Flash & Cure Chart
Pick an ink type and a fabric to see the flash and cure numbers the ink makers publish for specific inks. Works offline, no sign-up.
Your ink’s data sheet wins. These numbers belong to the exact inks named. Before a run, follow the data sheet for the ink you’re using, measure the ink film temperature (not just the dryer setting), and test the cure: stretch the print once it cools and wash test a sample. If it cracks or fades, add dwell time or heat and test again.
Full chart
| Maker / ink | Type | Fabric (per maker) | Flash | Cure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Coatings 700 Series Direct Print | Plastisol | Cotton, Cotton/poly blends | Spot dry until the ink is just dry to the touch with no lift-off, not fully fused. Full fusing a flashed color can cause intercoat adhesion problems. | 325°F (163°C), entire ink film | [1] |
| International Coatings 7600 Series General Purpose Colors (FlexCure) | Low-cure plastisol | Cotton, Cotton/poly blends | Spot dries with very low after-flash tack. Too much spot-cure heat can make the ink tacky. | 275°F to 325°F (135°C to 163°C) | [2] |
| International Coatings Poly White 741 | Low-cure plastisol | 100% polyester | Avoid over-flashing. It can cause poor intercoat adhesion of the colors on top or more dye migration. | 275°F to 325°F (135°C to 163°C) | [3] |
| International Coatings Puff Additive 220 stretch puff recipe | Puff | Stretch (Lycra) | Print, flash, print several times to build a thick layer for more loft. | 320°F for 60 seconds | [4] |
| Rutland EH8033 NPT Solid Black | Plastisol | Cotton, Cotton/poly blends | Gel point 160°F (71°C) | Fusion 320°F (160°C) | [5] |
| Rutland Chill Cotton (LC-0000) colors | Low-cure plastisol | Cotton | — | 270–320°F (132–160°C) | [6] |
| Rutland Chill Poly (LB-0000) colors | Low-cure plastisol | 100% polyester | — | 250–300°F (121–149°C) | [6] |
| Rutland Chill LB LC Poly White (LB9800) | Low-cure plastisol | 100% polyester | — | 250–320°F (121–160°C) | [6] |
| Rutland NPT HO LB Jewel Tone metallic (ES4060) | Metallic | Cotton, Cotton/poly blends | Gel point 160°F | Full cure 320°F (160°C) | [7] |
| Permaset Permaset Aqua | Water-based | Cotton, Cotton/poly blends, 100% polyester | — | Ink deposit temperature: 2–3 min at 160°C (320°F), 5–6 min at 140°C (285°F), or 8–9 min at 120°C (250°F) | [8], [9] |
| Green Galaxy HSA water-based ink | Water-based | Not limited on the sheet | Forced-air flash is best. Flash until dry to the touch. | Once the water is gone, the ink layer must reach 320°F and hold at least 20 seconds (30 seconds preferred). In a forced-air dryer: reach and hold 320°F or hotter for 1:45–2 minutes. | [10] |
| CCI EnviroLine D-Flo fluorescent discharge | Discharge | Not limited on the sheet | Print wet-on-wet without flash curing. | Minimum 90 seconds at 320°F. Ideally 2–3 minutes at 340–350°F with high-volume forced air. | [11] |
| Matsui Discharge Base 301 DM | Discharge | Not limited on the sheet | — | 320°F (160°C) | [12] |
| Inkuin SLC Series silicone inks | Silicone | Not limited on the sheet | — | 160–170°C for 1.5–3 minutes, depending on ink thickness (the sheet also lists drying at 165°C for 2 minutes) | [13] |
| Natron SilTex AS Series silicone grip ink | Silicone | Socks and gloves | — | 212°F–250°F for 30–60 seconds in an oven or tunnel dryer | [14] |
Before you trust a number
- Mixing in reducers or additives can change cure. International Coatings warns that additives can lower bleed resistance and raise cure times.
- Cure is about the whole ink film reaching temperature for long enough. A thick deposit, a puff or a metallic needs more dwell than a thin print.
- Water-based and discharge prints have to lose their water before they can cure, so a flash alone is rarely enough.
- Running low-cure inks on polyester? Keep the heat at the low end of the range to hold back dye migration.
Need dryer speed or the basics of curing? See Cure Temp Guide and How to check a cure.
Sources
- International Coatings, 700 Series Direct Print Plastisol Inks, product bulletin
- International Coatings, General Purpose Colors 7600 Series, product bulletin
- International Coatings, Poly White 741, product bulletin
- International Coatings, Print a Stretchy Puff Design (blog)
- Rutland (Avient), EH8033 NPT Solid Black, Technical Data Sheet #318
- Rutland (Avient), Rutland Product Selection Guide
- Rutland (Avient), ES4060 NPT HO LB 24KT Gold Jewel Tone, technical data
- Permaset (Colormaker Industries), Permaset Aqua technical data, May 2020
- Permaset (Colormaker Industries), Heat Curing of Permaset, technical data, June 2023
- Green Galaxy (Ryonet), Green Galaxy Pitch Black HSA water-based ink, product page
- Chemical Consultants Inc. (CCI), EnviroLine D-Flo fluorescent discharge ink, tech sheet 878
- Matsui International, Water Based Discharge Inks (Soft Hand)
- Inkuin, SLC Series silicone inks, technical data sheet
- Natron (Boston Industrial Solutions), SilTex AS Series silicone inks, mixing and printing instructions