If you’ve worked with thick inks, you know it can be hard to print enough ink through the screen to get a decent print. Sometimes, modulating the ink only goes so far. You’ll need to reduce the viscosity of the ink. If this sounds like an issue you have, try FN-INK™ Curable Reducer. You’ll be able to print those thick inks with no problem.
WHY SHOULD I USE FN-INK™ CURABLE REDUCER?
When you’re mixing ink and no matter how long or hard you mix, it doesn’t seem to loosen up much. You might just say screw it, sling that ink onto the screen, and start printing. But then you find that you have to do a ton of passes just to get good coverage, no matter the angle or amount of pressure you apply. Production slows down. You still have 200 shirts to go. There’s gotta be an easier way, right?
You just need a smidge of FN-INK™ Curable Reducer to make that ink flow smoothly. FN-INK™ Curable Reducer is a low cure additive designed to lower an ink’s viscosity (its thickness), making the ink easier to print. It’s typically used with inks like white plastisol ink or athletic ink. It also makes it possible to print thick inks through higher mesh counts. If you have a high-detailed design with thick ink, grab that curable reducer.
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THE MOST COMMON WAYS TO USE CURABLE REDUCER
There are two common ways to use this ink in your shop. First is the most obvious: to thin out ink. Add as little of the curable reducer as is needed to modify the ink. It’s recommended to add no more than 5% by weight. Always add as little as possible, so you don’t change the chemistry or properties of the ink (for example, if you add too much curable reducer, the ink’s opacity may drop).
Make sure to warm the ink up before adding FN-INK™ Curable Reducer. If you add a curable reducer to ink when it is cold, there’s a high possibility of adding too much curable reducer. This will make your ink too runny and more difficult to print than you want.
Pro Tip: Curable Reducer is 100% curable and can be printed by itself. You’ll start to see a drop in opacity if you add FN-INK™ Curable Reducer to colors at above 10% by weight. If you’re not sure if a color is going to turn out the way you want it to, mix a small amount of it and test it out so you’re not wasting ink.
Make sure to test your mixed ink before you start printing, especially if you’re adding a curable reducer to poly or low-bleed ink. Too much curable reducer in a low-bleed ink can stop the low-bleed properties.
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The second, less common way of using FN-INK™ Curable Reducer is to make plastisol ink behave more like water-based ink. It’s a cool strategy for printing vintage prints, or for getting a super soft hand feel like you’d get for water-based prints.
DO I NEED TO USE A CURABLE REDUCER WITH FN-INK™?
The short answer to this question is simple: no. You do not need to add a curable reducer to FN-INK™. FN-INK ™ is a short-bodied plastisol ink and therefore is already super creamy.
As long as you stir it well and keep it warm, you’ll be good to go.
Just because you don’t need to add FN-INK™ Curable Reducer to FN-INK™ doesn’t mean you can’t. Play around with the inks and test out different effects. You might be surprised by what you get!
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CURING FN-INK™ CURABLE REDUCER
FN-INK™ Curable Reducer is a low cure product, but it remains stable at higher temperatures. The additive can be used with standard-cure inks of 320°F. If you’re using standard-cure inks that have a thicker viscosity, adding FN-INK™ Curable Reducer is a great option to get that creamy texture.
Using FN-INK™ Curable Reducer is a great way to make a thick ink easier to print. As with any additive, make sure you do lots of testing before printing the job. Get creamy ink with any ink using FN-INK™ Curable Reducer.