Discuss the different types of equipment needed for screen printing. Topics include manual screen printing presses, automatic presses, dryers, folding machines, starter kits and high end machines.
hi. I would like to do more with my designs/prints. For the past many months I've been building screens + working with single-color prints. I'm thinking pretty heavily about investing in some equipment, but I'm not sure where to start. I'd like to print multiple colors/layers. Also, I'm interested in buying some sort of curing... something. I've been using a heat gun, which isn't super consistent.
Would you suggest a conveyor dryer?
A four-color press? If so, what kind?
Why, why not?
After a year and a half I still have yet to print more than 3 colours and I have a 4 colour Benmar (made in Canada). Benmar - Manufacturers of Screen Printing Equipment . Excellent equipment and the owner of the company is a really nice guy too and can custom make anything you need. I've also heard good things about Workhorse too.
A converyor dryer is a great piece of equipment. It will increase your productivity immensely. A Flash dryer you need if you're doing overlapping colours.
The heat gun is fine for a few shirts (but curing won't be even across the print) and a flash dryer most definitely better if you doing a little more than a few but if your going to be doing any kind of volume printing you absolutely need a conveyor drier.
Would you suggest that I invest in a press, flash dryer + conveyor belt?
I plan to print about 30+ tees per cycle, with three colors overlapping.
Also, if that's the case, would the basic idea be: print, flash, print, flash, print, flash, conveyor?
You don't need to flash between all colors, you can print wet-on-wet in many cases, including most work on white/light shirts. Also, colors don't "overlap", right?
How many shirts do you print a day/month? That is the defining factor on whether you need a conveyor or not.
need help re: 4-color press? conveyor dryer? 
