T-Shirt Forums - View Single Post - White Ink on Black Shirts: My New Top Secret Classified Technique

youtees · May 19th, 2008

sorry to ruin your special moment, but what you discovered(unfortunately by mistake)is the widely known MUST of printing with warm platens. This id done for several reasons. If you make a first print aonm a cold platen and then flash it, you will most certainly shrink the shirt due to the temperature differential you created between the platen(and so design)between your first print and the last(or overlay print). But even this fact is secondary. Because printing whites on dark fabs will require two layers of ink...THAT is why you start with warm boards. Not hot enough to cure the plastisol as one poster worries will happen...but because flash cure times will be reasonably short(6 to 10 seconds or so)when the board(s)are not sucking up all the heat meant to flash cure the shirt between prints. So...it is just a normal function involved that your boards/platens should be rather warm during this process. it just comes with flashing. If i do anything here i hope to abolish the use of heat guns for ANY step of screen printing!!!! Yikes OMG and BLEH!!! to heat guns. Truth: You can get a faster and better/more even flash cure by mivng a 500 watt halogen work lamp low and slow over your design(About $10.00 at any hardware store). I guarantee you it will work better than that heat gun. There is a company or two that passes along the heat gun ignorance to help sell their equipment(it isn't slamming if it is true!)and I just in one sentence told you a better way to do it(halogen). Better yet...a few seconds in your oven(while still on the platen)under the broiler element is even better for flashing. Please EVERYBODY....toss that heat gun!!! It is just one of the erroneous things that is aimed at noobs to hold them back. 'Doable' yes...but you can also dig your way to Australia. If nobody told you we have jets. I am amazed at how many people are putting up with the spotty and time consuming use associated with heat guns. I have taught a LOT of people to print about everything and I would never tell anyone to use a heat gun. because I know better. I suspect those who told you you should knew better too. Make it easier on yourself. LOSE that heat gun. You will feel MUCH special'er' if you do.

May 19th, 2008	- #6 (permalink)
youtees T-Shirt Lover T-Shirt Fan You can call me: Lee Member Since: May 2008 Posts: 26 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Re: White Ink on Black Shirts: My New Top Secret Classified Technique sorry to ruin your special moment, but what you discovered(unfortunately by mistake)is the widely known MUST of printing with warm platens. This id done for several reasons. If you make a first print aonm a cold platen and then flash it, you will most certainly shrink the shirt due to the temperature differential you created between the platen(and so design)between your first print and the last(or overlay print). But even this fact is secondary. Because printing whites on dark fabs will require two layers of ink...THAT is why you start with warm boards. Not hot enough to cure the plastisol as one poster worries will happen...but because flash cure times will be reasonably short(6 to 10 seconds or so)when the board(s)are not sucking up all the heat meant to flash cure the shirt between prints. So...it is just a normal function involved that your boards/platens should be rather warm during this process. it just comes with flashing. If i do anything here i hope to abolish the use of heat guns for ANY step of screen printing!!!! Yikes OMG and BLEH!!! to heat guns. Truth: You can get a faster and better/more even flash cure by mivng a 500 watt halogen work lamp low and slow over your design(About $10.00 at any hardware store). I guarantee you it will work better than that heat gun. There is a company or two that passes along the heat gun ignorance to help sell their equipment(it isn't slamming if it is true!)and I just in one sentence told you a better way to do it(halogen). Better yet...a few seconds in your oven(while still on the platen)under the broiler element is even better for flashing. Please EVERYBODY....toss that heat gun!!! It is just one of the erroneous things that is aimed at noobs to hold them back. 'Doable' yes...but you can also dig your way to Australia. If nobody told you we have jets. I am amazed at how many people are putting up with the spotty and time consuming use associated with heat guns. I have taught a LOT of people to print about everything and I would never tell anyone to use a heat gun. because I know better. I suspect those who told you you should knew better too. Make it easier on yourself. LOSE that heat gun. You will feel MUCH special'er' if you do. __________________ Hey!...what is that blue stuff on your pizza!?
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