jayman2143

Hey guys! I hope all is going well with all of you!

I recently (literally like 20 minutes ago) got my second request for shirts. They are requesting 50 tultex turquoise shirts because they have a tighter fit and they want their design in white ink.

Is a turquoise shirt considered a dark shirt? and would i have to order opaque white water based ink opposed to white (transparent) water based ink?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

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brent

Transparent white waterbased ink won't show well at all on shirts. It's really just for mixing. You should get a good print with two layers of a good opaque waterbased ink. I highly recommend Matsui brand WB inks. You will print, then flash, then print again. How are you curing?

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jayman2143

Thank you for your helpful response!

Quote: Originally Posted by brent How are you curing?

Since this is my second job, i was curing with a simple heat gun. (my first job was only 3 shirts so it was no big deal).

Since this job is 50 shirts, a heat gun would take too long so im investing in a flash dryer. I found this one on ebay for about $300.

New Flash Dryer Silkscreen T shirt Printing Curing - eBay (item 220497534864 end time Nov-19-09 17:30:50 PST)

Do you know if that will do a good job curing?

 

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brent

I think that flash cure unit would do a fine job. There's no brand, which is kind of weird, but it should do fine. The swivel action is actually really really important, because you will need to move it on and off platen a lot (I always do). The wheels might get annoying, especially if you don't need to move it much. My unit has no wheels and I just scoot it whenever I have to move it, which is pretty rare. Get an IR temp gun too if you haven't yet. I think you could probably find a decent one these days for $30 or $40.
If you're second job is 50 shirts, a flash cure unit is way better than a heat gun, but it's a serious investment at this point. It's probably more than your profit for the job. Make sure you really want to screen print for money before you spend $300 on equipment like this. Not trying to discourage you. If you like screen printing, then do it up, and do it well. I look forward to going to work everyday.

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jayman2143

Thanks again for your help! I honestly do love screen printing. It has always been a passion of mine ever since I took graphics class in high school. I agree with you though that its a big investment and I should sit down and make a list of pro's and con's. I do love the expectation of actually enjoying going to work everyday. It's crazy to think about but its gotta be a great feeling. Once i make my decision, ill invest in that flash dryer and see how well it works for me!

Thanks again and good luck in the future!

 

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snackdaddy185

If you can try to get a larger size flash at least 18 X 18. I use that size and I still wish I had a bigger one.

 

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