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eco-friendly custom garments

When it comes to sustainable apparel, many focus on the materials used to manufacture the garment but overlook the system used to to print it. Using environmentally friendly water-based inks and phthalate-free plastisol inks, we work with our clients to use screen printing solutions that present the least environmental impact depending on their design, desired colors, fabric, garment style. Going green doesn't mean we cost more, in fact our prices are just as competitive as anyone elses, but we stick to being green! Don't soil the environment and get a quote today!

Water-Based Screen Printing Ink

Screen Printing with Water-Based inks isn't only eco-friendly, but very fashionable. If you are looking to create that soft-hand feel you find on many high-fashion apparel, water-based screen printing is the way to go!

More Information on Water-Based Screen Printing Ink

Benefits:

• Water-based inks are more environmentally friendly than plasitisol inks when printing on light-colored garments
• Water-based prints are absorbed by the garment; the result is a very soft hand (soft feel) with a very smooth finish (the ink looks like it's a part of the fabric)
• Can be used to achieve vibrant, long-lasting prints (prints fade only slightly even after numerous washes when normal garment care is followed)

Considerations:

• Our water-based inks are semi-transparent so bright colored prints cannot be achieved on dark colored shirts; the ink itself can be custom matched to any Pantone (PMS) color, but the color of the final print is dependent on the color of the fabric
• Printing on white is the only way to achieve a close color match of the actual print with a Pantone (PMS) color

Phthalate-Free Plastisol Screen Printing Ink

Ultra-durable and an industry standard, plastisol ink is the most common ink type when screen printing on apparel. ?Billow takes it to the next level with plastisol screen printing; we only use phthalate-free plastisol screen printing ink. As a result, our plastisol screen prints are durable and eco-friendly!

More Information on Phthalate-Free Plastisol Screen Printing Ink

These inks contain no CADMIUM, AZO, FORMALDEHYDE, CHROMIUM, LEAD, TIN, NICKEL, TRICHLORO PHENOLS, CHLORINATED ORGANIC SOLVENTS, TETRA CHLOROPHENOLS, PENTA CHLOROPHENOLS, OR DISPERSE DYES.

Benefits:

• Our most environmentally friendly screen printing solution for printing on dark-colored fabrics
• Phthalate-free plastisol inks are relatively more environmentally friendly than traditional plastisol; visit our manufacturer's link to learn more about phthalates (orthophthalates)
• Prints can be closely color-matched to nearly any Pantone (PMS) color and can be used to achieve brighter-colored prints even on dark fabrics
• Long lasting prints that are resistant to fading and cracking can be achieved when normal garment care instructions are followed

Considerations:

• Plastisol ink cures on the surface of the fabric so prints are heavier than water-based prints (non soft-hand)
• Printing on dark-colored garments requires a flash (partial curing of the ink between prints) to achieve full opacity, so an additional $.50 charge per print location applies. If an underbase is required (a white base), it is charged as an additional print / screen based on the qty / number of colors of the order

Specialty Inks & Foils

At ?Billow we offer a variety of solutions to create the most fashionable apparel. We offer a wide range of screen printing inks such as glitter ink, puffy ink, and foils. Please contact us with your specialty screen printing needs and we'll meet them!

Vinyl & Embroidery

If you need custom heat transfer vinyl or embroidery we have solutions for you! Our commercial grade heat transfer vinyls do not come off in the wash and are extremely durable. Vinyl can be applied to most materials and is a great way to individually customize products at a low cost. Another solution for low cost customized products is embroidery. Let us digitalize and embroider your logo!

A Message About Discharge Screen Printing

We no longer offer bright water-based printing on dark-colored garments because achieving this print requires a process known as discharge printing, in which discharge base, color-pigments, and a chemical additive are combined to actually dye the garment being printed on. Aside from being nearly impossible to achieve color matching due to the nature of the process (inconsistent dying) and the incompatibility of many fabrics with the process, the chemical additive used to activate the discharge base is toxic (contents include formaldehyde) and is released into the air during the curing process. We're kinda fond of breathing clean air in our shop, so all of our printing on dark-colored garments is achieved using phthalate-free plastisol inks.