What is White Underbase?
Technical definition, shop floor implications, and pricing strategies for commercial apparel decorators.
A foundational layer of opaque white ink printed beneath colored inks on dark or colored garments, providing a neutral reflective surface that ensures top colors match their intended Pantone vibrancy.
Deep Dive & Practical Application
Because textile screen printing inks are semi-translucent, printing standard colored inks (like yellow, red, or royal blue) directly onto a black, navy, or heather shirt causes the dark fabric fibers to absorb the light, making the top color appear muddy and dull.
A white underbase acts like a primer coat on dark wood. The underbase screen is exposed with a choked silhouette of the artwork, printed on press with heavy white plastisol or discharge ink, flash cured for 3 to 6 seconds to gel the surface, and then overprinted with top spot colors in perfect registration.
Underbases add +1 screen setup and +1 print station to the job, impacting production run times and screen darkroom costs.
Shop Floor & Profitability Impact
Failing to quote a white underbase on dark apparel causes severe margin loss. Underbases require an additional film positive, screen exposure, setup time, and ink consumption on press.
The Print Life Screen Printing Operating System
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