Home › Ask Buckets › Water-based vs plastisol ink
Answered by Chris Breazeale, owner of Buckets of Ink, Tempe AZ
Water-based vs plastisol is one of the most common questions customers ask. Which is easier depends on where your machines are and what your shop environment is like. Plastisol has always been easier to work with, and with the right mesh count you can get close to the same soft feel.
With water-based ink, the environment has to be right. Mist your screens to keep them a little moist, and always flood the screen when you finish printing, whether on a manual or an automatic press. That stops the air and the room temperature from drying the ink in the screen.
Water-based ink has an amazing feel, and today's colors are very bright, so it's a great option once printed. Most customers in the industry prefer the look and feel of water-based ink, but use plastisol because it's easier to work with.
Related: Screen printing ink · Mesh count chart · Cure temperature chart
