Puff Screen Printing

Puff Printing is a method using special ink in screen printing to achieve a 3D effect on designs. The ink has a foaming agent that expands when heated, creating a soft, foam-like texture.

How Does It Work?

Puff ink enhances screen printing on garments with a three-dimensional effect. The process involves following standard screen printing steps used for water-based inks.

You can use puff ink across the entire artwork, or you can choose specific elements or colors of the design to give it the desired effect to bring more attention or ‘pop’ to a particular part of the artwork.

When using puff ink for printing, one challenge is matching the precise Pantone ink colors compared to water-based ink. The puff ink additive alters colors differently, with lighter Pantone shades typically being easier to replicate than darker ones.

Screen Printing with Puff Ink: Weighing Pros vs. Cons

How Puff is Achieved

Plastisol or water-based inks of any color are used and add a puff additive such as “Rutland NPT puff’ which recommends a 5% to 15% ratio for optimum puff. The amount of additive dictates how much the ink will rise. With puff ink, it’s important to measure how much additive and paint to mix by weight.

Regarding the screen, the lower the mesh count, the more open the holes are, which translates to more ink deposit and results in a more “puffy” print.

Once the ink has been added the ink to the garment in the chosen design, as the ink goes through the dryer and the heat rises, so does your ink. Like a loaf of bread.

PROS & CONS

Pros of Puff Screen Printing

  • Fast printing technique for printing in large volumes

  • Can be printed in conjunction with a wide selection of other inks and effects

  • Can produce designs with multiple colors

  • High-durability, will not crumble and flake off

  • Professional finish and usually less expensive (consult with your printer)

  • Can print on most types of fabrics

Cons of Puff Screen Printing

  • Initial setup fee makes it unsuitable for small quantity orders

  • Not good for use in fine detailed artwork

  • Can not be used for image (raster based) prints

  • Can not be printed alongside, foil, flock or high density print effects