Screen Printing Inks and Tee Shirt Printing
Published February 8, 2012 | 
Image via Wikipedia
Screen Printing Inks and Tee Shirt Printing
Screen printing inks are moderately viscous inks which exhibit different properties when compared to other printing inks such as offset, gravure and flexographic inks though they have similar basic compositions (pigments, solvent carrier, toners, and emulsifiers). There are five different types of screen ink to include solvent, water, and solvent plastisol, water plastisol, and UV curable.
UV Curable
UV curable inks consist of liquid prepolymers, monomers, and initiators which upon being exposed to large doses of U.V. Radiation instantly polymerize the vehicle to a dry, tough thermosetting resin. They also require less energy, overall, to dry or “cure” compared to gas or electric driers.
The down side of UV inks is they can cost as much as three times that of regular inks and must be handled differently than conventional inks due to safety issues. Additionally, solvents are required for clean-up which results in some VOC emissions.
Plastisol Inks
Plastisol inks (both solvent and water based) are used in textile screen printing. Plastisol inks are widely used in garment printing. They are easy to print, do not dry in the screen, can be very opaque on dark garments, and will adhere to most textiles. They are composed primarily of two ingredients, PVC resin (a white powder) and plasticizer (a thick, clear liquid). Plastisol inks have one outstanding characteristic, they must be heated to dry. They will not dry, or cure, at normal temperatures. For a complete cure, they must reach 290-330º F (143-166º C).
Plastisol inks can be printed on virtually any surface that can withstand the heat required to cure the ink and is porous enough to permit good ink penetration. Plastisol inks do not color the fibers like a dye. Instead the ink wraps around the fibers and makes a mechanical bond with the fabric. For this reason, they will not adhere to non-porous substrates such as plastic, metal, and glass. They also will not adhere well to woven, waterproofed nylon material without adding a bonding agent. [1]
Solvent Inks & Water Inks
Solvent and water based screen printing inks are formulated with primarily solvent or water. The solvent evaporates and results in VOC emissions. Water based inks, though they contain significantly less, may still emit VOC’s from small amounts of solvent and other additives blended into the ink. The liquid waste material may also be considered hazardous waste.[2]
Custom shirt printing offers a variety of inks, foil, and colors. Call 435-623-2382 for more information.
[1] http://www.unionink.com/articles/geninfo.html
[2] http://www.pneac.org/printprocesses/screen/#Inks
Related articles
- T-Shirt Screen Printing Process (customshirtprinting.net)
- What Is Screen Printing (customshirtprinting.net)
Screen Printing On Jackets – Yea We Do This
Published February 8, 2012 | 
Screen Printing On Jackets
This is a short article about printing on jackets. You know, those tricky little guys that can’t even be used to wipe down a screen if you mess one up. The problem with printing on jackets is one of perception. It looks hard, it seems hard and if you screw up it is real hard on your wallet. That’s the perception. The reality is that if you just follow some simple rules and sound printing practices you can minimize your misprints and be a jacket printing pro. In this short article I want to give you the key points to successfully printing on WATERPROOFED nylon jackets.
Rule #1 – Print on a Good Quality Jacket
If possible print on an American made jacket. They are generally made of duPont 6,6 nylon that will take up to 375 degrees F. Many import jackets are made of inferior nylon that will shrink and shrivel under the heat of the dryer. They also have a much heavier treatment of water-repellent that makes it harder for any ink to adhere.
Rule #2 – A Good Holddown is Essential
Without a good holddown you might as well give up. I know that there are other ways to hold down a jacket (get your employees to hold it while sitting on the floor, etc., etc.) but if you are going to expect consistent results then a hold down is just a tool that will make your quality better and reject rate lower. If you don’t want to spend $500 on the hold down for your press, then look at other companies holding devices.
Some manufacturers offer less expensive hold downs that will fit on other brands of presses. You might even make your own if you give a picture of one to your local machine shop or if you are handy with metal and a welder. I strongly recommend having more than one hold down if you are doing more than just a few dozen of the same design. Your production will increase dramatically if you can have one person loading the jacket while someone else is printing on a different station.
An option to a well-made hold down is to use small spring clamps to hold the jacket. These are inexpensive hardware store items that can be a low cost option if you just print a few jackets here and there.
Rule #3 – Use A Proven Ink System
This is just one of my little nit-picks. The industry is notorious for offering products that have not been fully field tested. Just because someone says it is new and better doesn’t mean that it works. If you want to try a new system make sure to do tests! I talked with a printer who had printed over 900 jackets with a brand new ink system. I asked how the ink held up to washing and could see the lights going on in their mind. It never really occurred to them.
