Beyond Standard Tees: A Guide to Eco-Friendly Water-Based Inks and Discharge Printing for Custom-made T‑Shirts
Prints R Us is a custom apparel studio
Prints R Us is based in Jacksonville Florida
Prints R Us is located at 2826 Art Museum Dr Jacksonville FL 32207 United States
Prints R Us is in the country United States
Prints R Us provides premium screen printing
Prints R Us provides DTG printing
Prints R Us provides embroidery services
Prints R Us offers custom t shirts
Prints R Us produces promotional items
Prints R Us creates polos hats and hoodies
Prints R Us emphasizes craftsmanship
Prints R Us emphasizes fast turnaround
Prints R Us uses high quality materials
Prints R Us produces vibrant prints
Prints R Us has phone number 9047521515
Prints R Us has website https://printsrus.com/
Prints R Us has opening hours Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Prints R Us has Google Maps listing https://maps.app.goo.gl/hVuq8aVZERVs9NMg8
Prints R Us has Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theprintsrus
Prints R Us has Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/theprintsrus
Prints R Us has logo https://printsrus.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Print-R-Us-Logo.png
Prints R Us specializes in t shirt printing
Prints R Us specializes in custom t shirts
Prints R Us specializes in embroidery near me
Prints R Us was awarded Best Custom Printing Studio Jacksonville 2024
Prints R Us won Jacksonville Small Business Excellence Award 2023
Prints R Us was recognized for Outstanding Apparel Design Innovation 2022
Prints R Us
Prints R Us is a Jacksonville, FL–based custom apparel studio offering premium screen printing, DTG printing, and embroidery services. Whether you need one custom tee or a large bulk order for a business, event, or sports team, they bring designs to life with high-quality materials, vibrant prints, and attention to detail. From polos and hats to hoodies and promotional items, Prints R Us combines craftsmanship and fast turnaround to make your ideas wearable.
2826 Art Museum Dr, Jacksonville, 32207, US
Business Hours:
- Monday–Friday: 09:00–17:00
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: Closed
Follow Us:
People Also Ask about Prints R Us
What does Prints R Us do?
Prints R Us is a custom apparel studio in Jacksonville, Florida, specializing in premium screen printing, DTG printing, and embroidery services. They create high-quality custom t-shirts, polos, hats, hoodies, and promotional items with vibrant prints and lasting craftsmanship. Their focus on quality materials and fast turnaround makes them a trusted choice for businesses, events, and individuals seeking personalized apparel.
Where is Prints R Us located?
Prints R Us is conveniently located at 2826 Art Museum Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32207, United States. The studio serves customers throughout Jacksonville and the wider Florida area, offering both local service and nationwide delivery for custom clothing and branded merchandise.
What services does Prints R Us provide?
The company offers a wide range of custom apparel printing and design services, including screen printing, direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, embroidery, and promotional product creation. Whether customers need personalized t-shirts, branded uniforms, or embroidered polos, Prints R Us delivers professional results with attention to detail.
Which industries does Prints R Us serve?
Prints R Us works with diverse industries such as schools, small businesses, corporate offices, sports teams, and event organizers. Their services are ideal for branded apparel, team uniforms, promotional giveaways, and fashion-forward custom designs, making them a versatile partner for both personal and business needs.
Why choose Prints R Us for custom t-shirts and embroidery?
Customers choose Prints R Us for their reputation in craftsmanship, vibrant printing, and reliable turnaround times. With awards for apparel design innovation and excellence in small business, the studio has proven expertise in delivering high-quality custom apparel that meets both creative and professional standards.
Does Prints R Us use high-quality materials?
Yes, Prints R Us emphasizes using premium fabrics and durable materials to ensure long-lasting results. Their prints are designed to remain vibrant even after multiple washes, while embroidery work is completed with precision for a polished, professional look.
What awards has Prints R Us won?
