Discharge ink is a water based ink that soaks into the shirt’s fabric leaving it naturally soft. A discharge agent additive is mixed into the ink that removes the dye in your design area of the garment during the printing process. Once the dye has been removed discharge ink will then re-dye the image area with your desired ink color.
Pro : When adding discharge powder to water based inks you are able to achieve bright prints on dark or colored shirts.
Pro : Because discharge is used with water based inks the prints are extremely soft and breathable.
Con : Discharge only removes the dye from natural fibers such as cotton. It does not work on polyester or other synthetic fabrics.
Con : The process of discharging the garment is a chemical reaction so results from print to print can vary.
Con : Some bright colors like kelly green, royal blue, purple and red do not typically discharge well.