SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES

Most screen printers are looking for ways to increase production speed while maintaining quality. Printing wet-on-wet allows you to do just that! With wet-on-wet screen printing, you don’t have to add minutes to your production time by flashing in between each color. Wet-on-wet screen printing with an automatic screen printing press can provide some challenges. […]

Problems with your screen printing emulsion can be especially frustrating: You can’t turn out a good print if you have any problems with your screen’s emulsion or exposure. In a previous blog, we covered some common exposure problems and how to troubleshoot them. If you are still struggling to create, expose and reclaim screens, here are […]

How much ink you lay down on your screen prints will depend on your individual print job and your substrate. Too much ink on your substrate can lead to prints that bleed beyond the stencil edge, soak through the substrate or fail to cure completely. Too little ink can make the print too light, affect […]

Mastering screen printing doesn’t mean turning out perfect screen prints every time. It does mean knowing what to do when prints don’t turn out quite the way you want them to. One common problem to troubleshoot is an uneven ink edge. When something is off in your screen printing process, the edges of your ink […]

How good are you at creating screen prints with the exact colors you’re aiming for? Are you pretty confident in your ability to reproduce the colors that you want, time and time again? If a customer came in and asked you to match a color exactly, how confident are you that you could meet the […]

Reclaiming screens is an essential task in any screen printing shop, and the success of future prints depends on your ability to reclaim screens the right way. When screen reclamation isn’t done right, you can face pinholes, premature breakdown of stencils or a shortened lifespan of your screens. In our experience, nearly any screen printing […]

Halloween is the perfect time to experiment with special effects inks, especially glow-in-the-dark ink. Glow-in-the-dark ink is a fun addition to any Halloween-themed design, but it also works great year round as an interesting accent or safety feature, or as an element for evening events like nighttime “glow” runs. As far as special effects inks […]

Every screen printer knows that the demand has grown for prints with a soft hand and, often, for prints with a more subtle look. Adding water-based screen printing to your shop’s options can help you appeal to and capture customers who want the softer look and feel of water-based inks. If you’ve never used water-based […]

We’ve said it before: A great screen print begins with great artwork. In a previous blog, we identified five common artwork mistakes that could be keeping you from getting the perfect print. Here are five more artwork mistakes to avoid in your screen printing shop. 1. Rushing the design process In a screen printing shop, […]

It’s a scenario straight from a screen printer’s worst nightmare: You send a full order of high-quality, crisp t-shirts out the door. Days pass or even weeks, and suddenly you have an unhappy customer demanding to return the order because your perfectly laid prints are now washing out of the garments.

The best screen printing results always begin with well-executed pre-press. It’s easy to think of your screen printing press as the backbone of your operation. But remember, a press can only deliver quality prints if it’s printing through quality screens. Your screens deserve as much attention as any other part of your setup, because no […]

Different jobs are suited to different printing methods — is screen printing or pad printing more suitable for your project? Screen printing is probably the most well-known process for imprinting logos and custom designs on everything from t-shirts and sports shirts to promotional coffee mugs. There’s another option for laying down ink for custom designs: […]