A print may look great straight off the press but peel when scratched, crack when stretched or discolor after storage. To choose the right screen printing ink, identify the actual substrate, end-use requirements and production conditions before approving a sample. Here are five factors to check.

A print shop may need two different ink systems to print the same logo on a cotton shirt and a dyed polyester shirt. On cotton, opacity and print hand are often important. On polyester, the shop must also check whether dye from the fabric can migrate into the ink layer and discolor the print. The ink transfer principle is the same, but material selection and post-print treatment depend on the product.