Discharge printing

What is discharge printing?

Discharge printing is a screen printing process using a water-based ink mixed with an activator. During heat-curing in the dryer tunnel – 180 °C with a curing time of 3.5 minutes – the activator breaks the bond of the reactive dye in the fabric. Wherever we printed, the original colour disappears and either the natural, warm cotton tone remains or – if we add a pigment – a new shade that sits directly in the fibre. The colour becomes part of the fabric, and that is exactly where the typical soft hand feel comes from.

Colour in the fibre instead of on the fibre

The decisive difference is where the colour sits. With discharge, the shade is created directly in the fibre – the print is part of the fabric. Plastisol and high-solid water-based inks, by contrast, are printed onto the fibre; only low-solid water-based ink soaks into it. A cleanly printed plastisol print is barely distinguishable by hand feel from a water-based screen print. Discharge, however, remains the softest option with that typical matte vintage look, especially on dark cotton.

Why discharge printing?

The print is particularly soft and breathable because the shade sits in the fibre rather than as a layer on top. The result is durable and wash-resistant, and the matte vintage look suits fashion and merch that should stand out from the standard promo tee.

Limits & drawbacks of discharge

As good as the look is, discharge has clear limits – and we talk about them openly upfront:

• Only dark, reactive-dyed 100% cotton. The process does not work on polyester or polyester blends. On light cotton, discharging brings no benefit.
• No exact Pantone colour matching. Discharge reacts with the garment's base dye. Even within one run the printed colour can vary slightly if the garments come from different dye lots – something we have no influence over.
• A characteristic vintage look. Discharge plays to its strengths with pastel and muted shades. The discharged white is a warm bone white, not a pure white.

Which garments are suitable?

Discharge only works on dark, reactive-dyed 100% cotton. Blends, polyester content and pigment- or garment-dyed textiles cannot be discharged cleanly because their dye is bonded differently. On light cotton, discharge is not the right choice – there we achieve the softest hand with low-solid water-based ink. For discharge we prefer reactive-dyed organic cotton styles from Stanley/Stella and AS Colour. Which style suits your artwork is something we work out with you in a consultation.

Care

To keep the look for as long as possible: wash inside out at 30 °C on a short cycle and do not tumble dry.