SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES

If you’re familiar with the garment decoration or promotional product industry, you know there’s no shortage of methods used to apply a design to a t-shirt, sign or other item. Screen printing is one of the most well-established and time-tested methods. However, dye sublimation is a newer technology that has made rapid gains in the industry in recent years.

If you have mastered printing on sweatshirts, t-shirts and polos, it’s time to consider what other items you could offer to help expand your screen printing business. Screen printed sweatpants, yoga pants and athletic pants are perennial favorites for athletic teams and clubs, and as spirit wear and promotional items.

For many screen printers, dealing with color separations presents on ongoing battle. From understanding the different types of color separations and knowing when to use them to knowing how to troubleshoot tricky separations, many screen printers struggle to consistently produce successful color separations. From basics to overcoming obstacles, here is our guide to screen printing color separations.

Most screen prints involve laying down simple designs with finite borders, one color at a time. But every screen printer has to deal with more complex prints from time to time, whether it’s a four-color process job or a print with gradient tones for special effects.

In screen printing, as in most businesses, the faster you can get your work done, the more jobs you can take on and the more money you stand to make. One common bottleneck in the screen printing shop comes in art creation.

Custom garment makers often line up on each side of the debate: Screen printing versus heat transfers. While the issue is one that can divide, the reality is that both types of garment decorating have their merits.

For all of the work that goes into creating the perfect screen print, perhaps the biggest element that determines the success or failure of a print is heat. The right flash temperature determines the integrity of your underbase, or whether a heat transfer will, well, transfer. Getting your ink to the ideal curing temperature for the correct amount of time determines whether your finished print will crack, peel or wash out. 

In order to grow your screen printing business, it’s important to keep an eye out for new products you can add to your list of offerings. One customizable item that continues to grow in popularity is the reusable canvas tote bag.

Are you doing everything you can to keep employees safe in your screen printing shop? While our previous blog shared tips for protecting employee health and safe handling of screen printing chemicals, there’s one more danger to consider in your shop: Your screen printing equipment.

Everybody makes mistakes, but in the screen printing business, mistakes can cost you money.

Screen printing with white ink can frustrate even experienced screen printers. The same printing process you use with darker inks on lighter substrates can lead to blurred, fibrillated, heavy-handed or undercured prints when used to print white ink on darker substrates.

Successful screen printing depends on quality control. By following the right steps and using the right products, any screen printer can create quality prints that satisfy their customers.