Water-based vs plastisol ink: which one for your merch tees?
Plastisol is bright and sits on top of the fabric. Water-based soaks in and has no hand. Discharge removes the shirt dye and replaces it with color. Battle Born Clothing runs all three in Yerington, Nevada, and the right one depends on the shirt, the color and what the tee is for. Here is the honest comparison.
Side by side
| Plastisol | Water-based | Discharge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel | Raised, smooth | None, soaks in | None, dyed-in |
| Brightness | Opaque, exact colors | Softer, slightly transparent | Muted, varies slightly |
| Works on | Any fabric, any color | Light/mid 100% cotton | Dark 100% cotton |
| Does not work on | Nothing (but feels heavy in big areas) | Dark shirts without an underbase, polyester | Blends, heathers, polyester |
| Durability | Outlasts the shirt if cured right | Fades with the shirt | Fades with the shirt |
| Price at 48, 1 color | $4.34/location (+$0.25 flash on dark) | $4.34/location | $4.34/location, no flash |
| Typical use | Staff, events, sports, polyester | Wineries, outfitters, festivals on light tees | Breweries, bands, outdoor brands on dark tees |
Plastisol
The standard. It is the ink that makes a safety-green volunteer shirt read from across a field and a sponsor block stay sharp through a season. It is the only choice on polyester like the ST350 and on 50/50 blends like the PC55. It feels heavier when the print is big and solid; we can print it thinner, or break big fills with halftones.
Water-based
On a white, natural or light-shade Comfort Colors 1717 or PC450, water-based ink is the softest print we make. The ink becomes part of the fabric. Colors are a shade softer than plastisol, which is the point. It does not cover dark shirts well without an underbase, and it does not work on polyester.
Discharge
Discharge ink pulls the dye out of a 100% cotton shirt and puts pigment in its place, so a black PC61 ends up with a cream or colored print that feels like the shirt. It only works on reactive-dyed cotton, so no heathers, blends or polyester. Exact Pantone matching is not possible; tones shift slightly and can vary from shirt to shirt. For a brewery or band tee that is usually the look they want. Discharge replaces the underbase, so a one-color discharge print has no flash charge.
What we recommend by job
- Event staff and volunteer shirts, any color: plastisol
- Winery or cafe merch on a light garment-dyed tee: water-based
- Brewery or outdoor-brand merch on black or navy cotton: discharge
- Rafting crew on polyester: plastisol, low-bleed
- Hoodies and fleece: plastisol with a flash
Cost
At the published rate the three inks cost the same per location at 48 pieces. The savings with discharge is the dropped flash on dark shirts; the cost with water-based is being limited to lighter shirts. Multi-color water-based and discharge jobs are quoted per job because registration and curing take more care. See pricing.
Curing
All three inks run through our conveyor dryer. Water-based and discharge need a longer, hotter cure than plastisol; under-cured water-based ink washes out. That is a shop problem, not yours, and we test the first pieces of every run.
Questions
Can I get water-based on a black shirt?
Use discharge instead; it is the water-based process for dark cotton. On a dark blend we print plastisol.
Will discharge match my logo color exactly?
No. It gets close and looks intentional. If exact color matters, use plastisol.
Does water-based cost extra?
Not at the published single-color rate.