How we print

Aeon Press specializes in water based and discharge printing on apparel (though we do use the most environmentally friendly phthalate-free plastisol ink available if needed). We also do short-run screen printing with water-based ink on all sorts of paper, cardboard, and flat-stock wood.

We only use drain safe, biodegradable screen cleaning products made from citrus and soy. We strive to always source products that have the least environmental impact possible and have tailored all our processes to reduce the waste found in most screen printing shops. 

We design and print custom jobs for clients, as well as printing and selling our own limited edition art prints, apparel, and other various screen printed goods.

WATER BASED INK

Water based ink leaves a super soft print on the shirt. Once the shirt has been washed once or twice you will hardly be able to feel the print at all. The inks are very transparent and therefore work best on light color garments. If printing water based inks on medium-dark color garments the shirt color will influence the ink color a great deal. This can look cool for some designs, and just won't work for others. Light shirts with dark ink is the way to go with this ink.

WATER BASED CLEAR DISCHARGE

This is has a discharge activating agent mixed into it. The discharge reacts with the dye in the garment and basically bleaches the shirt where it is printed leaving behind the natural cotton color that the shirt started out as before it was dyed by the manufacturer. Once the shirt is washed there is absolutely no feel to the print what-so-ever. The color usually ranges anywhere from an off-white, to a warm tan. We can not guarantee the finished color of the print with this method, but if the color of your design isn't critical this method can make for a super cool, vintage look. The discharge agent will ONLY remove the dye from cotton fibers, so this technique works best on 100% cotton.

WATER BASED DYE DISCHARGE

This is what we use to print dark color 100% cotton t-shirts. Water based dye discharge printing utilizes the same clear base as the method above, but we add  color dye to the ink. When the discharge ink removes the original dye from the shirt it then leaves behind the new color-dyed ink. We can create any color with this method. It leaves the same soft feel as the water based ink above. We can also print bright white prints with this method. The most consistent results are on 100% cotton shirts. 

PLASTISOL INK

Plastisol ink is a PVC-based ink that has been the industry standard for decades. We only print with plastisol inks that are free of harmful ortho-phthalates, heavy metals, and chlorinated organic solvents. These inks are just as environmentally friendly as water based inks when used and cleaned up properly. Current plastisol inks are also extremely durable and vibrant. They are highly opaque and can cover well on dark garments. The major draw-back to this kind of ink is the fact that it leaves a thick rubbery feeling print on the shirt. We prefer to only use this ink for printing on thick fabrics such as sweats and hoodies.