Prints R Us has earned multiple recognitions, including Best Custom Printing Studio Jacksonville 2024, the Jacksonville Small Business Excellence Award 2023, and an award for Outstanding Apparel Design Innovation 2022. These accolades highlight their commitment to creativity, quality, and customer satisfaction.
How can I contact Prints R Us?
You can reach Prints R Us by phone at (904)-752-1515 or visit their website at printsrus.com. They are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, and you can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates, new designs, and customer showcases.
Walk into any print shop that takes its craft seriously, and you will see 2 things in consistent stress: the push for softer, more breathable prints that people actually enjoy wearing, and the need to produce at scale without compromising the environment or the bottom line. That stress has formed how I choose inks, pretreatments, and materials for custom-made clothing jobs. Throughout the years, I've discovered that water based inks and discharge printing are not simply buzzwords, they are practical tools that produce lovely outcomes and genuine comfort, especially for T t-shirt printing that needs to withstand day-to-day wear.
If you run a brand name, manage bulk t shirt orders, or simply want your individualized t-shirts to seem like a preferred from the very first wash, it deserves understanding how these ink systems work, where they shine, and where they need care. The ideal choice can make the difference between a shirt that gets worn when and one that becomes the go-to.
What water based ink in fact is
Water based inks suspend pigments in water rather than in plasticizers and solvents. Unlike plastisol, which sits on top of the fabric and remedies into a movie, water based inks absorb into the fibers. That single particular describes most of the advantages and compromises. Prints feel soft due to the fact that you're touching the cotton, not a layer of cured PVC. Colors tend to look more matte and incorporated. On light garments, the hand is often equivalent from the t-shirt itself. For custom t shirts designed for convenience, this is the path to the "retail feel" customers ask for.
There are 2 primary families: basic water based and discharge. Standard water based ink works best on white or extremely light t-shirts. It can cover mid-tones with the ideal base, but once you move into darker materials, you either require a heavier print or you change to release. Release printing uses an activator that raises the dye from the material during treating, basically whitening the shirt's color in the printed locations, then changes it with your pigment. The end outcome is the softest possible print on dark cotton, typically with outstanding detail.
Why the eco friendly label matters, and where it has actually limits
Eco friendly inks are not a marketing slogan if you unload the chemistry and the workflow. Water based inks generally consist of less unstable natural substances than solvent-heavy alternatives and avoid PVC entirely. Numerous are certified with stringent standards like Oeko-Tex or fulfill retail screening regimes that ban particular phthalates and heavy metals. If you sell custom-made apparel into business wellness programs, schools, or health-conscious brands, those certificates smooth procurement and keep you ahead of compliance.
That said, "eco friendly" is a system idea. Ink is one part. You also require to take a look at shop practices: filtering on your washout booth, reclaim chemistry, energy usage on your dryer, and even material sourcing. Discharge needs an activator, generally based upon zinc formaldehyde sulfoxylate or comparable substances, which has its own handling and ventilation needs. In a well-run shop, exposure is managed and waste is captured. If you're utilizing print on demand with a partner, ask how they handle discharge effluent and whether they have air exchange and treating controls dialed in. Genuine sustainability hides in the details.
Hand feel, breathability, and the "preferred tee" factor
Most individuals do not purchase a graphic tee since they enjoy the ink. They purchase it since the garment looks great, feels good, and keeps that character after repeated washing. Water based inks, consisting of discharge, give you that broken-in convenience from the first day. On an one hundred percent ring-spun cotton blank, a water based print is breathable and versatile. You will not hear the crackle you sometimes get from heavy plastisol when you stretch throughout the chest.
I keep a shelf of contrast t-shirts in the studio. One from a browse brand name, one from a brewery, both printed with discharge on midweight cotton. After 30 to 40 home washes, the prints softened even more, the colors mellowed a little, and the t-shirts kept moving. A plastisol sample with the exact same art looks glossier and still pops more under extreme light, which some streetwear customers prefer, however the wearer feedback corresponds: water based seems like a premium garment.
