Learning Center

Reference, not guesswork.

Guides written by the people who run these processes — ink selection, DTF and heat transfer, cure and troubleshooting. Real recommendations from the Total Ink Solutions bench, not generic filler.

Guide

Plastisol Ink for Screen Printing: The Complete Guide

Plastisol is the workhorse ink of garment screen printing. This complete guide covers what plastisol is, how to print and cure it correctly, plastisol vs water-based, specialty plastisols, and which ink to pick for which job. Real recommendations from the Total Ink Solutions plastisol lineup.

May 11, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Plastisol Ink Remover: How to Clean Screens, Squeegees, and Garments the Right Way

Plastisol ink remover is a solvent-based or biodegradable cleaning chemical that dissolves uncured plastisol ink from screens, squeegees, spatulas, pallets, and occasionally garments. It breaks down the PVC resin and plasticizer in the ink so it can be wiped, sprayed, or washed away without damaging

May 11, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

White Plastisol Ink: The Print Shop Guide to Picking, Printing, and Curing It Right

White plastisol ink is a PVC-based screen printing ink that sits on top of the fabric, cures at 320°F, and produces the opaque white base every dark-garment print depends on. It's the most important color in your shop — not because it's flashy, but because almost every multi-color print on a black,...

May 11, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Black Plastisol Ink: A Print Shop's Guide to Choosing, Printing, and Curing It Right

Black plastisol ink is a PVC-based screen printing ink, pigmented with carbon black, that sits on top of the fabric and cures to a flexible film at 320°F. It's the workhorse color in every print shop — the one you'll burn through faster than any other on the rack. Get the black right and most of...

May 11, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Glow in the Dark Plastisol Ink: How It Works, How to Print It, and What to Buy

Glow in the dark plastisol ink is a phosphorescent screen printing ink that absorbs ambient light during the day and re-emits it as a green or aqua glow in the dark. It prints, flashes, and cures like standard plastisol — 320°F to a full cure — but it relies on a heavier deposit and a thicker mesh...

May 11, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Heat Transfer Vinyl for Shirts: A Print Shop's Working Guide

Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is a polyurethane or PVC film with a heat-activated adhesive backing that bonds to fabric under pressure at 280–320°F. You cut the design with a vinyl cutter, weed away the excess, and press it onto a shirt with a heat press. It's the fastest way to decorate one shirt or...

May 13, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

International Coatings Plastisol Ink: A Print Shop's Guide (Plus House-Brand Alternatives)

International Coatings is a US-based plastisol ink manufacturer based in Cerritos, California, known for their 7100 series whites, athletic plastisols, and stretch-friendly formulas. Their inks cure at 320°F (160°C) and run on standard screen printing setups — 156 to 230 mesh, 70-durometer...

May 15, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Rapid Cure Plastisol Ink: How It Works, When to Use It, and What to Run on Your Press

Rapid cure plastisol ink is a plastisol formulated to fully cure at a lower temperature — typically 260°F to 280°F — instead of the standard 320°F most general-purpose plastisols need. Lower cure temperatures mean shorter dryer dwell, less dye migration on polyester, and the ability to cure with...

May 18, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Best Plastisol Ink for Screen Printing in 2025

The best plastisol ink is the one that matches your fabric, cures cleanly at your dryer's temperature, and lays down opaque in one or two hits. For most cotton work that means a general purpose plastisol at 320°F. For polyester and performance fabrics it means a low-bleed or low-cure formula at...

May 18, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Heat Transfer Vinyl Printers: What They Are, What They Print, and What to Buy

A heat transfer vinyl printer is a printer paired with printable HTV media that lets you produce full-color, heat-applied graphics for apparel without screens or DTG equipment. The two common setups are an inkjet printing onto printable PU vinyl, and a white-toner LED printer (like the Crio...

May 20, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Where to Buy Plastisol Ink (and How to Pick the Right One)

Plastisol ink is a PVC-based screen printing ink that cures at 320°F and sits on top of the fabric rather than soaking into it. It's the standard for commercial garment printing in the US because it holds opacity, runs forever on press without drying in the screen, and gives you a wash-durable...

May 22, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Heat Transfer Vinyl Designs Ready to Press: A Print Shop's Working Guide

Heat transfer vinyl designs ready to press are pre-cut, pre-weeded HTV graphics that you can apply to a garment with a heat press in 10–15 seconds. No cutter time, no weeding, no design setup. You order the design, peel the carrier, press at 305°F, and ship the shirt.

