Equipment Reviews

One Stroke Inks: Plastisol Ink Lines, Published Cure Temperatures and What Each Is For

One Stroke Inks is a Louisville, Kentucky plastisol ink maker. Its main ink lines, the cure temperatures its data sheets publish, and how it relates to DTF.

Darrin DeTorres• DTF Database Founder

October 27, 2026

3 min read

One Stroke Inks plastisol ink lines: 480 Series for cotton, ELT low cure, ELT-S stretch, ELT-X polyester, transfer inks

Table of Contents

One Stroke Inks is a screen printing ink manufacturer based in Louisville, Kentucky, making mainly plastisol inks. The company says it has made screen printing inks in Louisville since 1997 and formulates and manufactures its inks on site. Its range covers general-purpose cotton inks, low-cure inks for polyester and performance wear, special effect inks such as puff, metallic, glow and glitter, and inks for making screen print transfers. It also sells screen printing supplies such as emulsion, screens, removers and dryers.

One Stroke ink lines

One Stroke ink lines
Line	What One Stroke describes it for
480 Series	General-purpose plastisol for cotton; prints well wet-on-wet, with a soft hand on light and medium garments
ELT	"Extreme low temperature" cure, to reduce dye migration, shrinking, scorching and fabric colour change
ELT-S	Low cure with stretch, for spandex and performance apparel
ELT-X	Low cure with added opacity and bleed resistance, for polyester
Hybrid	Coverage with a softer hand on cotton and poly-cotton
Watercolor	Plastisol with a soft, water-based feel that does not dry in the screen
Special effects	Puff, metallic, glow and glitter
Transfer inks	Including 380S, ELT Zip, Soft Peel and Poly Trans 25, for printing screen print transfers

One Stroke also lists a PVC-free line alongside its plastisol ranges.

Published cure temperatures

One Stroke's technical data sheets give these cure ranges:

Published cure temperatures
Ink	Cure temperature	Notes from the data sheet
ELT Series	250°F to 320°F	Metallic and glitter versions cure at a minimum of 270°F; a glossy finish means the dryer is too hot; listed for cotton, blends, polyester, stretch, nylon and more
480 Series	320°F to 330°F	Listed for 100% cotton and blends; a wet-on-wet additive is recommended for best wet-on-wet results

One Stroke notes that its data sheet figures are lab conditions and recommends a test print and wash test before production.

Why low-cure plastisol matters for polyester

Polyester is dyed with disperse dyes that can migrate into a print when heated, staining white or light ink. Curing at a lower temperature reduces that risk, which is why low-cure lines such as ELT exist. DTF faces the same problem on polyester; the dye migration guide covers it, and the DTF temperature and time chart lists lower press settings for performance fabric.

One Stroke inks and DTF

One Stroke inks are for screen printing, not DTF printers, which use water-based pigment inks. Its transfer inks are used to make plastisol screen print transfers, which are applied with a heat press like a DTF transfer. The heat press silk screen look guide and the screen print transfers vs DTF comparison compare the two, and the screen printing at home guide covers getting started with plastisol.

Frequently asked questions

What is One Stroke ink?

A line of screen printing inks, mostly plastisol, made by One Stroke Inks in Louisville, Kentucky.

What temperature does One Stroke ELT cure at?

One Stroke's data sheet gives 250°F to 320°F for the ELT Series, with metallic and glitter versions needing at least 270°F.

What temperature does One Stroke 480 cure at?

320°F to 330°F, according to its data sheet.

Can you use One Stroke ink in a DTF printer?

No. One Stroke makes plastisol screen printing inks. DTF printers use water-based pigment inks made for the printer.

About the Author

Darrin DeTorres

DTF Database Founder

Darrin DeTorres has over 10 years of experience in the print industry, specializing in screen printing, sublimation, embroidery, HTV, and DTF printing. He runs Notice Me Marketing and Media, a custom apparel production company that prints thousands of shirts per month.