# Water-Based vs Plastisol vs Discharge | Screen Prints Reno

Which ink for your Reno order: plastisol, water-based or discharge. Feel, durability, which shirts each works on, why the rate is the same. Battle Born.

Canonical: https://screenprintsreno.com/guides/water-based-vs-plastisol-vs-discharge/

Battle Born Clothing runs all three inks in-house. They cost the same per piece. The choice comes down to the shirt fabric, the shirt color and whether the shirt is a uniform or merchandise. Here is how to pick.

## The three inks in one table

|  | Plastisol | Water-based | Discharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel | Sits on top; you can feel it | In the fiber; soft | In the fiber; softest |
| Opacity on dark | Excellent (with underbase) | Poor | Good on dischargeable cotton |
| Fabric | Cotton, blends, poly, fleece | 100% cotton, light colors | 100% cotton, dark solid colors |
| Color accuracy | Pantone match | Good on light shirts | Varies with shirt dye |
| Durability | Outlasts the shirt | Ages with the shirt | Ages with the shirt |
| Best for | Crews, uniforms, hoodies, blends | Light cotton merch | Dark cotton merch |

## Plastisol

The default for the trades, schools, events and anything on a blend or a hoodie. It is bright, opaque, mixes to Pantone and cures hard. The only knock is the hand: a large solid print feels like a layer. Halftones and thinner ink deposits soften it. See [plastisol screen printing](/decoration/plastisol-screen-printing/).

## Water-based

The ink is pigment in water; it soaks into cotton and dries in the fiber. On a white or light [PC61](/products/port-and-company-pc61/), [Gildan 64000](/products/gildan-64000-softstyle/) or [Next Level 3600](/products/next-level-3600/) the result is a print you cannot feel. On dark shirts it is nearly invisible without a discharge base. Colors are softer; no neon, no metallic.

## Discharge

Discharge ink carries an activator that removes the reactive dye from a dark cotton shirt where it is printed, leaving the ink's pigment in the now-undyed fiber. A black shirt with a white discharge print feels like a blank shirt. Requirements: 100% cotton, a dischargeable dye (most black, navy, maroon and forest from Port & Company, Gildan and Next Level are), and a solid color (heathers are blends). A faint halo on the first wash is normal and washes out. See [water-based and discharge](/decoration/water-based-and-discharge/).

## Which shirt, which ink

| Shirt | Recommended ink |
|---|---|
| [PC61](/products/port-and-company-pc61/), [PC54](/products/port-and-company-pc54/) light colors | Plastisol or water-based |
| PC61, PC54 dark solids | Plastisol (uniforms) or discharge (merch) |
| [PC55 blend](/products/port-and-company-pc55/) | Plastisol only |
| [PC78H](/products/port-and-company-pc78h/), [18500](/products/gildan-18500-heavy-blend-hoodie/) hoodies | Plastisol only |
| [Comfort Colors 1717](/products/comfort-colors-1717/) | Water-based or plastisol; discharge tested first |
| [Next Level 3600](/products/next-level-3600/), [64000](/products/gildan-64000-softstyle/) solids | Discharge (dark) or water-based (light) |

## The rate is the same

$4.34 per location at 48 pieces, $0.25 flash on dark shirts with plastisol, $20 per screen. Discharge on a dark shirt does not need a white underbase, so the flash charge usually drops off. Full schedule on the [pricing page](/pricing/).

[Get a quote](/quote/)

## Questions
**Can you match a Pantone in discharge?** Close, not exact. Discharge color depends on the shirt dye. For an exact brand color on a dark shirt, plastisol.

**Which ink lasts longest?** Properly cured plastisol. Water-based and discharge fade slowly with the shirt, which is the look most merch buyers want.


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Screen Prints Reno is a brand of Battle Born Clothing, 3 Pebble Beach Dr, Yerington, NV 89447. Quote: https://screenprintsreno.com/quote/