ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration Technical Information

ECOTRANS® inks and adhesives are used to produce soft handle and flexible heat transfer labels for apparel, sportswear, healthcare, workwear and promotional items.

ECOTRANS® inks and adhesives are:

ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® certified
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Product Class I compliant
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Version 7.0 Approved
Restricted Substance List (RSL) compliant to the World's leading brands
EU REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 compliant
RoHS compliant
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) compliant
washable up to 95°C
suitable for printing on or applying to a wide range of substrates
non-hazardous
formulated to be free from APEO, cadmium, formaldehyde, organotin, phthalates and PVC

ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration inks prevent dye bleed from sublimated dyed polyester and dip dyed fabrics from discolouring the heat transfer label.

ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration (82-08-9-59100)

For Dye Sublimated Polyesters.

ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration Soft Shell (82-08-9-SSB)

For Dip Dyed and Soft Shell Fabrics.

Ink Code

82-08-

Printing Process

Screen

Restricted Substance List (RSL) Compliance

ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® (OEKO-TEX® Label Check & OEKO-TEX® Label Check)

STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Product Class I

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Version 6.0

Adidas A-01 Test Standard

Nike, Inc. Chemistry Playbook & Restricted Substance List May 2020

Nike Colour Fastness to Dye Migration

Wash & Durability Performance

Laundering / Washing

AATCC TM61 Colorfastness to Laundering: Accelerated

AATCC TM135 Dimensional Changes of Fabrics after Home Laundering

ISO 105-C06:2010 Colour fastness to domestic and commercial laundering

ISO 105-C08:2010 Colour fastness to domestic and commercial laundering using a non-phosphate reference detergent incorporating a low-temperature bleach activator

ISO 6330:2012 Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing

Marks and Spencer Fabric Durability (C15)

Marks and Spencer Print Durability (P5)

Dry Cleaning

AATCC TM86 Drycleaning: Durability of Applied Designs and Finishes

ISO 105-D01:2010 Colour fastness to drycleaning using perchloroethylene solvent

Bleach

ISO 105-C09:2001 Colour fastness to domestic and commercial laundering — Oxidative bleach response using a non-phosphate reference detergent incorporating a low temperature bleach activator

Chlorine

ISO 105-E03:2010 Colour fastness to chlorinated water (swimming-pool water)

Tumble Dry

ISO 6330:2012 Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing

Ironing

ISO 105-X11:1994 Colour fastness to hot pressing

Abrasion

AATCC TM8 Colorfastness to Crocking: Crockmeter

ISO 105-X12:2016 Colour fastness to rubbing

ISO 12947-2: 2016 Determination of specimen breakdown

Inks

ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration (82-08-9-59100)

For Dye Sublimated Polyesters.

ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration Soft Shell (82-08-9-SSB)

For Dip Dyed and Soft Shell Fabrics.

Additives

ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Foam (82-AD-AF)

Use up to 1% to reduce excessive bubbling when mixing inks.

ECOTRANS® AQ Retarder (82-AD-RE)

Use up to 5% if the ink dries too fast.

ECOTRANS® AQ Wetting Agent (82-AD-WA)

Use up to 1% to reduce reticulation and pin-holing of prints.

Notes:

We recommend to only use the additives listed above to ensure the heat transfer labels produced with ECOTRANS® inks, additives and adhesives are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Class 1 compliant.
We recommend not to use >10% of any combination of additives in ECOTRANS® AQ inks.

Crosslinkers

ECOTRANS® AQ Crosslinker Aqua (82-AD-AQ)

Use to improve wash & durability performance.

Use at 3% for ECOTRANS® AQ Mixing Clear (82-08-M-CLEAR) and other colours.

Use at 2% for ECOTRANS® AQ Mixing White (82-08-M-WHITE) ink.

Use at 1% for ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration (82-08-9-59100 / 82-08-9-SBB) inks.

For mixed colours 82-AD-AQ must be added in correct proportion.

ECOTRANS® AQ Crosslinker Bluesign® System (82-AD-BS)

Use at 5% to improve wash & durability performance.

Notes:

We recommend to only use the crosslinkers listed above to ensure the heat transfer labels produced with ECOTRANS® AQ inks, additives, crosslinkers and adhesives are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Class 1 compliant.
We recommend not to mix different ECOTRANS® AQ crosslinkers together.

Substrates

This product is designed to be printed on a thoroughly dried print of ECOTRANS® AQ inks.

