SCREEN PRINTING SUPPLIES

A screen printing shop can accumulate a lot of ink. Storing that ink can prove a challenge, and often shops will simply look for a quick and convenient spot in which to store their inks. It’s important to put more thought and consideration into your ink storage, however.

Samples are a staple for marketing your screen printing business, attracting customers and nabbing new orders. However, there’s a fine line between samples increasing your business and overdoing samples and eroding profits.

As a screen printer, some of your daily operation is sure to include creating artwork for customers. Keeping as much of the screen printing process as possible under your control is the key to getting good results – you have plenty of variables to deal with. However, your clients will often want to provide the artwork for their orders themselves. If your customers know what they’re doing, this can save you some time. But more often than not it can cause a big headache.

No matter the reason – customer demand, a desire to cut costs and waste, or a sense of personal responsibility – more and more businesses are doing what they can to lessen their environmental impact. When it comes to the eco-friendly trend, the screen printing industry is no exception.

Screen printing involves so many different variables, it can be difficult to make sure you’re getting good results every time. Some issues may not even show up until after you’ve delivered the garments to the customer. It’s not always easy, but in order to keep your customers happy you must make every effort to control the quality of your prints.

When it comes to screen frames, there are loyalists in all camps. Some screen printers love the old-school feel, low price and sustainability of wood. Others rely on the light, sturdy technology of aluminum frames, and still others swear by the control and print crispness that come with retensionable screens.

Now that you understand the different types of screen printing emulsions and have selected the right emulsion for your shop, it’s time to talk about using those emulsions the right way to prepare your screens for a successful print run.

A quality screen print requires a quality stencil. That means using the right screen printing emulsion for your job. So what types of screen printing emulsions are there? How are they different? How do you determine which type of emulsion to use?

For newer screen printers, choosing the right screen mesh count often presents the most concern and confusion. Because of that, many newer screen printers – as well as some more seasoned ones – often use the same medium-grade mesh counts for all jobs. While a mid-range 160 mesh screen will get you far with your printing, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t learn about and experiment with different screen mesh counts for different projects.

Feeling squeezed by the restrictions of a standard-sized screen print? If your creativity can’t be contained in your usual print size, you may want to give oversized printing a try. To really push the envelope, you can print whole backs and fronts of shirts, or even try all-over printing.

Do you have a favorite t-shirt? You know, the soft cotton one with the soft handed, distressed print on the front? Everyone has one, and there’s a pretty good chance it was printed using water based ink. Customers love the soft feel and clean, smooth look of water based prints.

As a screen printer, every order you get is different. The design possibilities in screen printing are virtually limitless; some customers might not have a good idea of what they want their garment to look like, others can be very particular. A customer may request a specific printing process, fabric, ink type or color. You can meet most of these demands relatively easily. However, reproducing a specific color is often easier said than done.