GENERAL:            A user friendly, water soluble ink made of heat setting binder and pigment.  Water base inks penetrate the fabric surface coating individual fibers with a thin film.  The finish (non-glossy) is soft to the hand, taking on the feel of the garment itself.  The printed surface opens with the weave when stretched.  With washing, water base will soften.  W B Series inks are very low in solvents and meet South Coast Air Quality requirements.

USES:              *T-SHIRTS                    *Wearing apparel                 *Bedspreads

                        *Linens                         *Toweling                        *Cloth diapers

                        *Slipcovers                    *Headwear                        *Pillow Cases

Textile applications where a soft feel is desirable.  Screen, spatter spray, airbrush, roller or block print.  Excellent bleed resistance on cottons and most synthetics.  Can be printed wet on wet.

 FINISH:             The standard W B Series has a moderate soft hand and smooth lay down and outstanding drape.  The finish is flat with good color strength and brightness.

To soften the hand, extend with SM-100 ( 2 to 20%) or water.  When extending with water, test for wicking or bleeding of pigment into the area surrounding the image area.  If thinning is extensive, bleed will vary depending on fabric lots, so test each lot.  Finer screen mesh will also produce a softer hand.

 OPACITY:            W B Series inks are made with deep strength semi opaque pigments.  The ink film will lay on the surface and cover medium color grounds with open mesh screens.

WBXO-110 opaque white is outstanding for black and other dark grounds.  This will produce more hand and may crack on stretch garments depending on thickness of deposits.  Test before using.  

HEAT CURING:            Water base inks cure in two stages.  First the drying stage; then the setting stage.  Heat cure for 3 minutes at 300 degrees F.  Water base may feel dry but is not set.  Lower temperature cures are possible for sensitive substrates but the time may need to be extended.  It takes longer to set water base than to cure Plastisol.  Be sure to extend cure time when changing inks.  With inadequate cure, the print area will wash out significantly.  Test prints by hand washing.  Machine wash to determine long term durability. 

AIR DRYING:            Air drying of water base inks is possible with MF-169 catalyst at 5 to 20%, typically10%.  Heat curing is recommended, not all fabrics or weather conditions lend themselves to air drying.  YOU MUST TEST BEFORE PRODUCTION.  Air dry using MF-169 may require up to 14 days depending on atmosphere, but in many cases garments can be handled easily within 24 hours.  Heat setting can be done after wetness is gone using an iron or some types of commercial dryers.

SCREENS            W B Series inks have excellent screen open time!  Use multifilament polyester 8XX or 10XX or 110T to 304T monofilament for soft hand.  Heavier deposits result in more hand.  Lighter deposits result in less opacity.  Always backflood screen to minimize drying in screen.

 EMULSION, BLOCKOUT:     Use a water-resistant photo emulsion, QCM’s C317 AQUA-COAT . All water base inks will create more screen wear than Plastisol.  A water resistant BLOCKOUT is necessary.

 ANTI-CROCK ADDITIVE:            The QCM W B Series has excellent anti-crocking when fully cured.  However, when mixing with other inks anti-crock may be needed.  AC-100 can be used at 1-2% (2% maximum).  Test for crocking after curing by wetting and rubbing printed surfaces vigorously.  Iron test print and re-test.   More drying time may be required.  Machine wash to determine the long term washability.  Each fabric will be somewhat different.

THICKENER:            WBT-100 can be added at low levels, normally 2-5%, to increase thickness of water base inks.  This should be done by gradual addition, as too much WBT-100 can cause over thickening.  Also check after each add, because thicker inks tend to result in a harder hand.

MODIFIERS:                 WB-100 is used for extending ink (use at any level). Obviously opacity reduces with more WB-100 base.

SM-100 will soften water base series inks. Add at 5 to 20 %, but caution – opacity will be reduced.

 AC-100 is used for anti-crocking. Add at 1 to 2 %. See above.

 WBT-100 is used to thicken water base inks. Add at 2 to 5% but see above..

 MF-169 is an air dry catalyst. Add at 5 to 25% depending on how fast dry is needed . Product will also increase bonding to many plastics and metals and generally toughen the printed image.

                                    MF-075 is a retarder.  Use sparingly at 1 to 5%.

 WASH-UP:            Use tap water.  Add a bit of detergent for faster and more thorough cleaning.  Hot water will help clean out dried ink. 

WARNING:  ALWAYS TEST-PRINT, CURE-DRY, AND TEST WASH (SOAP & WATER IN SINK WILL WORK) BEFORE STARTING A PRODUCTION RUN.  MANY ADJUSTMENTS MAY BE MADE IN SHOP BUT THEY MUST BE MADE WITH CAUTION - ALWAYS TEST WASH BEFORE PROCEEDING.