Additives info


Union ink additives pic of different additives and sizes


PLUS-9090 is basically ink that contains certain inert or opacifying materials with no pigment. It is clear (creamy color) ink base that can be added to plastisol to extend the ink and get more volume out of the ink.Since Extender Base is a balanced ink – any amount can be added to plastisol. The more Extender Base added, the less opaque the ink will be.

Although Extender Base will make an ink less opaque, it is generally not used to specifically make an ink more transparent. For that purpose see TRANSPARENT BASE. It is designed more as a “bulking” agent and will basically provide more mileage from an ink at a lower cost because Extender Base is less expensive than pigment ink. If used to make an ink more transparent to print color-over-color, the secondary color achieved may not be clean (because the Extender Base is milky in color).

Generally, Extender Base will not reduce the viscosity of an ink.


CLEAR BASE (Also called Halftone Base or Clear Base)

PLUS-9030 is a BALANCED clear ink base that is similar to Extender Base except it DOES NOT HAVE inert opacifying materials or bulking agents. It is designed to make plastisol ink more transparent and usually allows the ink to penetrate further into the garment. PLUS-9030 can be used to make an ink more transparent. This is helpful when trying to achieve secondary colors by printing color-on-color multi-color prints.

Addition of PLUS-9030 will greatly diminish the opacity of plastisol and may reduce the viscosity.



This easy-to-use additive is designed to assist the printer who may have added too much reducer to a plastisol and would like to bring back the viscosity of the ink. In addition, the thickener can be added to those inks that were previously mixed with Union Ink’s NYLOBOND agent (provided it is done within the normal 8 hour pot life of the NYLOBOND mixture). This will enable the plastisols to be used in other applications.

The recommended range of Plastisol Thickener to add is 1-5% by weight. Due to the formulation of the Thickener, it can be easily stirred directly into the plastisol by hand.



Plastipuff Additive can be added to regular plastisol to create puff effects. It works best with the PLUS SERIES. It does not work well in high opacity inks (less durability). Because puff ink is generally very opaque, it will become opaque on dark shirts even if added to PLUS.

Plastipuff Additive should be added to colors at a rate of 1 part of additive to 6 parts of Plastisol by volume. When using with white use a ratio of 1 part of Additive to 4 parts of White. This mixture will now work just like Plastipuff Ink. Consult the Union Ink Technical Data Sheet on Plastipuff Ink.


Metallic Base:

Metallic Clear Base is a transparent base with a heavier body than other bases. It’s used with glitter flakes and metallic powders where its heavier body helps keep the coloring agents in suspension. It is a balanced additive so you can add any amount to a plastisol ink without affecting the cure.

Metallic Clear Base (PAGL-9030) can also be used as a backup clear for litho transfers.