2008 CATALOG WWW.ICCINK.COM

FABRIC DISCOLORATION AND HOW TO PREVENT IT
Description
Fabric Discoloration, also known as “Ghosting” or “Bleaching”, results from a reaction that takes place
between ingredients used in some Lo-Bleed inks and some reactive dyes in 100% cotton garments.
Yellow dyes seem to be the most troublesome.
Appearance
A faint, almost invisible, “ghost” image of the printed design is sometimes visible on the back side or
inside of garments that have come in contact with a white ink print.
The Reaction
Three conditions need to be present for the discoloration to take place - heat, pressure and humidity.
Take away any one of these three conditions and the reaction will not take place. The heat comes
from the garments as they exit the dryer; pressure” from stacking these hot garments as they exit the
dryer; and humidity from moisture contained in the cotton garments.
The Solution(s)
A. Use White inks formulated specifically for 100% cotton garments, or use a “non” lo-bleed white ink.
B. Check to be sure that the inks you are using do not contain any bleaching agents (such as
peroxide). International Coatings inks contain no bleaching agents. Some competitive brands do.
C. Do not stack garments hot. Stagger stack – i.e., place them in several sequential stacks – and
cool with a fan while stacking at the end of the dryer.
Test
To determine if your fabric is prone to ghosting, follow this simple test prior to production:
Equipment Needed
Heat Transfer Machine set @ 200°F (93°C)
Test Procedure
1. Print the suspect fabric with the white ink you intend to use in production and fuse/cure
normally.
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