From March 2020, Water-based ink scares a lot of shop owners, and not without reason. Plastisol forgives mistakes; water-based does not. So at Impressions Expo Long Beach 2020, we sat down with Tony Palmer of MHM, a UK printer who started in 1987 when water-based was the only ink in the room, for a no-theory, no-fluff ShopTalk on how to actually run water-based on textiles in your shop. Practicality in Water-Based Printing.

Here’s the rundown, and why Tony’s advice matters even more now than it did when he gave it. Today, the global water-based screen printing inks market sits at $10.58 billion and is projected to hit $14.8 billion by 2034, and more than 63% of textile manufacturers run water-based systems to meet OEKO-TEX 100 and REACH compliance. In other words, sustainability isn’t a fringe conversation anymore, it’s the default.

Why we got scared of it in the first place

Tony started printing in the UK in 1987, when water-based was simply how things were done. Then plastisol showed up as a curiosity, and once shops realized they could leave ink in the screens overnight and walk out at 5 p.m., everyone migrated. He was candid about what happened next: “we got lazy.” As a result, a generation of printers now associates water-based with bad decade-old experiences chunky white prints that felt like a Kevlar vest. However, the inks have changed dramatically since then, and the reputation hasn’t caught up.

Start with discharge plus plastisol

For shops nervous about going all-in, Tony’s gateway recommendation is a discharge base with plastisol on top. As a result, you get the soft hand of water-based and the bright opacity of plastisol, with only one water-based screen to clean down at the end of the day. In fact, it’s been the dominant UK approach for over 15 years, best of both worlds, minimum lifestyle change.

The flood is the whole game

Ask Tony how to stop ink from drying in the screen and he won’t reach for chemistry, instead, he’ll point at your flood bar. Specifically, keep a quarter-inch “blanket” of wet ink on top of the stencil and the water simply can’t evaporate fast enough to lock it up. For example, he once forgot to clean a screen overnight and recovered it in eight strokes the next morning. In other words, the fix isn’t more retarder; it’s better technique.

Three thin coats beat one thick one

Counterintuitive but true: three water-based white screens can lay down a thinner, softer coat than a single plastisol white. The trick is drying between hits and building opacity in layers. In contrast, plastisol forces its way into the fabric, while water-based should sit on top and a precision press makes that achievable.

Just dedicate one press

Finally, Tony’s most pragmatic tip for multi-press shops: pick one press, run water-based on it only, and learn its rhythm before you scale. Above all, talk to your ink rep, they know more about their product than you do, and if they don’t, get a new rep.

Watch the full ShopTalk with Tony Palmer of MHM in the Ink Kitchen archive.