Fluorescent Ink – The Definitive T-Shirt Designers Guide

adminMarch 18, 2023

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Fluorescent-Inks Screen-Printed T-Shirt Design Poster

In the 80’s apparel design was all about bright fluorescent (aka neon) prints or bright fluorescent fabric colors, a lot has changed since the 80’s. Today the apparel market is not flooded with brightly colored neon colors, rather fluorescent colors are used subtly in graphic designs to draw your attention to a specific part of the design.

Unlike common plastisol inks, fluorescent inks are in their Limited color range. Fluro/Neon inks are very opaque, so we recommend printing on white or light colored fabrics. Due to the opacity of the ink, a white base print may be required when printing on black and dark fabrics. Keep this in mind as a second layer of ink improves hand feel. We’ve listed the available Pantone colors in a handy chart below.

Reading: How to create a fluorescent logo on a shirt

As a bonus, fluorescent inks glow when exposed to black light.. Awesome!

Fluorescent inks for screen printing are super versatile, they have the same properties as regular plastisol inks meaning the inks are durable, easy to work with, hold their color very well and print fine detail, oh and they are amazingly bright.

Considering fashion is cyclical, it won’t be long before the 80s thing is revived and designers like us will be putting a new spin on an old favorite.

Available Fluorescent Colors

There are fourteen fluorescent colors specified in the Pantone color system. We always advise specifying Pantone colors in apparel designs as most screen printers can match their inks to the Pantone color system.

Pantone swatches Fluorescent Inks screen-printed t-shirt design

Learn more about fluorescent inks

Advantages of fluorescent inks:

SUPER vivid colors: Neon inks were designed for a reason to be bright and they are bright. Fluorescent inks also retain their color over a long period of time.
High detail: Neon inks (like plastisol inks) have the ability to print fine detail. This makes it perfect for graphic designs with line dots of 1pt or distressed aging textures applied to the design.
Ease of use: Like plastisol inks, neon inks are best friends from screen printers, the inks do not “air dry” so they can be left in the screen or bucket overnight without drying up.

Cons Fluorescent inks:

Limited color gamut: Fluorescent inks are special inks with a limited color gamut. See our fluorescent Pantone color swatch chart below for a range of available print colors.
Prints cannot be ironed: It is important to keep plastisol as is away from heat and heated A thermoplastic (softens when heated and hardens when cooled) and will melt again on contact. For this reason fluorescent prints cannot be ironed. When an iron touches a print, it smears the ink (and destroys your iron!).
High curing temperatures: Plastisol ink needs to be “cured” (melted and bound) . Heat is applied to the ink, causing the PVC resin and plasticizer molecules to melt and then solidify. Plastisol cures at temperatures of 149°C to 166°C (300°F to 330°F). These high temperatures can burn light fabrics. Check with your screen printer if you intend to print on garments that use a high percentage of synthetic material.

ART REQUIREMENTS:

- Halftone: 20 lpi
- Line width: at least 1pt
- Maximum graphic size: Check with the printer for the maximum graphic size as it varies from factory to factory. In general, an A3 page size would equate to a large chest print for a men’s garment.
- Image resolution: 300 dots (pixels) per inch at the actual size of the design to be printed.
- Image file types: Most Printers accept .psd, .tif, .jpg, .gif and .png.
- Vector file types: Vector PDF, EPS, AI or CDR files.

RECOMMENDED CLOTHING/FABRIC:

Weight: 2.25oz min – 10oz max. We recommend using 100% cotton or 50/50 cotton/polyester blend garments.

FLUORESCENT INK GARMENT CARE

When caring for garments printed with plastisol inks, we recommend the following washing instructions:

Turn shirt inside out.
Use a gentle cycle with cold water and mild detergent.
Tumble dry low.
Do not dry clean.
No bleach.

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Never print on iron.

Design Inspiration – 10 Examples of Fluorescent/Neon Inks in Apparel Design

We see quite a few apparel labels adding a touch of fluorescent ink to their t-shirts – Themes. Here is a collection of some fluorescent ink examples for your inspiration.