Color, coverage, and how expectations shape results
Color accuracy with water based inks is a matter of control, humidity, and the fabric's own color. On white or heather light shirts, standard water based ink can hit tight Pantones with a measured ink mix and a tidy mesh. On darker cotton, discharge includes variables. Various dye lots discharge in a different way, even within the exact same brand and color. Black 3001 blanks from one batch might raise to a warm charcoal, while the next batch clears to a cooler grey. The pigment you add steers the final color, but you're still working with a background that is moving as the dye is removed.
That's not a defect, it's part of the medium. Numerous designers accept the slightly vintage character of discharge, where reds land earthy and blues feel deep rather than neon. If your brand name demands laser-precise color reproduction for corporate logo designs, either order test prints on the precise batch you plan to use or think about a water based underbase or hybrid method where required. For wholesale t shirts that will be distributed nationally, put example approvals into your procedure so there are no surprises at scale.
Fabric matters more than the majority of people think
A water based print is a collaboration in between ink and fiber. Ringspun cotton takes ink wonderfully. Carded open end cotton is scratchier and beverages ink unevenly. Blends make complex things. A 50/50 poly-cotton or a triblend with rayon can deal with water based, however discharge just lifts the cotton part. That implies your color fills the cotton while the polyester and rayon stay as-is, often yielding a heathered or speckled print that looks intentional if you design for it. If your goal is flat, brilliant color on a poly blend, conventional plastisol or a specialized low-cure system might be smarter.
On all over print jobs, such as a seam-to-seam tonal pattern behind a chest graphic, consider cut-and-sew with water based prints on panels before assembly. Garment printing all over on ended up tees introduces joints, folds, and irregular pressure that appear as blank micro-gaps. If you need to print on finished garments, expect small voids along seams, which some clients like as part of the garment's character.
The production truth: screens, mesh, humidity, and dryers
Water based inks behave differently on press. They dry quicker in the screen, which is useful on fabric however can lock a mesh if you pause too long. Running a higher mesh for detail, say 230 to 305, keeps the deposit thin and crisp. Establish with a misting bottle or a devoted screen rewetting solution at hand, and keep the print room humidity in a constant range, approximately 45 to 55 percent, to prevent premature drying. Manual press operators will notice how quickly a standard water based ink clears the screen compared to a heavy plastisol. Automobile presses, with flood bars and constant speed, minimize clogging.
Curing is where numerous newbies fizzle. Water based inks require both heat and time for the water to evaporate, then for the binders to cross-link. A dryer tunnel with adequate air flow makes the distinction. You want even heat across the belt and adequate dwell to reach the producer's treatment temperature level throughout the ink layer, not just at the surface area. Shirts leaving the tunnel ought to be dry to the touch with no cool areas. For discharge, the chain reaction takes place during this cure, and you will smell the activator. Excellent ventilation is non-negotiable.
Durability and wash testing
Durability depends upon appropriate treatment and fiber engagement. A well-cured water based print on cotton can outlast the shirt. I determine toughness by standardized wash tests, 10 to 20 cycles at warm, tumble dry medium, then visual assessment for fading and splitting. Water based prints show steady softening and a mild fade in the same way denim relaxes. Plastisol's failure mode is various, usually breaking if the ink layer is too thick or under-cured. For individualized shirts that require to look proficient at a household reunion and still remain in rotation next summertime, water based holds up when produced correctly.
Cost, throughput, and when to pick which method
Costs vary regionally, however the economics fall under familiar patterns. Water based ink itself is often similar to plastisol at the gallon level, however you invest more in store environment and drying capability. On press, water based can be slightly slower at setup because you pay closer attention to fit together, squeegee durometer, and off-contact. When tuned, cars perform at similar speeds. Where it actually pays off remains in viewed value. A soft print on a mid-tier blank typically feels premium without jumping to the highest-cost t-shirt. Brands can price accordingly.