Notes:

The release substrate and application substrate must be STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Class 1 compliant to ensure the heat transfer labels produced with ECOTRANS® inks, additives and adhesives are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® Class 1 compliant.

Usage Instructions

For use with ECOTRANS® AQ Screen Printable Adhesives

ECOTRANS® AQ Aqua Crosslinker (82-AD-AQ) must be added to ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration inks and mixed thoroughly.
The inks are now ready for printing.
Each print layer must be thoroughly dried at a minimum of 90°C and for a minimum of 60 seconds to ensure completely dry before additional layers of inks are printed.
Before printing the ECOTRANS® AQ Screen Printable Adhesives, ensure the drying temperature and duration is adjusted to meet the usage instructions of the adhesive.

Notes:

ECOTRANS® AQ (82-08-) inks mixed with ECOTRANS® AQ Crosslinker (82-AD-AQ / 82-AD-BS) have a pot life of 8 hours.
Printed substrates must be allowed to cure for a minimum of 24 hours before application.
Standard Wash & Durability Performance will be achieved 72 hours after curing.

Usage Recommendations

The optimum print room temperature is 18-20°C.
The optimum relative humidity is 50-60%.
We recommend using in a well ventilated area.
We recommend that tunnel dryers are turned on and allowed sufficient time to reach the required drying temperatures before printing commences.
We recommend the use of a humidifier in the printing area to prevent drying-in of the inks on the screen mesh.
We recommend the use of water misters in the printing area.
The screen emulsion must be suitable for use with water based inks.
For ECOTRANS® AQ Anti-Dye Migration inks we recommend printing two layers with a screen mesh of 61T.
We recommend a square edged triple layer squeegee with 65/95/65 shA.
The squeegee must be suitable for use with water based inks.
For best registration it is recommended that the substrate is conditioned to the ambient temperature and humidity of the print room prior to printing.
We recommend that ink is replenished onto the screen in smaller quantities more frequently rather than larger quantities less often to keep the screen open. This will improve production efficiency and reduce downtime as printing will not need to be stopped for screen cleaning.
If printing is interrupted for more than 5 minutes then the screen mesh must be cleaned thoroughly to avoid ink drying in the screen
PERFECTOS® Screen Refresher (99-10-83) can be used to keep the screen stable and open when printing small image areas or keeping the ink soft prior to screen washout.
We recommend to only mix the required quantity of ink and crosslinker to reduce wastage.

Wash Up

Remove excess ink from squeegee and screen mesh immediately.
Remove any remaining ink from the screen mesh with water. A pressurised water-jet will give best results.
Use PERFECTOS® Cleaner (99-10-82) for final cleaning the of the squeegee and screen mesh to prevent ghosting.
Ensure all ink is removed from the squeegee and screen mesh to avoid damage.

Notes:

If it is not possible to clean the screen mesh immediately then PERFECTOS® Screen Refresher (99-10-83) can be applied to the screen mesh to delay the ink drying. Storing the screen in a plastic bag until it can be cleaned may also be helpful.

Packaging

Ink Range

1kg, 6kg and 18kg.

Additives

1kg, 5kg and 25kg.

Crosslinkers

1kg, 5kg and 25kg.

Shelf Life & Storage

Inks

1 year from date of manufacture in unopened containers.

Additives

3 years from date of manufacture in unopened containers.

Crosslinkers

1 year from date of manufacture in unopened containers.

Notes:

Products must be stored in the supplied containers with closed lids.
Products must be stored in between 5°C and 35°C, out of direct sunlight and away from any heat sources.

Compatible Inks

ECOTRANS® AQ (82-08-) inks and adhesives are water based inks used to produce stretchable, soft handle and flexible multi-layer heat transfer labels with unrivalled 100% stretch and return memory.

ECOTRANS® AQ Ultimate Stretch has been developed to provide stretch of up to 200% for single colour tagless heat transfer labels. Suitable applications include tagless care labels on elastic, Lycra, Spandex, intimates and sportwear apparel.

ECOTRANS® (86-OK-)

ECOTRANS® inks are low odour solvent based inks used to produce stretchable, soft handle and flexible multi-layer heat transfer labels.

LITHOTRANS® (10-10-)

A fast-drying vegetable oil based single pack ink system suitable for producing durable printed transfers when used on offset lithographic printing machines. A super high definition transfer that generates photographic quality transfers by co-use of white backer by screen printing ECOTRANS® ATHLETIC 82-08-HS- water based high stretch ink with hot melt powders or printable adhesives.

