The majority of decorated garments around
today have been printed with Plastisol ink.
This is a PVC based product that can also contain plasticisers called phthalates. Both of these chemical compounds have and continue to raise, health and environmental arguments against their unnecessary use. Also, as PVC is oil based, equipment needs to be cleaned up with solvents, raising additional environmental concerns.

Water-based inks do not contain PVC or phthalates and so are far more environmentally friendly. However, some do still contain white spirit as part of the carrying solution for the colour pigment.
Our’s don’t, they are 100% solvent free.

The inks we've chosen have been formulated to be free of any toxic chemicals. They're free from lead and other heavy metals and have passed the very stringent tests of the Oekotex Class 1 standard,
which means they're even safe to use on baby clothes, underwear
and swimwear.

They contain no ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFC’s or HCFC’s, aromatic hydrocarbons or any volatile solvents. Plus you don't need solvents to clean the equipment after printing - you can clean up with water.

What that means in the real world is bright coloured, opaque prints,
that are highly resistant to wear and washing and harmless to the environment.

So, why doesn't everyone use water-based inks?

Water-based inks are harder to use and until recently weren’t as hard-wearing as plastisols, or as opaque. They begin to dry as soon as they hit the air and can dry in the screen during printing if you’re not careful, all of which requires more of a dedicated effort on the part of the printer.

We think it’s worth the effort.