Learn how discharge ink creates soft, breathable prints on dark garments by replacing the shirt’s dye instead of layering ink on top.
TLDR: Discharge printing is a process where the garment’s dye is bleached out and replaced with a new ink color of your choice. The result is a super-soft print that’s embedded into the fabric itself—rather than sitting on top like traditional plastisol ink.
Discharge ink can be used on its own for bold, simple designs, or as a smooth underbase for complex process prints and simulated process artwork. Either way, it leaves the garment breathable and comfortable to wear.
In the image shown here, you can still see the weave of the fabric, demonstrating how the ink penetrates the fibers and replaces the original dye. This photo was taken before washing, which will further remove any surface ink and leave the print feeling even softer.
2 Color Discharge print
Journey tribute design for a concert at the Blossom. Neon blue and orange with halftones. In house design.
One Color Discharge Print with Halftones
Neon green discharge ink. Using halftones to create the gradients. This design was created for in house testing.
One Color Discharge Print with Halftones
Another one color discharge print with gradients. This a lion from the Cleveland zoo! In house design.
Discharge with Foil Combo
This is an ALL OVER decoration with discharge ink and Foil on top. In house design.
More One Color Discharge with Halftones
Neon green discharge ink with halftones. In house design.
This is a classic example of how effective a single color can be if it uses gradients.
One Color Discharge with Halftones
Same as the neon green print, but using neon blue in this case. In house design.
What Is Discharge Printing?
Discharge printing is a textile printing process that removes the existing dye from a garment and replaces it with a new pigment. This is done using discharge (water based) ink, which contains a chemical agent (usually zinc formaldehyde sulfoxylate) that deactivates the shirt’s original dye when heated.
The result is a soft, embedded print that feels like part of the fabric itself, rather than something added on top. This makes discharge ideal for high-end apparel applications where softness, breathability, and a worn-in feel are desired.
How It Works
Discharge inks are typically water-based and formulated to strip out dye molecules from fabric. When the ink is applied and cured (usually around 320°F), the discharge agent removes the dye and replaces it with the ink’s pigment in one pass.
This technique is most effective on:
100% cotton garments
Dark-colored shirts dyed with reactive dyes (especially black or deep tones, see below for compatibility chart)
Discharge is not effective on polyester or blends with synthetic content unless specially formulated. Ask us which manufacturers have blended shirts that will discharge, we can help.
Visual Characteristics
A properly executed discharge print will leave the shirt’s surface with no raised texture. The ink penetrates the fabric weave, resulting in a design that feels like it was always part of the shirt.
In the image referenced at the top, you can still see the weave of the shirt through the ink. This is a hallmark of discharge: the shirt’s fibers remain visible and breathable, and the print becomes even softer after washing—removing any residual surface ink.
Benefits
Soft hand feel: Because the dye is removed, the resulting print doesn’t sit on top of the fabric.
No cracking or stiffness: Unlike plastisol, discharge prints remain flexible and thin.
Breathable finish: Ideal for fashion garments or any application where comfort is key.
Considerations and Limitations
While discharge printing has many benefits, it’s not a universal solution:
Garment compatibility is crucial. Discharge will only work on garments dyed with reactive dyes. Pigment-dyed or synthetic garments will not discharge effectively. See the chart below to see which colors are compatible.
Beware of the re-dyes- when there are left overs or excess inventory (kelly green after St Patrick's day for example), manufactures on occasion will dye the shirts again and turn them in most cases into black garments. These shirts will not discharge properly. There is almost no way to know if the garments are re-dyes just by looking at them. FOR ALL ORDERS THAT WILL BE DECORATED USING DISCHARGE INKS MAKE SURE TO SPECIFY DISCHARGE READY!
Color accuracy can vary slightly depending on the garment’s base dye. This pops up more frequently than it should (one in 20 orders). Problem is that dye loading between different manufacturing facilities will vary and in some case it varies significantly (Mediums are manufactured in Dominican Republic and Larges come from Haiti for example). As a consequence, the final print colors could vary in brightness within the same order. In most cases the variance is small enough not to matter, but there are cases where it was very big and even where certain sizes were re-dyes and thus a total bust!
Print planning matters. Discharge requires careful design choices, especially when layering or creating high-contrast artwork.
