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screen printing => Ink and Chemicals => Topic started by: shellyky on July 03, 2011, 02:00:37 PM
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What lime green and hot pink inks do you guys use?
I have Flo. pink in triangle and in willflex brand. theyre both sort of a 'gel' consistancy and they look amazing on white shirts, but on black even with an underbase it just seems like there might be a better option? I saw "Aurora Pink" on one of my union charts and noticed that it came in maxopake--anyone have thoughts on that? It seems like i saw someone, somewhere printing hot pink on black without an underbase (even if it was PFP that is fine)
Same goes for lime green...Currently i'm using willflex black light green but its almost 'too light', i need a little more greeny....what are you guys using for your Lime?
thanks again :) I'm on a question asking roll!
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I just ran some "neons" last week.
I have Union Lime, but it has no "pizazz" like a real neon. I had no Neon Green, but added a little Mixo Green to my Mixo Orbit Yellow, and it was good to go.
My really hot or Neon Pink is a house blend of Opaque Neon Magenta (IC) or something I once got in an emergency from Sean ebscreen, and white.
Even on ash, to really pop, they needed P-F-P. Some of these neon inks are notorious for lack of opacity.
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What lime green and hot pink inks do you guys use?
I have Flo. pink in triangle and in willflex brand. theyre both sort of a 'gel' consistancy and they look amazing on white shirts, but on black even with an underbase it just seems like there might be a better option? I saw "Aurora Pink" on one of my union charts and noticed that it came in maxopake--anyone have thoughts on that? It seems like i saw someone, somewhere printing hot pink on black without an underbase (even if it was PFP that is fine)
Same goes for lime green...Currently i'm using willflex black light green but its almost 'too light', i need a little more greeny....what are you guys using for your Lime?
thanks again :) I'm on a question asking roll!
You can also double base it. Run two underbase screens. Also add a little thickener and that will help too.
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Union has a nice pink (PLUS-F312 Aurora Pink) in their fluorescent line that I've used and looked nice on black with no underbase. Two hits if I remember correctly.
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If you got coverage on Black, even with two hits, I would usually bet that it wasn't the Plus (Ultrasoft) series, but rather the PADM Maxopake.
The Ultrasoft line is very translucent.
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I saw "Aurora Pink" on one of my union charts and noticed that it came in maxopake--anyone have thoughts on that?
The Aurora Pink is a very good ink. Does come a little thick though. I haven't found a great lime green, so I tend to make my own when it is needed.
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If you got coverage on Black, even with two hits, I would usually bet that it wasn't the Plus (Ultrasoft) series, but rather the PADM Maxopake.
The Ultrasoft line is very translucent.
It's been a while but as best I remember it was on black and covered pretty well. I may have done print and flash and print, don't remember for sure.
I tend to shy away from the maxopake series since I don't like working with plumbers putty, lol.
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All True Flourescent inks will have little to no opacity on colored/dark garments.
The only way to give a Flourescent ink ANY opacity is to add 10%-20% white to it. Unfortunately there are only a few Flourescent colors that this can be done to and still look close enough to the original untouched flourescent color. Usually it's yellow, green, and pink. All others tend to turn pastel very quickly.
There are "opaque flourescent pigments" available on the market but they are dull versions of standard flourescent pigments.
Work is continuing in the pigment market to make a true opaque flourescent pigment, but they are consistently outside what we as screnprinters want to pay for a gallon of ink.
So the question now is; How true does the printed color need to be? And yes, thickening the ink will help you acheive a thicker deposit of ink which will make the color look more true. You want a powder thickener like Cabosil or Konasil as it's more user freindly. It's a fumed silica.
Good Luck!
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I use the Maxo Union for the Lime and Aurora pink...A cheer team uses those colors and I just p/f/p and they are good to go...Always on black apparel and what not.
A little think but a goos stir and works great!
also use a 110 screen on there prints
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We use the Maxopaque, and with the white underbase, the colors come out solid, 110 to 140 under, 140 to 200 on top (depends on the art) Though the factory colors are nice, you might prefer mixing your own, since you have a discerning eye.
Steve
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A note here to Shelly and others, at least with Union, Lime Green is not their "in your face" neon or fluorescent. That would be Traffic Green.
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right frog and I've mixed a great lime with maxo traffic green & maxo chrome yellow.
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right frog and I've mixed a great lime with maxo traffic green & maxo chrome yellow.
Those are the two inks I use as well to mix mine.
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We have an account that represents the "Cheeburger Cheeburger" restaurant chain. One of the graphics is a diirect replication of their neon sign. Flourescent green, yellow, orange, pink, and yes it is printed exclusively on black garments. I agree with Colin that; while some manufactures claim to make "opaque" flourescents that this is technically not possible as their transparent nature is an important aspect that allows them to function the way they do. I am currently pretty much a Wilflex guy and I use their flourescent inks direct out the bucket and yes, this design requires three flashes for maximum impact. Flourescent inks do not care to be "stepped on"(who does for that matter). Back in the day there were some inks categorized as flourescents and some as neons BTW. Anyone care to explain the difference?
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Wilflex Blacklight Green, great stuff. Any large coverage will need ub/ub/color, but small stuff can p/f/p just the color and
still be killer bright.
Thickener is a great tool as well. I've used it to make opaque yellows for small type left chests in a pinch. Never
knew it was just Cab-o-sil.
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Totally agree with Colin on this one. A true flourescent is not going to be opaque. The best way to print is on an underbase.
Wilflex does have a Super Flourescent Green. It is called Super for super opaque, but it will still need to be underbased on a dark garment.
Erin
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I use One Stroke Inks Flo pink. Needs an UB on black but will pop. I even pfpfp on black in a pinch and it looked good.
Joel
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Good question!
As mentioned a bunch already, flouro = transparent.
Lay a heavy % base below, and the overprinted result can suck.
Lay a low % base below and it sucks less, but it's not the look you were after.
*I made a custom 'hot pink', by eye..think 80's hot pink, with some underbase printed below it really jumps off darks.
I did something similar with wilflex's blacklight green as the foundation and added some bright tiger to increase opacity.
Adding white turns it pastel if you go overboard, but there's a fine line in there someplace that seems to work.
I don't have any mixture formula though.
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