The most popular and reliable system is a standard plastisol with a bonding agent added to it. These have been proven over the last ten years to be durable and fairly easy to use. Since plastisol doesn’t “stick” to the tight weave and slippery nylon material you need to “glue” it in place and make the ink more durable at the same time. Bonding agents do just that! They also keep your ink inventory low because they will work with the plastisols you already have on the shelf.
Since plastisols weight will vary depending on the color of the ink, you need to add the bonding agent by WEIGHT when mixing it. Each company has different mixing directions so be sure to ask for the Technical Data Sheet on the product when you use it. If you can’t mix by weight then at least make sure to add more bonding agent to lighter more opaque colors. Once you add the “glue” you have to use the mixture within 8 to 12 hours before it totally hardens. Just mix what you need for a job. If you add too much bonding agent it may actually harden up faster, but if you are in doubt as too how much you need to add – add more.
Rule #4 – Get the Ink the Proper Viscosity
The biggest problem with a plastisol/bonding agent mixture is that the ink becomes much thinner. In fact, it is sometimes too thin to print. If you are printing on a light colored jacket with a lining the ink will penetrate the nylon and actually print the lining. There are a couple of ways to make the ink thicker. You can put the mixture in a refrigerator to make it colder or you can let it sit for a few hours to slowly thicken up. You can also make sure to add the bonding agent to an ink that is already thick in the container. Some brands of ink are thicker than others.
Rule #5 – Use the Correct Screen
All the fuss over ink viscosity is a waste if you don’t use the right mesh. Because the ink is thin, you need to go to a much finer than normal mesh for light jackets. Use a 200 (80cm) to a 250 (96cm) monofilament mesh on light material and drop down to a 125 (50cm) for dark jackets. Think of nylon as being a non-absorbent material. This means the ink won’t really absorb into it like it does when printing on a T-shirt. If printing a process print on an underbase of white use a 355 (140cm) for the process colors and a 175 (68cm) for the underbase. For best results use a metal retensionable frame with fabric tensioned properly. I personally prefer a dual-cure photopolymer emulsion for my stencil since I can hold finer halftone dots than with direct film.
Rule #6 – A Flash Cure Unit is a Must!
A flash cure unit is a must when printing nylon. Not only do you need it to print multi-color, you need it to pre-heat the nylon before the first print. This pre-heating shrinks the nylon for a tighter fit in the holddown, and also softens the nylon and partially burns off sizing, stabilizers and waterproofing. This will help your ink adhere better! To pre-heat the jacket, simply place the flash unit over the jacket while the jacket is in the hold down. If you have the unit set 2″ above the jacket you should be able to pre-shrink and pre-heat the jacket in less than 10 seconds. Running a jacket through the dryer is not the same as pre-heating on the hold down. You defeat the purpose of shrinking the jacket tightly on the hold down.
Rule #7 – Spend Time on Set-up
Take time to set the screen slightly off-contact. This is a must for a clean, sharp print. On some quilted jackets and thick piled lined jackets you may need to print on-contact.
Rule #8 – Printing Technique is Everything
Regardless of what you may think, only certain people are destined to print jackets. It does take a good feel for the squeegee to get a good print. You need to do a stroke that is not too fast or slow. A nice even stroke that cleans off the screen is very important. Use a medium squeegee with a very sharp edge. Too much pressure on the squeegee will allow the ink to press out around the stencil giving a slight ghost to the print. Sometimes a lined jacket will “stick” to the screen when the screen is lifted. As the print “peels” from the screen you get a ring or circular mark in the image.
A nice technique involves doing a good clean stroke and then quickly snapping the screen up. This snap releases the screen quickly from the print and gives a sharper image. It’s all in the wrist. This snap technique may not be necessary if your ink is flowing correctly and the jacket is releasing on it’s own during the stroke. Always try to do just one stroke. If you must do two strokes keep them both in the same direction.
Rule #9 – Auto Flash Units Improve Multi-color
When doing multi-color on nylon you will find that a flash unit that automatically cycles over the jacket will really speed things up. With a jacket, just a few seconds too long and you have crispy nylon. Even though the auto-flash units are over $1,000 they are well worth the investment! Multi-color on nylon is actually quite easy. Simply flash cure between colors. This is where multiple hold downs are a big help. By having more than one hold down you can let a flashed color cool down while you are printing on another station.
