Water-based eco friendly soft auto-crack silkscreen inks for textile
Properties
Aquasol EcoCrack White/Clear is formulated to be suitable for crack effect silkscreen prints on cotton and
polyester-cotton blend fabric. Aquasol Fixer NF, which is a formaldehyde-free fixer, can be added if
required. The Aquasol EcoCrack White/Clear provides an auto-crack finish with excellent softness,
elasticity, smoothness, handfeel and wash fastness. In addition, the prints are tack free and provide good
anti-block properties (no face-to-face sticky transfer of inks). The Aquasol EcoCrack White/Clear is also
environment compliant and free of the following chemicals;
1. Formaldehyde
2. Azo
3. Poly vinyl chloride (PVC)
4. All Phthalates
5. Alkyl phenol ethoxylate (APEO)
6. Aromatic solvents
7. Heavy metals
The Aquasol EcoCrack White/Clear grades differ in terms of opacity and are used based on the required
colours of the print and of the fabric.
Aquasol EcoCrack White – Highly opaque and soft handfeel with brilliant white tone. Suitable for prints
on dark fabric.
Aquasol EcoCrack Clear – Transparent and soft handfeel. Suitable to be used in combination with Silkflex
AquaCrack White for coloured crack prints.
Application Procedure
Print one coat of Aquasol EcoCrack Base and after drying, print one or more coats of Aquasol EcoCrack
White/Clear on top. Thicker prints (more coats) will effect larger cracks. Dry the print completely with a
hairdryer to initiate and complete the auto-cracking effect. Aquasol EcoCrack White/Clear is thixotropic and
can become more viscous when left standing for prolonged periods of time. However, the viscosity will
reduce with stirring or agitation during the usual process of printing. Small amounts of clean water can be
added to reduce viscosity if necessary. Aquasol EcoCrack White/Clear is suitable for silkscreen prints with
screen mesh sizes of 100-120. After drying, the prints are fully cured at 150oC for ~2 min. or heatpress at
135oC for 10 s. Aquasol Fixer NF can be added at 1-3% to further improve wash/colour fastness if necessary.
Storage
Do not exceed one year from date of manufacture. Protect from frost (>5oC). Keep lids tightly closed at all
times after use.