Water-Based Inks for Screenprinting: What I've Learned

I spent fifteen years working with plastisol before I tried water-based inks properly. The switch wasn't about trends. It was about standing at the press for six hours and not ending the day with a headache.

Water-based inks use water as the carrier instead of solvents. They sink into the paper or fabric rather than sitting on top. The finish is softer. The studio smells better. And the cleanup is soap and water, not white spirit.

But they dry faster on the screen. That changes everything.

The Drying Problem

Plastisol sits there all day. You can walk away mid-print, make a cup of tea, come back an hour later. Water-based inks don't wait. If you leave a screen for ten minutes in summer, the mesh blocks.

I learned this the expensive way. A six-layer print, fourth colour down, screen left to answer the phone. Came back to a clogged mesh and twenty sheets of wasted Somerset Satin.

Now I flood the screen between every pull. That keeps a layer of ink across the mesh. It buys you time. And I keep a spray bottle of water nearby. A light mist on the underside of the screen if I need to step away.

In winter it's less urgent. In July, you're racing the clock.

Pressure and Squeegee Angle

Water-based inks are thinner than plastisol. They don't need as much pressure to push through the mesh. When I first switched, I was pressing too hard. The ink flooded under the stencil. Edges went soft.

I pulled back the pressure by about thirty percent. The angle of the squeegee matters more now. I hold it at around sixty degrees. Steeper than that and you don't deposit enough ink. Shallower and you flood the image.

On fabric, you need even less pressure. The ink absorbs into the weave. On paper, especially hot-pressed or coated stock, you need a bit more to get good coverage without a second pass.

Mesh Count and Stencil Thickness

I use 90T mesh for most water-based work on paper. It's open enough to let the thinner ink through but tight enough to hold detail. For fabric, I go up to 110T if I want finer lines.

Emulsion thickness is critical. Too thick and the ink sits on the surface, loses that soft hand. Too thin and you don't get opacity, especially with lighter colours on dark stock.

I coat screens two-and-one: two coats on the print side, one on the squeegee side. That gives me about fifteen microns of stencil thickness. Enough for good ink deposit, not so much that it looks plasticky.

What I Use Now

I print mostly on paper, so I've settled on a UK-made water-based ink that works on Somerset, Zerkall, and BFK Rives. It's a matte finish, low VOC, and it doesn't need heat curing for art prints.

For fabric—when I do the occasional T-shirt commission—I use Permaset Aqua. It's PVC-free and it washes well. You do need to heat-set it, but a domestic iron works fine if you're doing small runs.

There's also a seaweed-based ink on the market now, fully biodegradable. I haven't used it for a full edition yet, but I've tested it on 300gsm paper. The opacity is good. The price is steep. I'll revisit it when the cost comes down.

Mixing and Transparency

Water-based inks mix beautifully. I can blend three or four colours on the palette and get exactly the tone I need. They're more transparent than plastisol, which means you can print lighter colours over darker ones and get layering effects you can't achieve with solvent inks.

I did a print last year—six layers, all water-based, each one slightly translucent. The final image had depth you could see when you held it to the light. Collectors noticed. They asked about it.

That's the other thing: transparency means you need good coverage on the base layer. If you're printing a light colour first, you might need two passes. I don't mind. The second pass adds weight to the print.

Environmental Considerations

I'm not going to claim water-based inks solve everything. They still use pigments, binders, and additives. But the studio is healthier. I'm not pouring solvents down the drain. The rags go in the regular wash.

And the prints feel different. Collectors who've bought both plastisol and water-based editions from me have mentioned the hand feel. Water-based prints on paper have a flatness, a matte quality that sits better under glass. On fabric, they're softer. They breathe.

What You Need to Know if You're Starting Out

If you're switching from plastisol, start with a single-colour print. Get used to the drying time. Learn how fast your studio air moves.

Test your mesh count and squeegee pressure before you commit to a full run. Print ten sheets. Adjust. Print ten more.

Keep the screen flooded between pulls. Don't leave it sitting with an open image. And buy a spray bottle.

Water-based inks reward a steady rhythm. You can't stop halfway through an edition. But once you've dialled it in, the results are worth it.

If you'd like to see the prints I'm currently making, visit olifowler.com. Every edition is strictly limited and hand-pulled. Once they're gone, they're gone.