SCREEN PRINTING
Vermont Green Printing prints exclusively with water base inks. Water base inks are not easy to work with, but we feel that the environmental benefit outweighs the added difficulty. With 35+ years of commercial screen printing experience our founder is committed to using the safest inks possible while not diminishing quality. To us, screen printing is not just a job, it is an art.
Discharge Printing
At Vermont Green Printing 75% of our printing is done with water base discharge inks. We feel discharge prints are a superior product compared to standard plastisol prints. When laundered, discharge prints are soft to the hand and completely breathe-able. Discharge inks remove the dye from the shirt and replace it with the color pigment of the ink. It is an amazing process that yields superior results. Discharge inks are not compatible with all fabric contents and/or colors. We have an extensive database of compatible garment styles and colors to choose from, including many 50/50 blended fabrics. Due to the nature of discharge printing, not all colors can be matched exactly.
Opaque Printing
When discharge inks will not work, opaque inks will. Our opaque inks can be printed on any garment regardless of fabric color or content. Most light color prints on dark garments will require an underbase print and flash cure at an additional cost. Most of our opaque inks are 100% solvent free.
What is quality?
Comfort – Simple. A good quality printed garment is a garment that is comfortable. It is a shirt that you want to wear again and again. Garments printed with our discharge inks are comfortable. After one wash the print is soft to the hand and completely breathe-able, even through the print. Have you ever worn a shirt with a big plastic-like print on a hot day? The lack of breathe-ability results in excess sweat. That is never the case with our discharge prints.
Detail – Discharge inks allow for finer detail on dark garments. Discharge inks allow for the light color printing on dark garments without the use of an underbase. Prints requiring an underbase print can sometimes lead to a more distorted and less detailed print.
The Difference
In every decision we make we consider the environment. We don’t just use water base inks, we use the safest and most environmentally friendly inks we can find. Our discharge inks are imported from Japan and Italy. Both are subject to much more rigorous environmental standards than inks made here in the US. Our opaque inks are 100% solvent free. They are difficult to work with because they dry in the screen rapidly due to the lack of solvents, but we think the environmental benefit is worth the trouble. The few chemicals we use, adhesive remover and screen reclaimer are derived from natural components. Our shop is odor free. We pay our employees a living wage. Our shop is a safe, dog friendly workplace.
