Hi Guys, Ive just joined as a member and have searched extensively for forums like this one and no luck,except for now.I am new to the screen printing industry and desperate for help.Sometimes when I print the image prints except for the left side other times it is the right, or sometimes only partial letter is printed.Also I find that the part that does not print has ink accumilated on the other side.I just dont get it. My screens are new, alluminium, so I have no ghosts on the screen.I have made sure to apply equal pressure on both sides and I have checked that my screen is level and the platen and screen are both level.I really am stuck I dont know what to do Please Anyone can you Help.Thank U so much
HI! This is a great forum. You will learn alot. There is a lso a screenprinting forum that I belong to www.boards.screenprinters.net they are alot of help on that one too.
are you printing/ flashing/ and printing again while the shirt/ platten is still hot?
if so this could be whats causing the ink to gel in the screen and block your print.
another thing, how is your ink? is it stirred well?
its hard to know for sure with out seeing it...
Hi Drue thank you very much for your reply.I am not flashing, this is just a one colour print. The ink I am using is a water based ink, I think it is stirred well, I contacted the ink manufacturer as I thought it was a bit thick but they said its supposed to be that way.Any more ideas.Your help is greatly appreciated.
HI! This is a great forum. You will learn alot. There is a lso a screenprinting forum that I belong to www.boards.screenprinters.net they are alot of help on that one too.
could need a different squeegee...can you get it to print if you max the pressure?
could need a better wash out of the emulsion
if it happens on left and right on the same screen it could be the ink...could be gel'ing
really tough to say.
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Hi Guys, Ive just joined as a member and have searched extensively for forums like this one and no luck,except for now.I am new to the screen printing industry and desperate for help.Sometimes when I print the image prints except for the left side other times it is the right, or sometimes only partial letter is printed.Also I find that the part that does not print has ink accumilated on the other side.I just dont get it. My screens are new, alluminium, so I have no ghosts on the screen.I have made sure to apply equal pressure on both sides and I have checked that my screen is level and the platen and screen are both level.I really am stuck I dont know what to do Please Anyone can you Help.Thank U so much
There are a few things I can think of...check your off-contact (should be about 1/8 inch).
Try printing with two passes. Has this problem occurred with jobs you've printed in the past? Have you tried other inks?
The fact that the problem is intermittent between parts of the image means that the screen was probably shot correctly. What mesh count are you using?
could need a different squeegee...can you get it to print if you max the pressure?
could need a better wash out of the emulsion
if it happens on left and right on the same screen it could be the ink...could be gel'ing
really tough to say.
Thank you very much for your response. I think it could be something to do with the ink geling. I use water based inks (serilac from Sericol)and the ink does seem rather thick. Do you know if I can add a dilutent to the ink to thin it out a bit.
Are you coating the emulsion on the screen evenly?
Hi Im kind of sure that Im coating the screen properly, if however Im not doing that can you explain to me how that will affect the outcome.Thanks alot
There are a few things I can think of...check your off-contact (should be about 1/8 inch).
Try printing with two passes. Has this problem occurred with jobs you've printed in the past? Have you tried other inks?
The fact that the problem is intermittent between parts of the image means that the screen was probably shot correctly. What mesh count are you using?
Hi thanks for your response. I was using a 78T mesh screen but have now switched to a 48T and cant see any difference. One thing I did notice is that when I use the inks for dark colours they are more liquid and I dont seem to get any of these problems.When I use the other inks to print on light colours I notice that they are alot thicker and sometimes hard to spread evenly, could this be the cause, is the anything I can dilute the ink with.
I'm not all that familiar with metric sizes, but you should have noticed a little difference in quality of detail and ease of printing when switching to the lower mesh count.
If your inks feel too thick, call your ink company and buy a reducer. Any reputable company should have one, and it shouldn't affect the washability, either.
I can think of another couple of possible reasons...
1. The ink could be drying in the screen. When using waterbased ink you must keep the open areas of the screen covered with a thick layer of ink so it doesn't dry out and clog the screen
2. If you are washing out the screen after exposing and leaving in the sun to dry...if the emulsion is slightly underexposed it can run down over the open are of the screen and for a clear film over the open mesh. You can only see it when held at the right angle and the light shines off it. This can be removed with a wet rag.
Screen print problems 
Re: Screen print problems 
