Hey screen printers, we have all been there: a customer brings in the same job on multiple garment colors. Traditionally, that means extra screens, a longer setup, and more time on press. If your garments are dischargeable, there is a faster, cleaner way to get high-quality results. The answer is discharge printing.
Why Choose Discharge for Multi-Color Garment Runs?
Discharge printing removes the garment dye in the print area and replaces it with your chosen pigment. This lets you skip the white underbase and often reduce the number of screens needed for a job. For example, printing on both navy and gray shirts with the same artwork might require three screens using plastisol, but only one screen with discharge.
RELATED: HOW TO TEST FOR DYE MIGRATION BEFORE YOU PRINT
Step 1: Check if Your Garments are Dischargeable
Look for 100% pigment-dyed cotton. These typically discharge best. Run a test print before committing since some poly blends can discharge if the polyester is not dyed. In our example, we used Allmade AL3000 Heavyweight 100% Recycled Cotton, which discharges beautifully according to Allmade’s decoration recommendations.
Step 2: Mix Your Pantone Colors for Discharge
For our sample job, we mixed Pantone 123 Golden Yellow. When selecting a formula for discharge:
- Choose uncoded direct-to-fabric for a matte, fabric-friendly finish.
- Use Zodiac Aquarius Bright Discharge Base along with Zodiac Aquarius Bright Discharge White if needed.
- Adjust your white carefully. Too much will pastel out the color. Sometimes it is best to omit it or use only 25–50% of the formula amount.
- Boost vibrancy by doubling pigment percentages. For our golden yellow, we used 6% instead of the standard 3%.
Step 3: Activate Your Discharge Ink
Activation typically requires 4–5% activator. The Zodiac Aquarius Inks line works beautifully for discharge applications when activated correctly. Start lower, around 4%, to extend pot life. Increase if color brightness is lacking. Always mix in a ventilated area and allow your ink to sit 10 minutes before printing.
Step 4: Printing and Curing
- Use a 156 mesh screen for most discharge work.
- Print in two strokes without flash, keeping the screen flooded between prints.
- When curing, ensure there is no strong discharge odor and the ink is fully set. Some dryers may require multiple passes.
RELATED: HOW TO GET SOFTER PRINTS WITH PLASTISOL DISCHARGE INKS
Pro Tip: Combining Discharge and Water-Based Inks
On our navy garments, we paired a discharge base for the light color with Green Galaxy Nebulous Navy RFU Water-Based Ink. We mixed the discharge color using the Green Galaxy Fusion Mixing System and referenced the online Fusion Mixing System platform for our Pantone formula. This kept the soft hand feel and avoided activating ink unnecessarily, letting us save leftover ink for future jobs.
Wet-on-Wet vs. Print-Flash-Print
We tested both methods:
- Print-Flash-Print: Slightly crisper results.
- Wet-on-Wet: Nearly identical look, faster production. For speed, we would choose wet-on-wet for most runs.
By using discharge, you can eliminate the white underbase screen, reduce ink usage and setup time, and maintain a soft-hand, retail-quality finish across multiple garment colors.
Ready to Try Discharge Printing?
Explore the full range of Zodiac Aquarius Inks to find everything you need for vibrant, soft-hand discharge prints. From bright bases to specialized whites, these inks help you create standout prints across multiple garment colors.