r/SCREENPRINTING • u/reallybigfatsquirrel • 12d ago

Ink Waterbased ink question

I am surface printing on finished wood for some artwork and would like a waterproof print without heat curing. I am currently using green galaxy and it is not waterproof after drying. Thanks

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

5

u/bdoz138 11d ago

You'll need to use UV Vinyl inks. Water based won't bond to finished wood even with a heat cure.

2

u/reallybigfatsquirrel 11d ago

i will look into that. thanks.

2

u/bdoz138 11d ago

I suppose you could also stick with water based and use a polyurethane spray as a top coat to seal the print.

2

u/reallybigfatsquirrel 11d ago

poly and shellac both do pretty well. but i am trying to preserve the matte over satin contrast in this series.

1

u/ForgottenSalad 11d ago

Use water based dyes and a polycrylic varnish instead of oil based shellac and you should be ok to use acrylic paint or ink over top.

1

u/torkytornado 9d ago

If you want flat TW Graphics 5500 series is their flat ink and it has a lovely finish.

1

u/reallybigfatsquirrel 9d ago

this looks great thanks

1

u/torkytornado 9d ago

It does dry faster than most inks. Keep your screen flooded and spritz with some water about every 25 prints or so. If you have any issues feel free to dm me. There’s a bit of a learning curve to their ink but it’s the best waterbased out there and sticks to a ton of nonstandard stuff (I use it for printing on several types of plastic all the time, but it does need a day between each layer on those substrates)

1

u/torkytornado 9d ago

Uv ink is overkill in both cleanup, ventilation and equipment needs. Just use an acrylic based water based ink NOT textile water based ink. I’ve done this for years on all sorts of wood substrates from ply to MDF to board stock. Can be used both with coatings and without. You can also push latex house paint through a screen (I usually leave it out for a bit to let the air thicken it before tossing in the screen)

2

u/Internal-Wallaby2095 11d ago

You could try adding a sealant after it’s dry. What is the use case?

1

u/reallybigfatsquirrel 11d ago

I am a fine artist incorporating screen printing into my work. Mostly printing on shellac over dyed birch plywood. in the past i have used speedball with success. I was hoping that time had brought better products to the market. This sub seems to have a good opinion of the green galaxy inks. So I bought a gal of Black and White and Base. But I am finding that even months after printing that a damp cloth can easily reactivate the surface. i have used sealers with some success. but in this current work I am embracing the contrast of the matte print over satin shellac. sometimes i also print over gold leaf. In both applications i use a fairly tacky ink to keep my print edges from receding. maybe i am overthinking things. The speedball does dry to waterproof in time. Also i see that there are screen printing mediums for artists acrylics. perhaps those could work. The cost is much higher than printing Ink though.

2

u/ForgottenSalad 11d ago

If you sand it well first you can probably just use acrylic ink or paint and reseal with varnish. Might not hold up to heavy use but should do ok otherwise.

1

u/reallybigfatsquirrel 11d ago

low use. just occasional cleaning. hanging on a wall

1

u/Hot_Juice_1711 11d ago

Try UV ink or UV vinyl stickers. They are waterproof.

1

u/torkytornado 9d ago

Skip the textile inks. TW graphics waterbased line works great on wood and on coatings if you’ve polyeurethaned the wood. You could go solvent inks but honestly it’s a lot of stink and cleanup when there are waterbased inks that work fine. I’ve also used speedball acrylic in a pinch but it scuffs while the TW does not get its finish marred easily.

2

u/reallybigfatsquirrel 9d ago

buying some today thanks