The MultiChrome Pearl range, which includes a variety of different colours, has been developed to help textile screen printers achieve a two-tone pearlescent effect.

The company said this ink would help its customers to achieve a more dramatic colour shift than the sparkle or glitter effect provided by other pearlescent inks.

The product, a development on a previous version of two-tone pearl inks by Magna, is said to provide a much more evident colour shift, adding a new dimension to a standard pearl effect.

It contains speciality pigments, helping to achieve a superior colour when printed onto stretchy or Lycra-containing fabrics.

MagnaColours managing director Helen Parry said: “It is by listening to our customers that we identified the desire for a higher performance two-tone pearl ink. Using Magna Labs’ expertise in creating new inks, we were able to help our customers achieve higher quality-effects.”

The company has also launched Invisible Ink, a UV-reactive product that enables users to produce garments with invisible designs or messages which will glow blue under UV light.

Invisible Ink can be used as a top coat or to print a design when mixed with a MagnaPrint Eco Pigment, the firm said.

“Increasingly, printers want to be able to add new and exciting features and elements to the garments they print, and so demand for special effect inks are growing,” said Parry.

“It’s an exciting time for water-based inks, and the development of our Invisible Ink is just another demonstration of how far water-based inks have progressed.”

Both new inks were launched last month and are available through the company’s distributors, MHM Direct GB and SSIS.

MagnaColours aims to provide environmentally sustainable water-based alternatives to the chemical-based inks that are widely used throughout the screen printing industry.

Earlier this year the company developed the GNA mark, a new eco-friendly standard for water-based inks used in textile printing.