Types of Textile Printing Inks

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Permalink Reply by Apparel1 on September 26, 2011 at 7:21am

I have recently learned the official name for the ink and dye that is used to make t-shirt prints change color when the shirt is in sun light.  This is called Thermochromic Inks or Thermochromic Dyes.  You can learn more about Thermochromism on Wikipedia.  In regard to textile printing Wikipedia mentions, "Thermochromic inks or dyes are temperature sensitive compounds, developed in the 1970s, that temporarily change color with exposure to heat. They come in two forms, liquid crystals and leuco dyes. Leuco dyes are easier to work with and allow for a greater range of applications. These applications include: flat thermometers, battery testers, clothing, and the indicator on bottles of maple syrup that change color when the syrup is warm. The most well-known line of clothing utilizing thermochromics was Hypercolor. The thermometers are often used on the exterior of aquariums, or to obtain a body temperature via the forehead. Coors light uses thermochromic ink on its cans now, changing from white to blue to indicate the can is cold."