SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES

While many factors determine the quality of your screen prints, it’s especially important not to overlook the condition of your pallets!  This article was written for Printwearmag.com by Michael Jirasek  It’s a part of the screen printing press that is known by many names – pallet, platen, shirtboard – to name a few of the more common descriptions. They’ve […]

When it comes to printing basic garments, most screen printers turn to 100-percent cotton substrates. More and more, however, customers are looking for alternatives. For that reason, cotton/polyester blends are becoming more common. These blended garments have plenty of advantages, but they also pose some of the same challenges that come with printing on fully […]

Heat presses are great tools to use to quickly and easily apply designs to apparel, accessories, mugs and other promotional items. As easy as the process is, there’s still a learning curve involved in applying heat transfers. Here are some of the most common heat transfer mistakes and how to avoid them. 1. Misplaced, crooked or backward […]

The market for screen printing on metal provides ample opportunities for screen printing businesses. To succeed in that market, screen printers have to understand the technical aspects of screen printing on metal substrates. Not all metal substrates are created equal, and not all inks will adhere to all metals. Laying down a great print means […]

Koozies — those insulating foam can and bottle holders — have become a mainstay at backyard barbecues, summer holiday picnics, tailgates and sporting and musical events. For consumers, koozies help keep drinks colder by insulating them from warm air and warm hands, and by wicking away condensation. They also help set apart cans and bottles from the crowd, so everyone can keep track of their own drinks at social gatherings. 

Screen printing requires heat. Every screen printer knows that applying the right amount of heat for the right amount of time results in a crisp screen print that’s fully bonded to your substrate. Sometimes, however, heat can prove the enemy. 

For most screen printers, liquid emulsion is the preferred tool for coating screens to make stencils. There is an alternative that’s often overlooked and undervalued: capillary film. Capillary films are sheets of hardened emulsion on a polyester backing. The emulsion side of the film is applied directly to a wetted mesh screen. The emulsion forms a firm bond with the mesh as it dries, and the backing is peeled away. From there, the printer can expose a stencil much as they would a screen coated with liquid emulsion.

Screen printing remains the top method for garment decoration for a variety of reasons. It’s a straightforward, versatile and time-tested process that’s economical for high-volume printing and delivers great results on almost any substrate. However, emerging new technologies have created some doubts about screen printing’s future. So where might the screen printing industry be headed in coming years?

How do you reclaim your screens? This might be one of the least liked jobs in the entire screen printing shop, which leads most screen printers to explore all screen cleaning options. If you’ve undertaken the search for the best way to reclaim your screens, you’ve likely come across the controversial dip tank. Some screen printers love them, touting them as time and supply savers, while other screen printers warn against them, saying they waist chemicals and produce hazardous waste.

Plastisol ink transformed the screen printing industry when it was introduced to the market in the 1970s. Since then, plastisol has become the industry standard. Why is plastisol ink so popular? 

When it comes to altering ink to get it to behave just how you want, ink additives can be invaluable. When you’re trying to get a print to look and feel just so, looking to create an eye-catching effect or printing on tricky substrates, screen printing ink additives are tools you can use to get your screen printing jobs to turn out just right. 

For those who are old enough to remember, “puff ink” brings to mind neon graphics and all-over 3D designs that were all the rage in the 1980s and early 1990s. The puff ink craze might have gone out of style with the Walkman, but that doesn’t mean puff ink doesn’t have its place in modern screen print designs. When used right, puff ink can add a fun textural element to your screen prints, and if you’ve never given this specialty ink a try, it’s time to see how puff ink can transform your screen printing.