Rule #10 – Give them a few days to age
Regardless of how much the customer begs, you need to take care that they don’t wear or wash the jackets for a couple of days. The bonding agent/plastisol mixture needs to age for 48 to 72 hours to be fully hard. You wouldn’t want to pay for a ruined car seat would you?
Rule #11 – Tell the Customer of the Limitations
If you are going to print across seams or on a quilted jacket, let the customer know in advance of the problems you will encounter. It is a little late when he comes to pickup the jackets to say “the quilts were a real problem and the prints look pretty good but not great.”
Rule #12 – Spend Time on Training
Don’t just throw them to the wolves. This type of printing is not for the newcomer… at least without some help. At least give them this article to read or spend time showing them the correct technique. Let them know that you realize there may be misprints![1]
Customshirtprinting.net offers the latest jacket styles available for customized printing. Call 435-623-2382 today for a quote.
Related articles
- T-Shirt Screen Printing Process (customshirtprinting.net)
- What Is Screen Printing (customshirtprinting.net)
T-Shirt Screen Printing Process
Published February 6, 2012 | 
T-Shirt Screen Printing Process
Screen Printing Overview:
Screen printing, also called silk screening, is a way to print custom or personalized logos, text, or artwork repeatedly on t-shirts, sweatshirts, koozies, bags or any other apparel you wish to customize. Basically, a screen is imprinted with your design, placed over the item to be printed, and then ink is forced through the screen with a squeegee onto the item. The item is then place through an oven to cure the ink.
Screen Printing Process:
We decided to explain the process of screen printing to help you understand the steps it takes to create your custom screen printed t-shirts.
Step 1 Artwork:
Artwork is either sent to us from the customer or we create it from the customer’s idea. We prefer to use or create vector type files because it provides nice sharp images no mater what size is used.
Once we have the artwork, we generate t-shirt composites, that we place on our website, for the customer to review and approve. This is not an actual printed t-shirt but a computer generated t-shirt, which will be a really good representation of what the artwork will look like and shows placement of the artwork. The customer is required to approve this t-shirt composite before we go to the next step. At this time you can instruct to make any changes. We’ll work with you until you are 100% satisfied with the design!
Once the artwork is approved we print the design as a positive on a transparency. If the design has more than one color, we have to separate the design and print a positive for each color so that we can create a separate screen for each one.
Step 2 Screen Preparation:
The screens that we use are mounted on a wooden frame and there are different screen mesh sizes. The mesh size to use is determined by the detail of the artwork. The more fine line detail, the higher the mesh count screen is required.
The screen has to be prepped by cleaning with screen wash and then with a degreaser. The screen is then dried. Once the screen is dried it has to be coated with a photosensitive emulsion. This has to be applied under yellow light because any exposure to UV light will activate the emulsion and render it useless. The screen is placed in a dark drying cabinet so the emulsion can dry.
Step 3 Screen Exposure:
Once the emulsion has dried the positive film transparency is temporarily taped to the backside of the screen. It is positioned according to how it will appear on the t-shirt. Then the screen is placed into the exposure unit. The exposure unit shines UV light on the screen, which exposes the photosensitive emulsion that is not being blocked by the artwork on the transparency.
Once exposed, the screen is placed in the wash-out tub and the screen is sprayed with high pressure water. The emulsion that was blocked out by the artwork washes away with water. The emulsion that was exposed to the UV light is now chemically bonded to the screen and does not wash out with water. So after spraying the screen, the only openings on the screen, is the artwork image. If there is more than one color you do this for each screen.
Step 4 Screen Printing Process:
After the screen dries, the screen must be blocked by taping the border of the screen and any unwanted openings. Pinholes are filled in using a block-out pen. This process is repeated for all screens.
The screen is then placed on the press. There are several types and sizes of presses; we use a 4-platen 6-color manual press. This means we are capable of printing designs with 6 colors and the ink is applied manually. The screen is clamped in the press and aligned so that the image will print in the correct place on the t-shirt. If there is more than one color then there is a screen for each color and they have to be placed on the press and each one is aligned with the other screen so that when the ink is applied, each color is in the correct position. The alignment is done with registration marks and a careful eye.
