Plastisol vs. Water-Based vs. Discharge Ink
The ink is half the print. Here’s how the three inks we run differ — and how we choose the right one for your artwork.
Two shops can print the same design on the same blank and hand you two completely different shirts. The difference is usually the ink. At Danger Press we run three families of screen printing ink, and matching the ink to the artwork and the garment is where the craft lives.
Plastisol Ink — Opaque & Color-Accurate
Plastisol sits on top of the fabric and cures into a tough, opaque layer. It’s the workhorse of screen printing because it holds color beautifully, prints vivid on light or dark garments, and gives the printer precise control over exact Pantone matches. The trade-off is hand: a heavy plastisol print has more presence on the surface. Best for color accuracy, opacity, and bold graphics that need to pop.
Water-Based Ink — Soft & Lightweight
Water-based ink soaks into the fibers of the garment instead of sitting on top of them. The result is a soft, lightweight print with almost no hand — you can barely feel it. It’s the look and feel of retail and fashion apparel. Best for soft-hand prints, tonal designs, and brands that want their shirt to feel like a shirt, not a billboard.
Discharge Ink — The Softest Print on Dark Cotton
Discharge is the specialist’s ink. Instead of layering color on top of a dark garment, it removes the garment’s existing dye and replaces it with new pigment in a single step. The print becomes part of the fabric — exceptionally soft, breathable, and broken-in from day one. It works best on 100% cotton. Best for premium soft prints on dark shirts where feel matters as much as look.
Which Ink Is Softest?
Discharge and water-based win on softness because the pigment becomes part of the fabric rather than sitting on top of it. If a client tells us the feel of the shirt is non-negotiable — common with fashion and retail brands — we’re almost always reaching for water-based or discharge.
How We Choose
We don’t default to one ink because it’s efficient for us. We start with your artwork and your garment, then choose the ink that serves them: plastisol when opacity and exact color win, water-based for a soft everyday hand, discharge for the softest possible print on dark cotton. That’s the artwork-first approach applied to the chemistry of the press. Learn more about our screen printing or read what we do.
Screen Printing Ink, Answered
What is the difference between plastisol, water-based, and discharge ink?
Plastisol sits on top of the fabric for opaque, color-accurate prints. Water-based soaks in for a soft, lightweight feel. Discharge removes the garment’s dye and replaces it with new pigment for an exceptionally soft print on dark cotton.
Which screen printing ink is the softest?
Discharge and water-based inks are softest because the pigment becomes part of the fabric. Discharge is especially soft on dark 100% cotton because it replaces the garment’s dye rather than layering ink over it.
Can you print water-based or discharge on dark shirts?
Yes. Discharge is made for dark cotton; water-based can also print on darks, often over a discharge underbase to keep colors bright.
What ink does Danger Press specialize in?
We specialize in water-based and discharge printing for soft-hand prints, and run plastisol when a design needs maximum opacity or precise color matching.
Not sure which ink your project needs?
Tell us about the artwork and the garment. We’ll recommend the ink that makes it best.