Matsui Alpha Series Yellow 012 C | Ready-for-Use Water-Based and Dischargeable Yellow Ink — Print Straight from the Bucket or Mix Custom Pantone® Colors Using Your Pantone Book — No Software Required

Alpha Series Yellow 012 C — Ready for Use, No Base, No Software

Alpha Series Yellow 012 C is a complete ink. Open the container and print.

Unlike Neo Yellow M3G (which is a pigment concentrate that MUST be mixed into a separate base), Alpha Yellow 012 C is a ready-for-use ink that requires no base, no mixing software, and no pigment calculations. It is designed to work in two ways: print it straight from the bucket as a vibrant spot yellow, or blend it with other Alpha colors following the formulas printed directly in your Pantone Formula Guide.

The simplest, fastest path to custom Pantone® colors in water-based screen printing.

Two Modes — Water-Based on Lights, Discharge on Darks

Mode 1: Water-based on light and medium garments. Print Alpha Yellow 012 C directly on white, ash, light-colored, or medium-colored cotton and cotton-poly blend garments. No activator needed. The ink deposits color on the fabric surface with an ultra-soft hand feel.

Mode 2: Discharge on dark 100% cotton. Add 3-8% Matsui or Printers Choice Discharge Activator by weight. The discharge chemistry removes the garment dye and replaces it with the Alpha Yellow color — embedded in the cotton fibers with zero surface buildup. 12-hour pot life once activated. 100% cotton with dischargeable (reactive) dyes only.

On dark garments WITHOUT discharge: Print over a white underbase. Use Under Base Blocker Gray (dark cotton) or Under Base Blocker Black LG (dark polyester/blends) under the white to prevent dye migration. Or print two hits with a flash in between (print-flash-print).

How to Match Pantone® Colors — Book Formulas, No Software

This is the key advantage of the Alpha Series over the Neo Pigment system. No CMS software needed. No computer. No app.

Step 1: Customer selects a Pantone color from the Pantone Formula Guide (e.g., PMS 123 C).

Step 2: Open the book to PMS 123 C. The formula is printed right there — showing pigment ratios by weight.

Step 3: Follow those ratios using Alpha Series colors. Weigh on a gram scale. Mix thoroughly.

Step 4: Print a test swatch on your actual garment. Compare to the Pantone page. Adjust if needed.

Important: Pantone book formulas are designed for ink on paper. Minor adjustments may be required for an exact visual match on fabric. Discharge ink colors may shift upon complete curing — the wet color in the bucket may differ from the final cured result. Always test before production.

Alpha Series vs. Neo Pigments vs. Infinity — Which System Is Right?

Matsui offers three different Pantone color matching systems. Each serves a different workflow. Alpha is the simplest.

Choose Alpha when: You want the fastest, simplest workflow — print from the bucket or blend with the Pantone book, on both light and dark garments, with zero software and zero base mixing.

Recommended Additives for Alpha Series Yellow 012 C

Browse the complete Matsui additive collection here.

Blocker Guide for Dark Garments (Water-Based Mode)

When printing Alpha Yellow 012 C on dark garments in WATER-BASED mode (not discharge), you need a white underbase to provide opacity — and a blocker under the white to prevent garment dye migration.

Level 1 — Under Base Blocker Gray: Dark cotton garments. The default starting point.

Level 2 — Under Base Blocker Black LG: Polyester, poly-blends, and aggressive dye migration.

Level 3 — Kombat Blocker: Sublimation-printed polyester.

No blocker needed: Light garments (no dark dye to migrate) and discharge mode (discharge removes the garment dye).

48-hour test rule: Print, cure fully, wait 48 hours. If dye bleeds through, escalate blocker level.

⚠️ The Discharge Rules — Alpha Series Edition

The same discharge rules that apply to all Matsui discharge products apply to Alpha in discharge mode:

100% cotton with dischargeable (reactive) dyes only. Does not discharge polyester or synthetics. On blends, only cotton threads discharge — creating a distressed look.

Discharge Activator required (3-8%). No activator = no discharge.

12-hour pot life once activated. Mix only what you need.

Cure at 320°F (160°C). Discharge colors shift during curing — wet color in the bucket will NOT match the final cured color. Always cure test swatches fully before comparing.

Ventilation recommended.

Water-resistant emulsions required. Use Chromaline CPTex or Chromaline Hydro-X.

Pre-test everything. Discharge effectiveness varies by garment brand and dye lot.

The Full Alpha Series Family — 15 Colors

Alpha Yellow 012 C is one of 15 Alpha Series colors. All 15 are ready-for-use and can be printed straight from the bucket or blended together using Pantone Formula Guide ratios.

Browse the complete Matsui Alpha Series collection here.

⚠️ Critical Contamination Warning

Alpha Series inks MUST be mixed in clean vessels using clean mixing blades and utensils. Any contamination from other ink sources or non-approved additives could cause Alpha inks to test positive for restricted PVCs.