Once the screen or screens are on the press, now it’s time to apply the ink. The ink is plastisol ink and we use Union ink for it’s excellent quality. The specific color of ink is spread along the base of the screen or screens. A squeegee is used to apply the ink. The t-shirt is placed on the platen. The screen is put into position above the platen. To apply the ink, we first have to flood the screen with the ink by pulling a thin coat of ink across the top of the screen with the squeegee. The screen is then lowered down over the t-shirt. We use the squeegee to push the ink through the screen onto the t-shirt. The press is designed so that the screen is always in alignment with the platen, therefore you can be sure the screen is always in the same position. So if you are doing more than one color, the t-shirt remains on the platen, the next screen is rotated over the platen and the new ink color is applied to the t-shirt. This process is repeated for every color of the design. Sometimes, in order to print one color over top of another color, it may be necessary to flash the previous ink on the t-shirt. To flash, the platen is rotated under the flash unit, which is a heater the size of the platen. The flash unit will heat the ink very quickly, in a matter of a few seconds, so that it gels over, which allow you to print the next ink directly over top. This is important especially when doing an underbase that all other ink colors are printed directly on. Once all colors have been applied, the t-shirt is removed from the platen and put through the conveyor dryer oven. Plastisol type ink only cures with heat, so the t-shirt has to be heated to at least 300°F to set the ink. The t-shirt is finished when it comes out of the oven, unless there is another design being printed on the opposite side and / or sleeve, then the screen printing process is repeated. This process is the same for printing on t-shirts, sweatshirts, fleece wear, koozies, bags or other apparel. [1]
Customshirtprinting.net offers a wide variety on screen printed apparel. Call 435-623-2382 today for a quote and find out just how much we can do for you.
Related articles
- Custom Shirt Printing In Utah (customshirtprinting.net)
- What Is Screen Printing (customshirtprinting.net)
What Is Screen Printing
Published February 3, 2012 | What Is Screen Printing
Screen printing is one of the early methods of printing. It involves the passing of ink or any other printing medium through a mesh or ‘screen’ that has been stretched on a frame, and to which a stencil has been applied. The stencil openings determine the image that will thus be imprinted.
History Of Screen Printing
Screen printing was a technique first used by the Chinese almost 2000 years ago. They used human hair stretched across a wooden frame to form the screen. To that they attached a stencil made from leaves stuck together into different shapes. This was probably the first application of screen printing ever.
Subsequently, the Japanese adopted the screen printing process and used woven silk to make the mesh and lacquers to make stencils. The use of silk is where screen printing got its alternative name – Silk screening or silk screen printing.
In 1907, it was Samuel Simon near Manchester who patented the first ever industrial screen printing process. Many years later close to the First World War, John Pilsworth of San Francisco developed the Selectasine method, which basically introduced the concept of multi-color printing using the same screen. Different areas on the screen were blocked out for different color inks, thus resulting in a multi-colored image. This technique became hugely popular for printing signs and posters in large quantities.
From using hair to silk to polymer meshes, screen printing has come a long way today. The basic technique remains the same but with innovation and the introduction of electronics and computers, screen printing is no longer recognizable as the technique Simon patented.
Equipment Used In Screen Printing
No matter what kind of screen printing machine you have, there is some basic equipment that will be required. The stencil or screen is of prime importance since it determines the design and image output. It refers to the frame, the mesh and the photosensitive material on which the image is created. The Squeegee is the rubber held in a rigid handle. Ink of course. The substrate refers to the surface on which the design is to be printed. The machine base, which holds the substrate and allows the screen to print on it and is often the base of the entire screen printing unit. Here are some tips on helping you select the best screen printing equipment for your use.
Applications Of Scree
n Printing
The substrate or surface on which screen printing can be carried out are too many to be named. Any surface that can be stretched and printed on is a surface for screen printing. The CD covers you see are all screen printed. Beautiful cotton fabrics, silk and polyesters can all be screen printed on. Posters, signs, flyers, advertisements on buses, t-shirts and even watch dials are screen printed. Thus there are many applications of screen printing.[1]
Custom Shirt Printing is ready to meet all your screen printing needs – Call Today (435) 623-2382.
Related articles
- Custom Shirt Printing In Utah (customshirtprinting.net)
Custom Shirt Printing In Utah
Published February 2, 2012 | Custom Shirt Printing in Utah
If you are looking for a company to make your custom printed t-shirts that is both family friendly and professional, customshirtprinting.net. We have provided our customers with only the best when it comes to printed t shirts, signs, team uniforms, school shirts and promotional items.
Choose from one of the thousands of designs we offer or we can take your custom design and silk screen it onto a variety of clothing items, such as:
■T-shirts
■Team Uniforms
■Cheerleading Uniforms
■Sweats/Fleece
■Activewear
■Golf Shirts
■Scrubs
■Lab coats
■Safety wear
In addition to our phenomenal pricing, you also get great customer service. We pride ourselves on making our customers happy. Our silk screening processes are top notch and the results are stunning. We can handle orders as small as 8 pieces and one color or runs larger than 1000 pieces using 5 colors. We have hundreds of fonts to choose from, and if you don’t have your own design we have a large gallery of t-shirt clip art to choose from.
