Black

The underbase tax

Every light or bright ink on black needs a white underbase A first layer of (usually white) ink printed under the design on dark garments. It stops the dark fabric from showing through and keeps colors bright. , flashed before the top colors print. That's at least one extra screen, a flash station A quick burst of heat applied between ink layers during screen printing. It gels the first color so the next color can print over it without mixing. , and slower press cycles. Quote accordingly: a 4-color design on black is effectively a 5-screen job.

On 100% cotton, discharge A printing technique that chemically removes the dye from a dyed fabric rather than laying ink on top. The result feels like the shirt itself, with no hand feel. and high-solids water-based ink Screen-printing ink where the carrier is water rather than PVC. It soaks into the fabric fibers instead of sitting on top, so the print feels like the shirt itself. Less opaque on dark garments than plastisol. are the soft- hand How a fabric feels against the skin. Printers also use it to describe the tactile thickness of an ink deposit (a thick plastisol print has "high hand"). alternative; they pull the dye out instead of stacking plastisol The most common screen-printing ink. PVC particles suspended in a plasticizer. It sits on top of the fabric rather than soaking in, which gives a slightly raised feel and very opaque coverage. on top.

DTG and DTF on black

DTG on black is a non-starter without dark-shirt pretreatment A liquid sprayed onto dark garments before DTG printing. It reacts with the ink to improve adhesion and helps white ink stay bright on dark fabric. : the white underbase A first layer of (usually white) ink printed under the design on dark garments. It stops the dark fabric from showing through and keeps colors bright. has nothing to bind to, so it cures dull and washes out. Pretreat A liquid sprayed onto dark garments before DTG printing. It reacts with the ink to improve adhesion and helps white ink stay bright on dark fabric. laydown, even pressing, and cure temps need to be dialed per garment, which is why some shops route small dark-garment runs to DTF transfers instead.

Art that earns the cost

White, athletic gold, and neon inks hit hardest on black; metallic and puff additives stand out. Embroidery is effortless here, since almost every thread color pops. If a client balks at dark-garment pricing, charcoal or heather charcoal keeps the look while opening up tonal, single-hit print options.