Discuss the different plastisol screen printing inks and curing methods on the market. Share tips on getting the best results with the different ink manufacturers.
I was trying to figure out how much ink to order and was wondering if you could help me. How many shirts will a pint, quart, and gallon of ink last for a chest piece design. The design is just words in block letter and an arrow under the letters. It is a cross country team shirt.
Are you printing dark colors on light colored shirts, or light colors on dark shirts?
I have a design that I'm trying to get to print right. It's 11x12, and about 70% is getting ink. White on black shirts I'm guessing I'll get 50-75 out of a quart.
Other designs I have are dark on light, and I inked the screen, pulled 10 shirts, and had most of the ink left.
I am printing red in on a white shirt. or red ink on a royal blue shirt.
Picturing an average image of what you describe, a gallon of ink going through an average screen mesh 156, with an average stencil, just enough ink to fill/cover the shirt thread, it should last 3-5K shirts.
I could set up the same job with different screens, one low mesh (110) with a thick stencil and one high mesh (230) with average stencil and get an amazingly different result with almost the same look to an untrained eye. I might get to 1,000 with the first screen and 7,000 with the second. It can vary based on many different variables.
Picturing an average image of what you describe, a gallon of ink going through an average screen mesh 156, with an average stencil, just enough ink to fill/cover the shirt thread, it should last 3-5K shirts.
I could set up the same job with different screens, one low mesh (110) with a thick stencil and one high mesh (230) with average stencil and get an amazingly different result with almost the same look to an untrained eye. I might get to 1,000 with the first screen and 7,000 with the second. It can vary based on many different variables.
Good information.
What about the red on navy that Orso mentioned?
Would a P/F/P work, or would a white underbase be necessary?
I've done Union Scarlet Red P/F/P on black pellons, with 110 screen, and it looked OK, but not great. Average consumer wouldn't blink, but I thought it was a bit thin. I haven't done anything with a white underbase though.
Would a P/F/P work, or would a white underbase be necessary?
I've done Union Scarlet Red P/F/P on black pellons, with 110 screen, and it looked OK, but not great. Average consumer wouldn't blink, but I thought it was a bit thin. I haven't done anything with a white underbase though.
Thanks!
I would use a white underbase for that setup and put the underbase on a 156 up to 230 and then put the red on a 156 to 230, that way you keep the ink use to a minimum. The higher the mesh the less ink you'll use. Using a 156 for each color will yield a slighly brighter print than a 230 but wouldn probably not be noticeable to the customer. Most of our customers want super bright so we go as low as a 110 for our underbases and when you put the top color on it looks like it does when it's in the bucket. It is just a matter of opinion and what passes in one shop as a great print doesn't fly in another shop. We always experiment when it's slow and setup the same job on different mesh counts and compare the results. There are so many combinations and you have to figure out what looks the best to your eye and for your shop, create your own identity. Our prints look different than our competitors, hopefully better but this is like art and the quality of the print is subjective. I've seen many prints at stores and some are really great, but the vast majority would not leave our shop looking like that.
How long will it Last? 