Whether you want custom printed t-shirts, promotional items for your school or business or just a fun item for a party or get together, call customshirtprinting, 435-623-2382 to get a quality job done at bargain prices.
Simply upload your own designs or use our top notch designs! Place your prints on one of our many t-shirt choices. We print your designs and ship them anywhere in the United States.[1]
Related articles
- Drop Shipping Custom Tee Shirts (customshirtprinting.net)
- Custom Art Work Designed Online (customshirtprinting.net)
- Family Reunion Shirts (customshirtprinting.net)
2012 New Year T Shirts
Published December 13, 2011 | 2012 New Year T Shirts
So What would like on your 2012 New Year Party Shirt? We have several design options to choose from when you call us at 435.623.2382.
One of the great things about a custom shirt, is that it can be anyway you want it to be. We can add colors, designs and more to your design.
Click on our image to the right to begin using our online software. It is that easy.
Related articles
- Tee Shirt Printing Utah County (customshirtprinting.net)
- Tee Shirt Printing (customshirtprinting.net)
Finding a Professional Tee Shirt Company
Published November 14, 2011 | Several people ask us what we do as a tee shirt company to be the very best on the internet. The simplest answer is this: We take care of our customers both in the price and in the customer service arena.
How Do We take Care Of Our customers on Price
It is safe to say that we are the most affordable tee shirt company online. When you compare our pricing with the “other guys,” we are simply the most affordable. In fact, it can almost be said that we are almost half as much as our competitors. If you don’t believe that, go ahead and review for yourself.
Custom Shirt Printing also known as Tee shirts are us is the most affordable tee shirt printing company on the internet.
How Do we give the best Customer Service Possible
This criteria is a little tricky. We say this because you seldom know who you are going to serve. There are some that are easily pleased, while others are not.
Our philosophy is simple, “The customer comes first.” I know a bold idea, maybe not as bold as 9-9-9 by Herman Cain, but nevertheless we strive to put you first.
Whether it is price or whether it is customer service, you as customers get the very best of both worlds. Try us today.
Related articles
- Get Your Business New Business Tee Shirts (customshirtprinting.net)
- How Can You Find The Best Tee Shirt Company Online (customshirtprinting.net)
Custom Tee Shirts for the Holidays
Published November 2, 2011 | Custom Tee Shirts for the Holidays
The Holiday season is right around the corner and we are ready to prepare the most exciting custom holiday tees and hoodies around. Click here to design your own your email us today by using the contact button on your left.
Their are many reason why this season is the best of all, we attribute it to the Savior, friends, niceness and other factors.. Custom tees is a small part of Christmas, but certainly a fun one. Contact us today for your order.
Related articles
- Custom High School Choir Tee Shirts (customshirtprinting.net)
- Tee Shirt Printing Utah County (customshirtprinting.net)
- Utah Tee Shirt Printing Company (customshirtprinting.net)
Custom Christmas Shirts
Published October 24, 2011 | 
Christmas is coming soon and so are all of those parties, family gatherings and gifts. Check out our endless supply of Christmas logos and images on our on-line design software. Click on the right of the site to begin your custom design today.
Once you have a design somewhat how you like it, send it to us for a price and then we can discuss what options we can provide for you.
Call either (435) 623-2382 or click here.
”Best Custom Christmas Tee Shirts Online.”
Related articles
- Tee Shirt Printing (customshirtprinting.net)
- Tee Shirt Printing Utah County (customshirtprinting.net)
- Utah Custom Printed TShirts (customshirtprinting.net)
Tee Shirt Screen Printing – Call Today
Published October 7, 2011 | 
Image via Wikipedia
Tee Shirt Screen Printing – Call Today
Get your tee shirt screen printing completed by Customshirtprinting.net. We work with you directly to provide you the exact services and products that you are looking for. Call (435) 623-2382 today for more information.
Read below to learn more:
Methods of T Shirt Printing
theprintbar.hubpages.com/hub/Methods-of-T-Shirt-Printing
Related articles
- Looking for Tee Shirt Printers (customshirtprinting.net)
- Utah Tee Shirt Printing (customshirtprinting.net)
- Tee Shirt Printing Utah County (customshirtprinting.net)
