Greetings from Luxe Riot,

In this fall issue of our periodical, we are featuring discharge printing and water-based printing. Both of these methods are great ways to translate your ideas on to a shirt in a different way. We will go over some of the properties that separate them from traditional inks and what applications work the best with them.Also featured in this issue are printable umbrellas, exceptionally soft tees, towels, eco-friendly tees, aprons, and warm alternatives are featured at the end of the issue. Some of the softer blended shirts are a great surface for water based inks.

Whether this fall sees you going back to school, or just enjoying the cooler weather, Luxe Riot wishes you the best! Let’s hope the sun stays around until past Halloween.

Eric Green

Water-Based Printing

for the life of the shirt. Water-based inks, instead of sitting on top on the fabric,soak down into the fabric. The look is a bit more toned down than the plastisol. Great for vintage prints, not so great for bright neon colors. With the correct inks, water-based inks are also much better for the environment than plastisol, and are an eco-friendly choice for printing.

Ideally, water-based inks are used for printing dark colors on to lighter colored t-shirts. You can print water based colors on darker colored garments but you won’t get the same bright ink you will with traditional plastisol. We can color match water based inks but mixing exact Pantone colors can be difficult.

Water-based inks have been around since the beginning of screen printing, and are more commonly used for printing on paper, rather than shirts and other fabric.

Plastisol is the ink most commonly used for printing on t-shirts and apparel; it is a plastic-based ink that lays on top of the fabric, allowing for strong, vibrant colors. It’s very easy for us to use, easy for matching specific pantone colors and will not dry until it’s cured at a certain temperature. The only realdisadvantage is when you have large deposits of ink on a shirt it can get thick.

Water-based ink’s best property is the soft hand that it imprints on the garment. It creates a breathable,soft print that lasts

Water based

works great for

oversized prints. It

will be softer but

can blow out a

little more going

over seams.

The frame for this

tee was printed

with water-based

inks, and the mirror

was done by foil

application.

Water-BasedPrinting

This print shows

light colors

on dark with

opaque water

based inks. It

can be done but

will look just

a little toned

down.

This is a multi

color print

that shows you

can hold onto

the detail with

waterbased inks.

Discharge Printing Remember discharge printing is only

intended for dark garments. There are also

a number of limitations. First, your fabric

must be 100 percent cotton. So 50/50

shirts, or Tri-Blend shirts won’t work. This

means no Heather Grey Shirts either. Some

sweatshirts work but many of the are blends

of 80 cotton/ 20 poly. I’ve had some work

great and some not as good. The second

big limitation is the process doesn’t work on

every color garment, depending on the dye

of the original manufacturer. It varies brand

to brand but problems are most likely in

Reds, Royal Blue, Purple and Kelly Greens.

We usually check with our apparel vendors

before trying to print discharge on any of

these colors but the results might not be what

you expected.

I hope we were able to give you

some insight on the applications and the

difference between water based, discharge

and traditional plastisol printing. Please let us

know if you have any additional questions or

would like further information. We would be

happy to go over the print options with you.

on your next order.

At Luxe Riot we use water based

discharge products. Discharge is used to print

lighter colors onto dark fabrics. To do this,

they use a color-destroying agent that removes

the dye of the shirt allowing us to print more

on the original base color of the garment. It’s

similar to bleaching. There are also pigments

that can be added to discharge inks, so you

can discharge using different colors. Color

matching your inks with discharge can be a

little tougher, we can get very close but exact

pantone matching is difficult.

Because rather than actually putting

pigment on the garment, discharge takes it

out, so it doesn’t leave build up like other

inks can. Once you wash the garment you

won’t feel anything but shirt where the prints

are. Discharge printing works very well for

distressed prints. You can work with coloring

and other effects to really create a print that

looks as if it were just bought off the rack of

Goodwill. You can create a new print that

looks like it’s from the 70’s or 80’s. You can

even buy blanks now with holes and scuff

marks already on them to go with it.

Discharge can be combined with plastisol as well - leaving a soft base with bright multi-colors on top.

Discharge will work in many ways, such as oversize and over seams.

DISCHARGE PRINTING

Here is an oversized 2-color discharge. This print in traditional plastisol would be a little uncomfortable to wear.

Here we used 3 blue discharge colors on a blue shirt.

DISCHARGE PRINTING

No one can deny the classicism of the screen printed tee,

but sometimes it’s nice to mix up your life and try something new. Check out these unconventional print ideas to make sure you stay fresh this fall.

Rain or shine, these unique accessories are sure to get you noticed!

Ask about printable umbrellas for your next print job.

Original Options from

District

Young Mens CottonRinger Tank

Juniors Marled Full-Zip Hoodie Young Mens Concert Tee

Juniors Slub V-Neck Hoodie.

Soft Options

Featured on the right are garments from American

Apparel that are constructed from Tri-Blend fabric, which contains 50% Polyester, 25% Cotton, and 25% Rayon. The polyester retains shape and elasticity, the cotton lends both comfort and durability, and the addition of rayon makes for a unique texture and drapes against the body for a slimming look.

Tri-Blend Racerback Tank Tri-Blend Tank Tri-Blend Longsleeve V-Neck

Tri-Blend Turtleneck Tri-Blend Deep V-Neck Tri-Blend Hoodie

Tri-Blend Track Shirt Tri-Blend Short Sleeve V-Neck Tri-Blend Raglan Pullover

Towels from Luxe Riot!

Towels are perfect candidates for water based prints, because the fluid water based ink soaks

down into the texture of the towel.

Now you can spice up your restaurant with printable aprons from Luxe Riot.

This is different.

Green Options

Recycled Tee

Because the world won’t save

itself.

Seventy percent pre-consumer recycled cotton and thirty

percent post-consumer P.E.T. recycled polyester

Organic Tee Organic Tote

Organic Longsleeve Tee

One hundred percent certified organic preshrunk

cotton

One hundred percent certified organic preshrunk

cotton

One hundred percent certified organic cotton

canvas

Warm Options

Fine JerseyLong Sleeve T-Shirt Dov’s Hoodie

California Fleece Pullover Hoodie Fleece Scarf

Baby ThermalLong Sleeve Henley

Flex Fleece Dog Zip Hoodie

Enjoy the fall weather!