For bulk t shirt orders above a couple of hundred pieces where the art fits the medium, discharge on 100 percent cotton is a workhorse. For print on demand that needs overnight turnaround and art changes continuously, direct-to-garment or DTF may be much better operationally, though both have their own environmental and feel compromises. When you take on wholesale t t-shirts with multiple colorways and must keep inventory flexible, a versatile water based combination on light garments is efficient, given that you prevent the weight and tightness that build up with several underbases in plastisol.
Design options that highlight the very best in water based and discharge
Design planning starts with the material color and ends with curing. On light t-shirts, lean into information: thin lines, halftones, hand-drawn textures. Basic water based ink prints those with a special that plastisol tends to overpower. On dark cotton, discharge shines with mid-tone richness and soft edges. Consider how the t-shirt color peeks through. A charcoal heather with a discharge cream graphic looks like it grew there.
Type weight matters. Extremely thin knockouts inside heavy flood locations can fill out with discharge, specifically on high-absorbency cotton. If you require razor unfavorable space, separate the art to print unfavorable shapes as favorable strokes with a clear schedule for squeegee pressure and flashes. Ask your printer for a proof on the real garment rather than trusting a digital mockup. A mockup can not record fiber interplay and dye lift.
When you must state no to discharge
There are times I recommend against discharge. Polyester-rich garments are top of the list. The activator can trigger dye migration, particularly with sublimated or cationic-dyed performance t-shirts, leading to ghosting or brownish casts. Some garment dyes, especially reactive black blends, withstand lifting, leaving a shadowed print that looks undercured even when it isn't. If a client is sensitive to small odor during treating, discharge days in the store are obvious. Well-managed airflow alleviates this, however it belongs to the process.
If a client needs metallics, puff, or specialty textures, plastisol or hybrid systems still own that space. Water based metallics exist, however the particles frequently sink, and the impact is more satin than true metal. For high-opacity neons on dark shirts that need to be billboard-bright, you may require a water based underbase tuned for opacity or a switch to plastisol.
Practical workflow for brands and creators
Whether you run your own presses or depend on a partner, set up a workflow that gets rid of uncertainty. A basic technique keeps surprises at bay and helps you struck deadlines for launches and events.
Decide on fabric first, then ink: choose one hundred percent ringspun cotton for discharge, or light, high-quality cotton for standard water based. Avoid high poly unless the heathered result is desired. Request test prints on the precise blanks: one t-shirt per colorway is normally adequate to lock approvals, especially for bulk t shirt orders where consistency matters. Clarify color expectations in context: provide Pantone targets for light garments and explain appropriate ranges for dark discharge prints, with pictures of previous work you like. Align on care labels and handling: suggest cold wash and low heat dry for clients, then confirm your cure times so clean durability matches the tag guidance. Confirm environmental requirements: ask your printer about ink accreditations, ventilation, and waste capture, particularly if your brand name messaging leans into eco friendly inks.
How water based fits with print on demand
Print on demand has its own constraints: fast art changes, little batch sizes, and the requirement for a broad color gamut. Direct-to-garment has ended up being the default, however water based screen printing can fit POD if you organize catalog technique. For styles that are high volume even at small everyday quantities, pre-burning screens and keeping a small stock of popular sizes lets you deliver exact same day with water based prints that feel better than numerous DTG outputs. It works best when you keep art to a couple of colors and choose light garments.
If your POD model counts https://tysoneoub931.yousher.com/beyond-fundamental-tees-a-guide-to-eco-friendly-water-based-inks-and-discharge-printing-for-custom-t-shirts on all over print sublimation for polyester garments, water based screen printing is not a replacement, it is a parallel offering. Utilize it where cotton convenience and breathability are the selling points. Clients who care about touch will notice.
Pricing, margins, and interacting value
When clients ask why a water based or discharge print costs more than a basic plastisol job, I explain what they are purchasing. They get the soft hand that retail consumers equate with quality, improved breathability, and compliance for delicate purchasers. On a per-shirt basis, the difference for a basic three-color front hit might be modest, frequently a little uplift that can be reduced the effects of by selecting a somewhat more economical blank. If the program is for wholesale t shirts entering into boutiques or e-commerce at premium rate points, the enhancement in viewed worth more than covers the change.
