Glossy & Tonal Screen Printing with Super Gel Clear Ink
If you are looking for a glossy, wet-look on your shirts, super gel clear might just be the answer.
Learn more about what our gel ink can do to enhance your custom apparel.
Add Dimension, No Color Needed
This image shows Super Gel Clear printed directly onto the garment, with no ink underneath. Get a tonal effect that catches the light and adds subtle texture to the design.
Gloss Where It Counts
You can apply Super Gel Clear
over any ink color in your design. You can cover it fully or just in targeted areas to create a glossy, dimensional effect.
The Ultimate in Tonal Printing
Printing super gel clear directly on the fabric results in a very subtle tonal print. The result will be different on every color. Pro Tip: Avoid light garment colors like white and ash.
Super Gel Clear Specifics:
A specality screen printing ink that is clear in color and can enhance your design in multiple ways:
Print Area Max:
12.5" wide x 14" tall.
Low 6-Piece Minimum Order:
You can mix and match garments.
No Fabric Limitations:
Works with cotton, poly, and blends.
Add on Cost Per Item:
1 ink color+$1.00 for 72+, $2.00 under 72.
Super Gel Clear Design & Size Limitations
We've done hundreds of different test prints to learn the limitations that super gel clear inks have.
Check out our requirements and recommendations below:
Gel is limited to 1 Print Location
While you can print multiple locations on your shirts, super gel clear inks can only be applied to one of those locations. This means you can print a front and back, but only the front or the back can have gel. This limitation is due to the fact that we are not able to re-heat the gel ink after printed.
Small Detail May Be Lost
Super gel ink has a higher viscosity than standard inks which makes it thicker and stickier than standard inks. Smaller detail does not print as well. We recommend san seriff fonts at 20pts or larger and fine lines at 2pts or greater. Don't worry...our experienced artwork team will automatically adjust your artwork.
1 Location on Polyester Shirts
Due to the heat required to "cure" or permanently adhere super gel clear to a t-shirt, 100% polyester tees cannot combine super gel clear with other ink colors. When polyester tees are heated to high temperatures, the garment dye will "migrate" out of the shirt and bleed onto the ink colors. This is known as dye-migration.
Left to right: Paul in Nike DV7299, Cameron in Next Level 6410, Brad in Comfort Color 1717, Alex in IND400 and Kortni in DT7800
Pro Tips & Tricks for Using Super Gel Clear
Learn about the process of creating clear gel t-shirts orders.
- Less is more (most of the time). Our favorite gel designs focus on using it as a subtle enhancement and not print over the entire design.
- Choose a heathered color garment. Because the ink is clear and glossy, it lets the heathering show through in a way that flat inks can’t. The texture of the fabric becomes part of the design, creating an added dimension you just cannot get with a solid shirt color.
- Ribbed, canvas, or textured fabrics can interrupt the smooth gloss finish. Stick to flatter fabrics like jersey for the best results.
- Gel ink can have a little bit of a "sticky" or textured feel and look to it. It will not feel like regular ink, but then again it wil not look like it either.
Frequently Asked Questions about ordering Glossy Gel Inks
It sounds like you might be looking for a screen printing ink called Super Gel Clear. Super Gel Clear is a ink that has no pigment or color in it that when printed over another ink color can add a subtle gloss or give it a wet look. It creates a very tonal look when printed directly on the fabric.
No! Super gel ink is a permanent ink that will remain on the shirt for hundreds of washes if applied and cured correctly. Curing is the process that screen printers use to "dry" the wet ink and adhere it to the fabric permanently.
While its not a super thick ink, it is also not a very breathable ink. Printing gel ink in a large area does result in a heavier print than standard and is typically not recommended, especially for shirts being used for athletic wear.
There are multiple ways that we can achieve a tonal style print. Here are the two most popular ways:
- We can custom mix any Pantone coated color, so depending on your shirt color, we can choose a color that is slightly darker or slightly lighter. This works very well if you only have one shirt color on your order because multiple shirt colors would require mixing of multiple ink colors. The mixing fee is $25.00 per color, so it can be a very cost-effective way to achieve a tonal look.
- We can apply our super gel clear ink directly to the fabric. The result will be a wet look, which makes the printed design appear to be typically a little bit darker than the shirt color, like if you were to actually get the shirt wet. This is the best option if you want your print on multiple shirt colors because the gel is clear without any color pigment.
The minimum order for super gel clear ink is just 6 pieces!
You can use our online design tool to create your design and place your order. Let us know in the comments you'd liek to add gel ink and we are happy to suggest the best way to incorporate it into your design. You can also reach out to our customer service team, we are happy to help you with your order. All gel orders include a free online proof so you can see exactly where gel will be applied to your design.
