Discharge printing
Also known as: discharge printing, bleach discharge, chemical discharge
Textile printing technique that chemically discharges the existing dye and optionally replaces it with a new colour — resulting in super-soft prints with no surface film.
Description
In discharge printing a dyed fabric is printed with a discharging paste that chemically destroys the existing dye. The classic reducing agent is sodium hydrosulphite or formaldehyde-sulphoxylate (Rongalite), activated by steam or dry heat — the ground dye disappears and leaves either the white base fabric or a discharge-resistant illuminating colour introduced at the same time.
The visual result is unmatched: prints look as if they were part of the fabric, because no ink film sits on top of the fibre. The hand is practically identical to the un-printed cloth — which is why discharge is the gold standard for high-end T-shirts, vintage looks and soft dark streetwear. Requirement: cotton dyed reactively or with dischargeable dyes; on polyester the technique does not work.
- Chemically strips the existing ground dye
- Super-soft hand, no perceptible ink layer
- Only possible on reactively/dischargeably dyed cotton
- Classic for premium T-shirts, streetwear and vintage looks
Properties
| Process | Chemical stripping of already-dyed goods |
|---|---|
| Reducing agent | Sodium hydrosulphite, Rongalite (Zn/Na sulphoxylate) |
| Substrate | Reactively dyed cotton (not possible on polyester) |
| Hand | Practically identical to un-printed cloth |
| Application | Premium T-shirts, streetwear, vintage prints |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Discharge printing Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discharge_printing
- ScreenPrinting.com: When To Use Discharge Ink screenprinting.com https://www.screenprinting.com/blogs/news/when-to-use-discharge-ink-and-when-not-to
