DISCHARGE INKS One early discovery in the search for softer printing alternatives was the introduction of water-based discharge inks for use on reactive-dyed cotton garments. The active ingredient in most discharge inks is Zinc Formaldehyde Sulfoxylate (ZFS). It actually removes the reactive dye from the garment and replaces it with the pigment that's in the ink. The result is a colored or dark garment with a single or multicolored print possessing little to no hand. Rick Davis is a veteran of the textile screen printing and manufacturing industries. He currently is an account executive with Nazdar SourceOne. For more information or to comment on this article, email Rick at rdavis@nazdar.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF IMAGE STAR/NAZDAR SOURCEONE softer-hand prints, one of the latest technologies to become available is high-solids water-based inks. These inks require forced-air dryers to drive the water content from the ink film to achieve the proper cure. Remember that these inks are not plastisols and the proper procedures must be initiated. For those who have only worked with plastisols, there are certain shopwide procedure changes that are required, including new artwork procedures and water-resistant stencils. The white ink you print with today is a different incarnation compared to earlier versions. Understanding the trends driving the changes in these inks will ensure printing success and also prepare you for future developments in this area. Silicone inks are among the latest innovations for printing on 100% polyester performance fabrics. Use Info*Action #24 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction See us at ISS Long Beach JANUARY 2016 P.65http://www.conde.com http://www.conde.com http://www.impressionsmag.com/infoaction