The thickener and binder are often similar PVC chemistries.
  • TSD inks use a synthetic acrylic binder. While it is not rapidly biodegradable, it contains no vinyl structures or functional groups (e.g. chlorine or fluorine), and is entirely inert (thus non-toxic). Elmer’s Glue® is another example of an acrylic binder, one that is chemically almost identical to our binder.

Q&A

Below are some printing-related Q&A selections from our FAQ:

What is the difference between water-based and plastisol inks?

Plastisol inks are the ink of choice for most conventional screenprinters. Plastisol contains PVC and pthalates, which are both harmful to the environment, and results in a plastic print that is not breathable.Our water-based inks soak into and become part of the cloth itself, similar to the way water-color paint soaks into paper. The result is a breathable, durable print that will not crack or wash away. Our water-based inks also have excellent color-fastness and washability, keeping their color wash after wash.

Water-based inks do not contain PVC or phthalates, which makes them superior in terms of environmental footprint.

Water-based ink is transparent which means that a light water-based ink does not cover well on a dark shirt. This is why we created the REHANCE technology.
What about soy/vegetable-based inks?

Soy and other vegetable-based inks are most often used on paper for documents, business cards, etc. While these are a good alternative to man-made inks from an environmental standpoint, unfortunately they do not meet our quality standards for washability and color-fastness on cotton.Additionally, some vegetable-based inks that are made specifically for apparel printing contain heavy metals, which allow the ink to bond to the cotton fibers. Heavy metals are a chief environmental concern in the apparel industry.
What is REHANCE?

REHANCE is a water-based printing technology that alters the chemistry of a shirt so that it will not absorb garment-dye. Its purpose is to allow the printing of water-based inks on a dyed shirt while maintaining color contrast and vibrancy. Most apparel printers print a design on a dyed shirt. The REHANCE process requires that the shirts be printed, then dyed at high temperatures, meaning the shirts will always be preshrunk.