Discharge is a screen printing process where the same techniques and equipment are used but instead of normal ink, discharge inks are used, which remove the shirt's dye instead of putting a color on top of the shirt. It is somewhat similar to bleaching in a design, except it doesn't damage the fibers like bleaching would. It results in an extremely soft print, and shows the weave of the shirt. It can be used by itself, as an underbase for other colors to be put on top, or with pigments added. Pigmenting discharge can be difficult to achieve exact color results, as the discharge efficacy affects the color, and what you see is not what you get when mixing the pigments, but it can still be a great way to achieve colors on dark garments. We cannot guarantee 100% accuracy in pantone matching all the time but almost always nail it.
If you have any questions about the discharge process, we would love to answer them. Even if you are a screen printer, feel free to call us, as we are not secretive with our techniques and knowledge as some people in this industry can be. We believe in outteaching the competition.
The image to the right is an upclose shot of a black shirt which has been discharge. Note that you can see the weave of the fabric.
We specialize in discharge ink and have a lot of experience with it, and will make your prints look great or it's not going out the door to you.