Why We Use Water Based Inks

Most people don’t think about ink when they buy a t-shirt. They look at the design. The colour. The fit. Maybe the fabric. Almost no one asks what the print is actually made from.

We do.

Because the ink changes everything. How it feels. How it wears. How long it lasts. And what kind of impact it leaves behind. Here’s why we use water based inks for Sabi & Soul.

1. It feels like part of the fabric

The biggest difference is simple.

Water based ink soaks into the fibres of the cotton instead of sitting on top of it. Once it’s cured, it becomes part of the fabric rather than a layer stuck to it.

That means no thick, rubbery patch on your chest. No stiff square that moves differently to the rest of the tee. No plastic shield feeling.

People call it a “no-feel” print. Which sounds dramatic, but it’s basically true. You feel the shirt. Not the ink.

For us, that matters. Our pieces are meant to feel lived in. Soft. Worn properly. Not laminated.

2. It lets the fabric breathe

When ink sits on top of fabric, it can block airflow. That’s what often happens with plastisol ink, which is one of the most common alternatives in t shirt printing.

Plastisol is PVC based. It forms a flexible plastic layer on the surface of the garment. It’s durable, yes. But it can trap heat and moisture.

If you’ve ever had a print that feels sweaty underneath, that’s usually why.

Water based ink doesn’t create that barrier. Because it bonds with the fibres, the cotton still behaves like cotton. It breathes. It moves. It softens over time. We don’t want our designs to feel like stickers. We want them to feel like part of the clothes you actually live in.

3. It lasts properly

There’s a myth that softer prints don’t last as long. Good water based ink proves that wrong.

When applied and cured correctly, it handles washing without drama. The colour holds. The detail stays crisp. Instead of cracking like a layer of dried paint, it gradually softens with the garment. It ages in the same direction as the cotton.

That’s the kind of longevity we’re interested in. 

Not “looks brand new forever”.

More like “looks better the more you wear it”.

4. It’s better for your skin and the planet

A lot of traditional screen printing inks, especially plastisol inks, are PVC based. That means they’re essentially plastic.

To make that plastic flexible, manufacturers often use chemicals called phthalates. Some phthalates have been linked to hormone disruption, which is why they’re increasingly restricted in products that sit against skin.

PVC itself isn’t biodegradable. It’s durable, but it’s still plastic. When a print cracks or flakes, that’s plastic breaking down.

Historically, parts of the printing industry also relied on chemicals that weren’t great environmentally, including substances linked to ozone depletion. They’ve largely been phased out now, but it’s part of why water based alternatives developed in the first place.

We avoid inks built on plastic and those older chemical-heavy approaches.

Water based inks don’t rely on PVC or phthalates. They’re lower odour and clean up with water rather than harsh solvents. That matters for the people printing the garments, and for what ends up in wastewater during the cleanup process.

It’s not about claiming perfection. It’s about choosing a process that makes more sense for something you wear on your skin.

5. It looks better over time

Water based prints don’t stay shiny and raised. They settle.

The finish is matte and more natural. On lighter garments especially, the ink almost becomes part of the dye of the shirt itself.

As you wash and wear it, it softens further. It doesn’t flake off in little islands. It fades gradually. Evenly.

That works with how we see clothing.

Nothing is ever finished. Things change. Fabric ages. Colour shifts. You wear it in, not out.

A print that cracks into plastic shards doesn’t align with that. A print that evolves with the garment does.

Why We Use Permaset Aqua and Supercover

Not all water based inks are the same. After testing a few options, we settled on Permaset Aqua for lighter garments and Permaset Supercover for darker pieces.

Permaset Aqua gives us vibrant, long-lasting colour while keeping that soft hand feel that makes our tees comfortable to wear. Supercover allows us to achieve solid opacity on dark fabrics without building up thick layers, so the print stays breathable and soft.

Beyond performance, Permaset is a brand we trust. Their inks are PVC-free, phthalate-free, and completely solvent-free, meaning no harsh chemicals touch the fabric, or your skin. They’re also 85% biodegradable, so they work naturally with organic garments. Aqua and Supercover are approved by the Soil Association in the UK and meet GOTS standards, which means they meet strict environmental and safety requirements for printing on organic textiles.

The company itself is also aligned with the kind of values we want to support: they operate on 100% renewable energy, generate more energy than they use, recycle waste, and source plant-based ingredients that are vegan and GMO-free. Permaset also engages with communities and empowers disadvantaged groups, which adds another layer of meaning to the inks we use.

In short, choosing Permaset isn’t just about the print looking good, it’s about the entire story of the garment, from the fibres we choose to the inks we use. Their products help us deliver tees that feel better, wear better, and age beautifully, while keeping the process cleaner and safer for both people and the planet.

Water based ink isn’t flashy. It’s not the headline. But it changes how the garment feels on your body, how it moves with you, and how it lives in your wardrobe. And that’s why we’ll keep using Permaset Aqua and Supercover for everything we print.