Permaset® Aqua is a vivid and durable range of water-based screen printing inks perfect for textile printing. Manufactured in Australia, they are 100% solvent free, making equipment easy to clean with water. Metallic ink is glossy with a muted sheen. Recommended to use with lower mesh counts for best, shiniest results (30T-43T). Metallic ink has similar properties to Permaset Aqua Supercover Fabric ink. Permaset® Aqua Supercover fabric ink: Is denser than standard fabric ink. This gives it a superior ability to provide bold, solid colour when printing onto dark fabrics. Supercover ink blocks out the colour of the fabric beneath it. This is especially important when printing white ink onto black fabric. Standard ink, in comparison, is semi-transparent. Feels slightly rubbery and thicker than standard Permaset Aqua, because it is denser. Will flex and avoid cracking much longer than traditional plastisol inks. Has a tendency to block or dry out in the mesh of a screen much more readily than Permaset® Aqua Standard ink. To avoid this, flood generously between prints and avoid leaving the ink sitting in the screen for too long without printing it. If you need help experimenting with or understanding how these fabric inks work, we recommend signing up for our Screen Printing Taster or Fabric Printing for Beginners classes for hands-on guidance. The Permaset® Aqua range must be heat set or 'cured' after printing, to ensure it doesn't wash out of your fabric. See below for details on this. It is not the ideal ink for printing onto hard surfaces such as signs, wood or plastics if they will be exposed to water or elements. See instead the Permaprint Premium range of inks if you intend to print onto hard surfaces or items that cannot be heat set. For the rest of the Permaset® Aqua range, see the standard, supercover and glow colours. Suitable Substrates/ Print Surfaces: Permaset® Aqua is ideal for use on a full range of fabrics including Cotton, Polyester, Silk and most synthetics. Printing: Screen meshes between 43T-100T (110-250 TPI) monofilament polyester are suitable for different Permaset® Aqua applications. For metallics, phosphorescents, puff and Supercover a 30T mesh may be more suitable, but this will depend on the type of graphic being printed and the fabric surface to be printed. For t-shirt printing, normally two pulls of the squeegee using a 43T screen are required when printing. If a particularly thick coat is desired especially when printing onto dark fabrics, try pulling 1-2 strokes, flash dry the ink, then print another 1-2 strokes on top to build up nice solid colour. If using stencils, ensure they are water resistant and fully cured before printing. To prevent ink drying out or changing viscosity, flooding between prints is recommended and always replace the lid after use. Drying/Curing: Permaset® Aqua inks will become touch-dry by evaporation over 20-30 minutes depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. In order for the ink to fully cure however (i.e. not rub off or wash out of fabric during washing/dry cleaning), it must be fully heat cured. Check the label on each Permaset® ink pot for specific curing instructions, but as a general guide ensure the ink is heated for: 2-3 minutes @ 160°C (355°F) - Hand Iron, Cotton Setting or5-6 minutes @ 140°C (285°F) - Hand Iron, Wool Setting or8-9 minutes @ 120°C (250°F) - Hand Iron, Wash 'n' Wear Setting It is also possible to cure ink in an oven or dryer, provided you can mimic similar temperatures and times as listed above. *Important*: Before attempting any print run, experiment with pieces of test material to check adhesion and water-resistance properties. Fabrics can burn or singe if heated at too high a temperature so always test first. Storage and Handling: USE ONLY IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA. Handle according to good industrial hygiene and safety practices. Store in a secure place, out of reach of children. Store in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight and away from sources of heat. Protect from freezing. Safety and Handling: Permaset® Aqua has been formulated to be free of any toxic chemicals. The range has no flash point, and as such is exempt from Flammable Liquids regulations. Permaset® Aqua inks do not contain ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFC's and HCFC's, aromatic hydrocarbons or any volatile solvents. They don't contain lead or any heavy metals. In fact, Safe to use on underwear, swimwear and even baby clothes.