Compatible Adhesives

ECOTRANS® AQ 60°C Wash Adhesive (82-HA-DW)

For domestic washing.

ECOTRANS® AQ 95°C Wash Adhesive (82-HA-IW-WB)

For industrial washing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Why are my printed substrates sticking together (blocking)?

This is often caused because the prints have not been thoroughly dried.
Consider reducing the quantities of ECOTRANS® AQ Retarder (82-AD-RE) and ECOTRANS® AQ Ink Stabiliser(82-AD-ST) additives to reduce ink drying time.
Ensure the drying temperature and duration is correct.
Ensure the drying method has sufficient air flow and extraction to ensure all solvents are removed from the prints.
Consider increasing the drying temperature and/or duration for larger print designs.

2. Why are my prints showing mesh marks?

This may be caused by the thickness of the screen mesh filaments preventing an even coating of ink. Where possible use thinner threads or a finer screen mesh.
We recommend printing two layers of ink to reduce this effect.

3. Why are my prints missing details?

This can be caused by dust, other particles or dried ink blocking the screen mesh. Ensure the screen mesh is thoroughly cleaned.
Dust or other particles can also settle onto the substrate preventing the ink from printing correctly.
Ensure the screen snap-off distance is uniform to prevent uneven squeegee pressure distorting the print.

4. Why do my prints feel greasy?

Prints can sometimes feel greasy and appear to have liquid on the surface.
This may be caused because the prints have not been thoroughly dried.
Ensure the drying temperature and duration is correct.
Ensure the drying method has sufficient air flow and extraction to ensure all solvents are removed from the prints.
Consider increasing the drying temperature and/or duration for larger print designs.

5. Why are my transfers wrinkled or distorted after drying?

This may be caused because the PET film is not heat stable at the current drying temperature.
Consider using at PET film that is heat stable at the required drying temperature.
Consider reducing the drying temperature and increasing the duration if it is not possible to change the PET film.

6. Why are my transfers changing colour immediately after application?

Ensure the appropriate release substrate is used.
To confirm that the discolouration is not due to the release substrate, process this through the drying tunnel and heat-press without having been printed. Some substrates are known to yellow with heat and this can affect the shade of the print.
Ensure the platen temperature is correct. If the platen temperature is too high this may cause dye migration from the application substrate to the transfer causing discolouration.
Consider printing additional layers of ECOTRANS® AQ Dye Migration Blocker.

7. Why do my prints have liquid pockets on the surface?

Prints can sometimes appear to have liquid pockets on the surface.
This may be caused because the prints have not been thoroughly dried leaving trapped moisture within the transfer.
Ensure the drying temperature and duration is correct.
Ensure the drying method has sufficient air flow and extraction to ensure all solvents are removed from the prints.
Consider increasing the drying temperature and/or duration for larger print designs.
Ensure the appropriate release substrate is used.
Ensure the release substrate is stable at drying and application temperatures and does not suffer from shrinkage.

8. Why are my applied transfers not meeting the expected wash or durability performance?

This is often caused because the prints have not been thoroughly dried.
Ensure the drying temperature and duration is correct.
Ensure the drying method has sufficient air flow and extraction to ensure all solvents are removed from the prints.
Consider increasing the drying temperature and/or duration for larger print designs.
Confirm that crosslinker has been added to the inks at the specified percentage and mixed thoroughly. Adding excessive crosslinker can reduce the flexibility of the applied heat transfer labels therefore limiting stretch as well as potentially reducing wash & durability performance.
Check both the inks and the crosslinker are within shelf life and expiry dates.
Ensure crosslinker has not been added to the screen printable adhesives.
Ensure additives are not used in excess of the recommendations.
Ensure printed substrates have been allowed to stand for a minimum of 24 hours before application.
Ensure the applied transfers are given the required 48 hours after application before testing.
To improve colour fastness to rubbing and abrasion resistance, consider mixing the first printed layer with clear ink or if not possible, print a protective first layer of clear ink.

9. Why are my transfers wrinkled or distorted after drying?

This may be caused because the PET film is not heat stable at the current drying temperature.
Consider using a PET film that is heat stable at the required drying temperature.
Consider reducing the drying temperature and increasing the duration if it is not possible to change the PET film.

Safety

Please read the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) before use.

Disclaimer

All information is given in good faith but without warranty expressed or implied.

Document Version

Version 1.10 Published 02 September 2024.