Home › Screen Printing › Screen Printing Ink › Plastisol Ink for Screen Printing: Types, Cure Temps & How to Buy
Plastisol is a suspension of PVC resin particles in a liquid plasticizer, plus pigment. At room temperature it is a thick paste that will not air-dry, so you can leave it in the screen for hours. When the printed ink is heated to its cure temperature, the resin and plasticizer fuse into a flexible, permanent film that bonds to the fabric. Because it sits on top of the fibers instead of soaking in, plastisol gives bright, opaque colors — even on black shirts.
| Type | Use it for | Example we stock |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose (AP) | Light and medium shirts, 100% cotton and 50/50; general spot color | WM Plastics Brite Red All Purpose, quart ($36.00) |
| High opacity (HO) | Dark shirts; bright colors with less underbase | WM Plastics HO Yellow Gold, quart ($40.00) · high-opacity inks |
| Low-bleed / poly | Polyester and blends — blocks dye migration | WM Plastics Lemon Yellow Low-Bleed Poly, quart · Wilflex Epic Rival Sport White, 5 gallon ($689.51) |
| Low-cure whites | Heat-sensitive fabrics; less scorching and dye migration | WM Plastics Brute White (low temp, low cure), quart |
| Fast-flash whites | Underbase that flashes quickly between colors | Wilflex Epic Quick White, quart ($31.00) · all white plastisol inks |
| Special effects | Metallic, glow, puff, glitter, shimmer | WM Plastics Metallic Silver, quart ($54.00) · special effect inks · puff inks |
| Process & Pantone | 4-color process and exact brand-color matches | 4-color process ink · Pantone-matched ink |
| Bases & additives | Mix your own colors, soften hand, add stretch | bases & additives |
| Ink | Cure temperature (maker data) |
|---|---|
| WM Plastics All Purpose & High Opacity | 325°F (163°C), 1 to 1½ min |
| WM Plastics Low-Bleed Poly | 260–325°F (127–163°C) |
| WM Plastics Brute White (low temp) | 230°F (121°C), 1½ to 2½ min |
| Wilflex Epic Rio colors | 266–320°F (130–160°C) |
| Wilflex Epic Rival Sport (polyester) | 250–300°F (121–148°C) |
The whole ink film — not just the surface — must reach cure temperature. Measure the ink with temperature strips or a probe, slow the dryer belt for thick prints, and stretch-test a cooled print. Full chart and tips: plastisol ink cure temperature chart.
Most plastisol spot colors print well on 156–200 mesh; white underbase and high-opacity inks on 110–160; glitter and puff on very open mesh; halftones on 230–305. The ink maker's range is the outer limit — for example WM Plastics All Purpose lists 110–305 and HO lists 86–240. See the mesh count chart.
| Plastisol | Water-based | |
|---|---|---|
| Dries in the screen? | No — stays wet until heat-cured | Yes — work fast or use retarder |
| Opacity on dark shirts | Excellent | Needs discharge or a heavy underbase |
| Feel (hand) | Sits on top; softer with additives and higher mesh | Very soft — soaks into the fabric |
| Cleanup | Ink degradent / press wash, not water | Water while wet |
| Best for | Beginners, dark garments, athletic and polyester work | Retail fashion tees, soft-hand prints on cotton |
Longer answer: water-based vs plastisol ink. Printing polyester? Best screen printing ink for polyester.
Scrape excess ink back into the container — plastisol keeps for a long time if it is not cured (read does plastisol ink expire?). Then remove what is left from screens, squeegees and spatulas with a plastisol ink remover or press wash. Water will not dissolve plastisol. After the ink is off, remove the stencil with emulsion remover.
Plastisol can also be printed onto transfer paper, gelled (partly cured) and heat-pressed onto garments later. It is a way to print designs in advance and apply them on demand. Many shops now use DTF for short-run full-color transfers — compare in plastisol vs direct-to-film.
We stock WM Plastics and Wilflex plastisol in quarts, gallons and 5-gallon pails — shop by brand on WM Plastics inks and Wilflex inks, or browse all screen printing ink. Our most popular whites: WM Plastics Brite White (cotton & 50/50), quart ($24.00) and Wilflex Epic Quick White, quart ($31.00). Not sure which white? Read what is the best white plastisol ink. Unopened, unused ink can be returned within 30 days; opened ink and custom or Pantone-mixed colors cannot (see returns).
Cure and mesh figures come from the ink makers' technical data shown on our product pages; prices are today's web prices and can change.
Plastisol is the standard ink for screen printing T-shirts, hoodies and other garments. It also works for plastisol heat transfers. It is opaque, durable, and stays wet in the screen until it is heat-cured.
Most standard plastisol cures at about 320–325°F (160–163°C) through the full ink layer. Low-cure inks cure lower — for example WM Plastics Brute White at 230°F and Wilflex Epic Rival Sport at 250–300°F.
Neither is better for every job. Plastisol is easier to print and more opaque on dark shirts; water-based gives a softer feel on cotton. Many shops use both.
No. Plastisol does not dry in air; it must be heated to its cure temperature with a flash unit or conveyor dryer.
Scrape off the excess, then use a plastisol ink remover or press wash. Water does not dissolve plastisol. Remove the stencil afterward with emulsion remover.
Use a low-bleed, low-cure plastisol made for polyester, such as WM Plastics Low-Bleed Poly or Wilflex Epic Rival Sport, and keep the cure temperature as low as the ink allows.
Buckets of Ink in Tempe, AZ stocks WM Plastics and Wilflex plastisol for same-day pickup, and in-stock orders placed by 2:30 PM Arizona time ship the same day. Call 480-229-7806.
Related guides: Cure temperature chart · Mesh count chart · Best white plastisol ink · Best emulsion for plastisol · Screen printing kits · How to clean screens · How to start screen printing · What is screen printing?