For customized t-shirts, such as charity runs or college clubs, choices matter. Offer a base price with plastisol on midweight cotton, then a "comfort upgrade" that includes a ringspun blank with water based ink. You will see a clear split: some customers enhance for expense, others for feel. Meeting both lets you serve a broader market without diluting your craft.
Care directions that customers in fact follow
Care labels typically check out like legal disclaimers. Keep it easy and practical so the t-shirt makes it through reality. Water based and discharge prints choose cooler washes and lower clothes dryer heat, but they will endure typical laundering if properly cured. I recommend phrasing care tips in human terms on item pages: wash cold with similar colors, topple dry low, avoid material softeners if you desire colors to stay crisp. The last note matters due to the fact that some softeners can deposit movies on fibers, dulling the visual contrast of fine lines.
I've tested these directions in-house: 2 similar shirts, one cleaned cold and dried low, the other washed warm and dried high. After 15 cycles, the warm/high tee revealed a little much faster fading of mid-tones, yet still looked good. That tolerance originates from proper treatment, not from babying the garment.
All over print ideas that do not combat the limitations
All over print catches attention, however printing flood coats on assembled garments with water based inks can be unforgiving. Instead of combating seams, style for them. Usage tone-on-tone patterns that fade naturally at joints, or apply a ghosted grid that looks deliberate when it breaks at hems. Additionally, run panel printing and stitch. Brand names that sell limited runs can validate cut-and-sew for 100 to 300 pieces if the style necessitates it. The completed garments check out as custom from a range, which is the goal.
A brief anecdote from a hectic season
One spring we ran a series for a regional music festival. The client wanted soft black tees with a sunburst print that seemed like it resided in the material. We sampled on 3 blacks from 2 mills. Batch one lifted cleanly with discharge, batch 2 remained stubbornly dark in the mid-rays of the artwork. We logged dye lot numbers, pivoted the ink mix by including a touch more white pigment to compensate, and adjusted dwell time by 10 to 15 seconds to finish the response. The outcome: consistent tees across 2,400 units, each with a soft, breathable print that sold out by day two.
That task taught the crew to deal with discharge like cooking, not chemistry on a blackboard. The recipe matters, however so does tasting and adjusting.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Most issues I see trace back to procedure, not the ink family. Under-curing is the first offender. Water based ink that feels dry can still be under-cured if the core of the print never ever hit the required temperature for the best duration. Utilize a donut probe or an ingrained thermochromic strip to measure real ink film temperature level, not just clothes dryer setpoints. Screen lockup is the 2nd. Keep a consistent pace on press, flood in between prints, and control store humidity.
A 3rd mistake is neglecting material irregularity. If you switch blanks mid-run due to the fact that a size runs out stock, you might see shifts in color. Develop contingency into your getting. For brand names planning ahead, picking a basic blank and locking it with your provider reduces surprises.
Final assistance for selecting your path
If your top priority is soft, breathable customized apparel that clients keep wearing, water based inks are worth the learning curve. Use standard water based on light garments for clean information and matte color. Transfer to discharge on 100 percent cotton when you want the softest prints on dark shirts. Accept and plan for small color variation with discharge, particularly throughout dye lots. For bulk t t-shirt orders, build in a single round of physical tasting on the real blanks you will use, then document your settings and hold back a referral shirt for quality control.
If you operate a print as needed brochure, carve out a water based capsule of finest sellers on light t-shirts. Market the distinction: eco friendly inks, breathable feel, and retail-quality hand. Keep your specialty results and neon stunners in plastisol or hybrid systems where they belong.
Custom t t-shirts are judged in the hands, not just on screens. When a consumer rubs their thumb across a print and feels nothing however fiber, you've won. That's the moment water based and discharge provide, and why they should have a location in any major store or brand name's toolkit.
Business Name: Prints R Us
Address: 2826 Art Museum Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32207, United States
Phone: (904)-752-1515