We are printing 80 shirts (40 grey and 40 navy) with a 3.5" x 2" golden yellow company logo on the left chest. Do I need a flash base for the colors of shirts I am printing on?
Actually with athletic gold you should only need to print flash print to get a good print. Most golden yellow/Athletic gold inks are thicker than normal and work real well with the PFP method
If you are wanting to do high quality work you should always use a white base, also it depends if your t shirts are 100% or 50\50. If you are printing 50\50 you need to use a ink designed for 50\50 applications , we use wilflex polywhite for an underbase and get terrific results. even if you are printing 100% t's you need to get used to printing that way because it looks better and last's longer. you can pfp on 100% but it will not work for 50\50 t's. good luck
If you are wanting to do high quality work you should always use a white base,
How did you come to this conclusion? I have been printing Ath. Gold with the PFP method for over 11 years with great success and 75% of the work that lewves my shop is 8-9 clr simulated process prints on darks which in this industry would be considered high end.
A simple spot print of ath gold does NOT need a underbase to result ina quality print. The use of a higher mesh frame will help with the hand of the print. Printing a white underbase is the same as printing the ath. gold flashing and printing again.
I encourage everyone to try different methods and see which ones work best for you and your shop, as each shop is different. as you can see everyone has there own opion as to how to achieve a good print. I print only on automatic equipment and do large runs ,so the pfp method does not work for us for several reasons first and formost it's cost effective to use a white underbase for large runs , also it is the correct way to print on dark garment's , I agree it's not the only way but it is the correct way . high quality means different thing's to different people and I didnt mean to offend anyone , I am only here to help those who ask . have a great day and keep the presses rolling.
I must completely agree with brent smith. white always first. main reason is control, other reasons are edge definition, faster production, higher color values, and i could go on for another 10 min.
Yeah, When I worked as a designer for a print shop in college we put a solid white underbase under everything on darks, but now that I'm out on my own, the printer I use for contract printing said that I don't need a white underbase because it leaves a thick thick layer of ink on the shirt. I do think that the colors come out better with underbase, but it does leave a "shield" of ink on the shirt. I guess its about what tradeoffs you want.
I encourage everyone to try different methods and see which ones work best for you and your shop, as each shop is different. as you can see everyone has there own opion as to how to achieve a good print. I print only on automatic equipment and do large runs ,so the pfp method does not work for us for several reasons first and formost it's cost effective to use a white underbase for large runs , also it is the correct way to print on dark garment's , I agree it's not the only way but it is the correct way . high quality means different thing's to different people and I didnt mean to offend anyone , I am only here to help those who ask . have a great day and keep the presses rolling.
encouraging to try new methods is a good thing as I offer that advice as well. R&D is essential for any shop to thrive and grow.
I as well have an Automated printing & embroidery shop and have been printing automatically for over 9 years, specializing in simulated process, index and true 4-clr process on darks
Print flash print method can still be
Quote:
Originally Posted by brent smith
I print only on automatic equipment and do large runs ,so the pfp method does not work for us for several reasons first and formost it's cost effective to use a white underbase for large runs , also it is the correct way to print on dark garment's , I agree it's not the only way but it is the correct way .
Printing a white is NOT the only correct way. We print gray underbase as well as clear underbase all the time. Are you saying this is not the proper way to print? Many big league prints are done this way. Automatically with Athletic gold ink two screens 156 mesh print flash print uses the same amount of ink as if you used a white underbase. The ath. gold will flash quicker than the white underbase and ultimately give a faster production with just as good as a print.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brent smith
high quality means different thing's to different people and I didnt mean to offend anyone , I am only here to help those who ask . have a great day and keep the presses rolling.
No one is offended its just your statements are not 100% correct and your advising as such. There are many instances where a white underbase is warranted, needed and as you mentioned works best. In this particular print the PFP method with Ath gold will yield a quality, bright print without the need for another manual screen.
There are many inks out there that do not require a white underbase in order to print on dark t's. The mesh, art, print color, shirt color and ink type all come into play as to what method is best for printing
Thanks for the update and glad they came out good for you. Just remember that not all inks will work this way and the majority will require a white underbase.
athletic ink? OMG i thought this was a serious discussion. white under base has to do with control of reflected light. you guys wanna talk about ink with a grey cast, (dull look) go ahead and stack that bondo on. i guess i missed my point. the light travels thru the color, hits the white, bounces back thru and guess what. not alot of ink maximum amount of color.
Flash base needed? 
Re: Flash base needed? 