May 25, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl: How It Works, What to Buy, and How to Print It Right

Printable heat transfer vinyl is a coated HTV sheet or roll designed to accept printer ink (inkjet or eco-solvent) on the surface, then transfer onto a garment with a heat press at 305–320°F. You print your design, cut around it with a vinyl cutter or by hand, weed the excess, and press it onto...

May 27, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Siser EasyWeed Heat Transfer Vinyl: A Print Shop's Working Guide

Siser EasyWeed is a polyurethane heat transfer vinyl that presses at 305°F for 10–15 seconds with medium pressure and peels warm. It's the workhorse HTV most shops reach for on cotton, polyester, and cotton/poly blends because it's thin, stretches with the garment, and lays down without scorching...

May 29, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

3D Puff Heat Transfer Vinyl: How It Works, How to Press It, and What to Buy

3D puff heat transfer vinyl is a specialty HTV that expands and rises off the fabric when heat-pressed, creating a raised, foam-like 3D effect similar to puff plastisol ink. It applies in seconds with a heat press, weeds and cuts like standard HTV, and presses at roughly 290–320°F depending on the...

June 1, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Heat Transfer Vinyl Shiny Side Up or Down? The Answer Is Always Shiny Side Down.

Load heat transfer vinyl shiny side down on your cutting mat, and press it shiny side up on the shirt. The shiny side is the clear plastic carrier sheet. That carrier protects the design through cutting and pressing, and it's the side your heat press or iron touches. The dull, matte side is the...

June 3, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Woohoo Screen Printing Ink & Supplies: What You're Actually Searching For

"Woohoo screen printing ink & supplies" is a search a lot of print shops type when they're hunting for a one-shop source for plastisol ink, emulsion, screens, squeegees, and the consumables that keep a press running. The brand name shows up in scattered listings, but most printers landing on that...

June 5, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Hobby Lobby Heat Transfer Vinyl vs Pro-Grade HTV: What Working Shops Actually Use

Hobby Lobby heat transfer vinyl is the craft-store HTV stocked on the seasonal aisle, sold in 12" x 12" sheets and small rolls under brands like Cricut, Silhouette, and the store's own line. It's designed for one-off Cricut projects on cotton tees, not for shops running orders. If you're decorating...

June 8, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

How to Remove Heat Transfer Vinyl From a Shirt Without Wrecking the Garment

To remove heat transfer vinyl from a shirt, soften the adhesive with heat (an iron or heat press at 270–305°F) or a dedicated HTV remover solvent like OPTI Remove or AlbaChem Vinyl Liftoff, then peel and scrub the residue while the bond is still soft. Heat works for fresh misprints. Solvent works...

June 10, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Do You Need Transfer Tape for Heat Transfer Vinyl? The Honest Answer

Most heat transfer vinyl (HTV) does not need separate transfer tape. HTV ships with a clear or translucent carrier sheet already bonded to the vinyl. That carrier is your transfer tape. You weed the design, place it carrier-side up on the garment, and press. Transfer tape (the kind you buy in rolls...

June 12, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Heat Transfer Vinyl Temperature and Time: The Complete Press Settings Guide

Most heat transfer vinyl (HTV) presses at 305°F for 10–15 seconds with medium pressure. That's the working range for the majority of standard cotton and poly-cotton blends using mainstream HTV like Siser EasyWeed or Ameriflex Quickweed. Specialty films shift the numbers. Glitter, puff, foil,...

June 15, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Heat Transfer Vinyl: The Working Shop's Guide to HTV

Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is a heat-activated polyurethane or PVC film with an adhesive backing that bonds to fabric under heat and pressure, typically 305–320°F for 10–15 seconds. You cut a design from a sheet or roll, weed out the negative space, and press the carrier sheet onto a garment. The...

June 17, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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Guide

Heat Transfer Vinyl: A Working Shop's Guide to HTV

Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is a thin, heat-activated polyurethane film with a pressure-sensitive carrier sheet. You cut a design on a vinyl cutter, weed the excess, then press it onto fabric at 305–320°F for 10–15 seconds to bond it to the garment. That's the whole technology in one paragraph. The...

June 19, 2026Total Ink Solutions

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