I have been printing on tshirts for a few weeks and they look great,but,I am trying to print the same logo on sweatshirts and they look poor.I am using the Ryonet silver press and plastisol ink.The image doesnt "pop" on the sweatshirt like it does on the tshirt.I have tried print flash print also.The screen is a 110 mesh witha 1 and 1 emulsion coat and then a 2nd coat on the outside after drying.
Last edited by nxsprint; October 31st, 2009 at 05:03 PM.
Reason: more information added
Welcome to the forum & good luck to you! Sorry, I don't know how to guide you on this topic. However, I am sure another member of the forum will chime in soon w/answers.
I have been printing on tshirts for a few weeks and they look great,but,I am trying to print the same logo on sweatshirts and they look poor.I am using the Ryonet silver press and plastisol ink.The image doesnt "pop" on the sweatshirt like it does on the tshirt.I have tried print flash print also.The screen is a 110 mesh witha 1 and 1 emulsion coat and then a 2nd coat on the outside after drying.
welcome to the forum......
first
what exactly is the problem with the print?
what type of ink are you printing with...
how much off contact do you have...
how much spray tack are you using and which kind.....the web spray works good , I use waterbased pallet adhesive and works really well.
these questions need to be answered before we can guide you to a solution.
I am using plastisol ink...off contact is 2 quarters stacked(i tried 1 also but did not help)...spray contact is CCI top bond mist...I am using the same amount as on the tshirts,about a 2 second mist.The look of the print is not smooth...and looks clumpy.
Last edited by nxsprint; November 1st, 2009 at 08:27 AM.
Reason: spelling
Printing on sweats will require more off-contact, not just because they are thicker, but because the fabric compresses when you print but then expands back upwards after your squeegee passes, sometimes making the ink stick in the mesh because your screen is too close. Sweats are twice or more as thick as your basic 6.1oz tee and also they absorb more of your ink into the fabric. I've found that you might have to double stroke your underbase because of the absorbancy of the fabric.
All this talk of off contact, I must mention that the amount of off contact needed is proportional the the newtons per sq centimeter. The tighter your frame, the less off contact you need. On a 158 mesh I run about 20 newtons, on a 125 for light color inks I run about 40. 1 newton per square centimeter is about the same as 1.5 lbs per sq inch or 208 lbs per sq foot.
You can see that specifying a specific distance can be meaningless when we don't know how tight your frame is.
Peel is important, and if that is the issue, you can slow down the stroke, change the angle, or modify the ink.
Alan is right about the addition ink, and if that is a 50/50 low bleed, it has a blowing agent in it (puff), the more ink you lay the bumpier it gets.
Your right Randy, it's hard to give advice sometimes when you want to give precise information such as "1/10" off-contact" or something similar when you don't have the specifics to form that advice. I might set our press's OC at 1/10" to do a job then use the exact same mesh count on another job but have to raise it to 1/6" due to loose screens.
I think it is also important to take the garment into consideration.
What is the t-shirt composition?
What is the sweatshirt composition?
If you had a 100% cotton t-shirt and you were using inks designed for 100% cotton - no bleed resistance - and you print that ink in a 50/50 (poly/cotton) or 70/30 blend sweatshirt you will have dye migration. This will cause the ink to not "pop" also.
Hi
I am having the same problem. My Sweatshirts keep sticking to the screen and then it peels away and leaves a bumpy mess.I have an M&R Chamelon and am printing on dark hoodies with white QCM Glacier White Ink through a 110. The sweats are a 50/50 blend, and I am flashing printing then flashing again. Also I am using top bond adhesive on my pallettes. My off contact is about a nickel's width. Any help is greatly appreciated.
You need to use a web spray adhesive for sweats, the regular adhesive won't hold it down good enough. Also, is your off-contact a nickel from the top of the sweatshirt, or the pallet?
Because of the rebound of the sweats after the squeegee passes, try adding just a little more OC than you would for a tee. The sweat shirt smashes then rebounds back upwards because of it's thickness/softness.
I use a waterbased pallet adhesive and have no issues with the sweatshirt lifting off the pallet....also you want a tight screen when printing white....especially when printing white....the tighter the screen the better..a tight screen will ensure the screen snaps off the shirt as the squeegee passes and leaves a clean print...and when you lift the screen, the screen and shirt have already released......
I am still having some trouble printing on hoodies using an underbase. I am using the web spray adhesive which works better but my ink still seems like it is too thick. Is there something that can make my ink lay a thinner coat of ink? The ink comes out tall and thick looking. Almost like "puff paint"????
Tshirts look great,but not the sweatshirts 
