Here at Foxtrot Custom, we offer two printing styles: bright and bold Standard Ink, and faded washy Vintage Ink.
Check out the image comparison of real-life examples between Standard Ink and Vintage Ink using the same shirt, design, and ink color.
Vintage Ink
allows some of the shirt color to show through, while reproducing more detail and giving the piece a stylish look.
Standard Ink
makes bright, bold prints that block out the shirt color, so the colors print purely.
If you’re more concerned with style and feel, Vintage Ink is the way to go. If you really need pure colors and bold art, go for Standard Ink.
Still not sure which is best for your order? Check out the video and additional notes below!
How is Standard Ink different from Vintage Ink?
Great question!
Standard Ink is produced to be bright and bold using a few different techniques. We also use screens that are a little bit looser to allow more ink to go through. We also add an underbase—a layer of white ink under all the artwork to give the ink(s) a solid, bright canvas to lay on. Yes, it does add to the cost of printing, and also puts a thicker layer of ink on the garment. But if you want pure colors and extra pop to your art, standard ink is the way to go!
We don’t suggest using Standard Ink with Triblend fabrics—the thickness of the ink spoils the super-soft feel of the high-end fabrics.
Vintage Ink uses a “single hit” of ink with less pressure through a finer mesh screen to restrict the amount of ink getting on the shirt, and uses no underbase layer. It creates a print that is soft to the touch with crisper details, and typically costs less. It effectively allows the apparel color to tint the ink, which gives the shirt a stylish/retro/artsy in look.
Because of the translucency of the vintage ink, the combination of shirt color and ink color becomes an important consideration. Tone on tone prints always work, as well as dark ink on light colors and light ink on dark colors.
If you’re not sure which style is best for your order, start with Vintage and let us know you’d like some advice. At Foxtrot Custom we adhere to high quality printing standards and take the time to carefully consider every order. Each project is unique, allowing the print set-up to be optimized for the best outcomes for your designs.
Our team will happily give recommendations about which option is best for your needs, so reach out on chat, send us a message or give us a call at 1-877-874-4781.