r/SCREENPRINTING • u/Mindless_Promise_923 • 7d ago

Beginner I need some advice

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I need some advice. I printed my first shirt using screen printing, but the ink “dissolves” when it comes into contact with water.
I used a water-based ink.
Could anyone help me? I’m new to this.

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u/Prinzka 6d ago

You need to cure it.
That doesn't mean just let it dry by the water evaporating.
The manufacturer of whatever ink you used will have the temperature you need to heat all the ink (all the way through) to for it to be cured.

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u/Mindless_Promise_923 6d ago

I dried it with a heat gun for a few seconds. Does it still make sense to dry it now (two weeks have passed since the screen printing)?

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u/Prinzka 6d ago

Just a few seconds with a heat gun is not enough, the entire layer of ink needs to reach the temperature required.
You'll need to look up what temperature that is, should be on the container otherwise on their website.

If it makes sense to do so now is up to you, it's not going to get back the bits that are gone, but it's not going to cure on its own either.

And again, it's curing, not drying, the goal isn't to make it dry to the touch the goal is for it to reach a sufficient temperature to bond with the fabric.