Plastisol is a suspension of PVC or other polymer particles in a liquid plasticizer; it flows as a liquid and can be poured into a heated mold.  Aside from molding, plastisol is commonly used as a textile ink for screen-printing.

• Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs back after the blade has passed. One color is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multicolored image or design.

Plastisol is used as ink for screen-printing on to textiles. Plastisols are the most commonly used inks for printing designs on to garments, and are particularly useful for printing opaque graphics on dark fabrics.

Plastisol inks will not dry on their own, but must be cured.

• Curing can be done with a flash dryer, or any oven. Most plastisols need to reach a temperature of about 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for full curing.

Plastisol tends to sit atop the fabric instead of soaking into the fibers, giving the print a raised, plasticized texture.  Unfortunately, this method does not provide the best hands to the fabric.  Other inks can produce a softer feel.

The next time someone asks you, "what is plastisol?", we hope you now have an answer for them.