Screen Printing
Discharge Printing
Discharge printing removes the garment's own dye instead of laying ink on top of it. A water-based discharge agent is pushed through the screen and activated by heat in the dryer, stripping the colour out of the cotton fibre and depositing a new pigment in the same pass. The result is a print with zero hand — run a finger across the design and you cannot feel where it starts. At White Cotton we run discharge on 100% cotton garments in our Barcelos facility, on the same screens and presses as the rest of our screen printing.
From Our Factory
How It Works
Fabric qualification: before anything is separated, the garment dye is confirmed as dischargeable. Not every dark cotton strips cleanly — this is verified at sampling, never assumed on the production run.
Colour separation and screen making: artwork is split into colour layers and each screen is coated with photosensitive emulsion, exposed through a film positive, and washed out — identical to standard screen printing.
Discharge agent mixing: the activator is combined with the base and, where the design calls for a colour rather than a bleached-out white, with pigment. Mixed discharge has a limited working life, so it is prepared per run rather than stored.
Printing: the agent is pushed through the screen onto the garment. At this stage the print looks wrong — the reaction has not happened yet and the colour is not visible.
Curing: garments pass through the conveyor dryer, where the heat drives the discharge reaction. The dye is stripped and the new pigment sets in the same pass, which is where the design finally appears.
Inspection: the discharged shade is checked against the approved sample. Because the outcome depends on the garment's original dye, we agree the acceptable shade range with the brand before production rather than after.
Best For
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Zero hand — the print cannot be felt, because there is no ink layer on the surface
- +Cannot crack or peel with wear, unlike a surface film
- +The garment keeps its full drape and breathability, even under a full-front graphic
- +Vintage, worn-in look straight off the press rather than after a year of washing
- +On dark garments it removes the need for a white underbase screen, which plastisol usually requires
Cons
- −100% cotton only — 50/50 and polycotton blends will not discharge, because the polyester fibre keeps its colour and leaves a washed-out ghost of the original shade
- −Not every dark dye is dischargeable; some blacks strip to an unexpected tan or rust rather than clean white, so sampling is mandatory
- −Pointless on white and pale garments — there is no dye to remove
- −The discharged shade varies slightly with the garment's own dye lot, so exact colour matching is harder than with plastisol
- −Discharge inks cost more than plastisol and cannot be stored once activated
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
What is discharge printing?
Discharge printing is a screen printing method that removes the dye from the garment rather than printing ink over it. A water-based discharge agent is applied through the screen and activated by the heat of the dryer, which strips the fabric's colour and sets a new pigment in the same pass. Because the colour change happens inside the fibre, the finished print has no thickness and no texture — it feels exactly like the fabric around it.
Does discharge printing work on 50/50 blends?
No. Discharge only strips dye from cotton fibres. On a 50/50 or polycotton blend the polyester holds its original colour, so instead of a clean print you get a faded, ghosted version of the garment shade showing through the design. For blended fabrics we recommend plastisol or water-based screen printing, or DTF if the artwork is full-colour. Our 100% cotton fabrics — organic cotton jersey, French Terry, brushed fleece — are the ones that discharge properly.
Why does my black t-shirt print a different colour?
Black garments are rarely dyed with a single black pigment. When the discharge agent strips that dye, what remains is whatever the underlying dye components leave behind — often a tan, rust, or grey rather than pure white. This is normal behaviour, not a printing fault, and it is exactly why we qualify the garment dye at sampling before committing a production run.
Is discharge printing more expensive than plastisol?
Per unit, the ink itself costs more than plastisol and it cannot be stored once activated, so mixing is done per run. The screen setup structure is identical — a fixed cost per colour, per print position, that amortises as quantity rises. On dark garments part of that difference comes back, because a light plastisol design normally needs an extra white underbase screen and discharge does not. Every quote is priced from your specific artwork, fabric, and quantity.
What is the minimum order for discharge printing?
Our minimum for screen printing, including discharge, is 75 units per design per colourway — the same as any other screen-printed job, because the screen setup cost is fixed regardless of quantity. Discharge adds one practical constraint on top of that: the fabric and dye have to be qualified first, so plan for a sampling round before the production run.
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