Caligo is best easy clean printmaking ink I've used. - I love using Caligo printing ink. It's easy to blend colours, give clear bright results, layers really well, cleans up easily with water and dries overnight. This post is all about choosing the best ink but I've got lots of information if you want to learn some specific techniques and tips for lino printing on fabric. Note – the pigmented ink is being ‘absorbed’ onto the fabric fibres rather than being ‘absorbed’ into the fibres as per fabric ‘dyes’. It’s weird that you’ve experienced issues with the inks not drying. What type of paper are you printing on?

Our best advice, as always, is to test on a sample piece first before committing to a full project. With this in mind – here’s our advice on using Safe Wash Inks for fabric printing. Which Inks? Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks are water-soluble, oil-based inks suitable for all high-pressure techniques: woodcut, wood engraving, linocut, letterpress and also for printing with photopolymer plates. etc.

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All discounts against RRP are made against the United Kingdom Recommended Retail Price (RRP). Unless specified, offers and vouchers are not valid on products which are already discounted from RRP, gift vouchers, books and from the I LOVE ART range. Oil-based ink for all relief techniques including woodcut, linocut, monotype, engraving and Solarplate Humidity and temperature will also affect the drying time of oil-based inks. It can help to place the prints in an area with good air circulation and lower humidity. They’ll dry faster at warmer temperatures as well. I’ve read that you can speed up the process somewhat by using a hair dryer on low, but I’ve never tried it.

We’ve also hand printed successfully (on a hard surface) with a simple ‘traditional’ Rubber Stamp. Drying / Washing If any stubborn patches of ink remain, dry the surface with a paper towel, work in more soap and wash again. Yes, it's an intaglio ink but it works just fine for relief printing right out of the tube. Similar to Caligo but a little more expensive and smelly. We would recommend you use our Safe Wash RELIEF Inks on fabric as these have some driers already added. If you need to speed up dry times, then you can add a drop of cobalt or manganese driers to your ink and mix well. Printing – with or without a press ?reduce drying time and improve mark and rub resistance of the dried print surface. Test for suitability Some printers like to wash and dry their fabric first to give the most receptive surface for printing. Printing with a press will always give the densest, most even ink transfer for your fabric prints but you can still achieve pleasing results printing by hand. I'm sorry, but it worked terribly for me and I tried several different colors.Thankfully, it's very hard to buy for those of us in the US. The key is patience and giving sufficient time for the fabric print to dry fully before attempting to excessively rub or wash. Less absorbent fabrics will, we think, take longer to dry and will be more liable to smudge whilst waiting to fully dry as more of the ink will be left to sit on the top of the fibres rather than soak into them. In this case adding extra driers may help. Clean up is easy. I mix the Caligo ink on a glass plate and to remove the ink at the end of work scrape off the excess onto newsprint then lightly flood the plate with a dishcloth of water. I let it soften for a minute and it then wipes away easily with kitchen towels or the glass or plexiglass can be flushed without fear under the tap. Same for rollers, roll off excess onto newsprint, loosen ink with water and get easy cleaning.

If you are intending to wear (e.g. a scarf) or handle the printed fabric (e.g. as a cushion) or it’s likely to be exposed to the elements (e.g. a pennant or flag) – then we’d advise you wash the printed fabric before using. This way the washed fabric has the best chance to remain smudge resistant – even if you may lose a little colour on first wash. Although – as you see – the results on cotton are good.

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NOTE: Protect your Blanket: On thin fabric the ink may penetrate all the way through and mark your blanket when you print. So remember – always protect your blankets with a couple of sheets of tissue paper before you print. What are your thoughts on the water-soluble inks and oil-paints? Have you tried any of them? Tell me below in the comments! While also oil-based, it's made to clean up easily (like Caligo's ink) and comes in a wide spectrum of colors. Speedballrolls out nicely and produces crisp images on t-shirts and other fabrics. On the downside, I find the smell a little unpleasant while I'm working with it. After it dries (up to 7 days), it washes well but there will be some slight fading over time. I haven’t been really happy with the water-based printing inks I’ve been using. They’re way better than traditional oil-based inks. They’re non-toxic, much easier to clean up and you don’t need to use solvents, which makes them much safer, particularly in a home-based studio.