Catalysts for Screen Printing

International Coatings 900 Catalyst Additive is the best additive for screen printing on nylon and harder to adhere to fabrics. There's also the option to use nylon ink from International Coatings, but you be left with a stiffer print that doesn't always adhere properly. The 900 Catalyst additive is easy to use on all your nylon needs, but here are some unexpected ways that you can use a catalyst in some of your daily screen prints.

• Add a catalyst to help your inks adhere to your garments, other than just nylon. Think leather, vinyl substrates, and darker fabrics. When printing with darker fabrics, adding a catalyst to your darker plastisol inks will help maintain a smooth print, even after many washes. Always do a test print on the material being used and remember that it needs to withstand 320 degrees F to cure the ink.
• Catalysts can also be added to flock adhesive to help the flock stick to the fabric.
• Foil 3801 added with the catalyst will help the foil stick as well.

Just remember that once a catalyst is mixed in with the plastisol ink, the ink has a pot life of about six to eight hours. Be sure to only mix enough ink to use on the screen print job. We suggest mixing the plastisol and catalyst needed from morning until break time, from break time until lunch, and then do the same in the afternoon. A catalyst is viable as long as it is pour-able. When it is cold, it pours out slower, which is fine. As long as you can still pour it out then it is of good use. If the catalyst is crystallized and hardened, it’s no longer usable. Good luck on your future use to this catalyst. We are proud to sell International Coatings Products and know that the use of this product will change the way you work. If you have any specific questions, give us a call!