I'm a graphic artist and have my t-shirts screen printed for my wholesale customers.
I have a screenprinter that does good work for a good price, but my customers complain about how thick the ink is on the dark shirts.
My printer says light inks on dark shirts must be flashed and re-printed or must use a white underbase which still makes it extremely thick. He says there's no way around it. (White Plastisol ink on 100% cotton shirts and sweatshirts)
When I say extremely thick, I mean the ink is at least 1/16 of an inch. VERY thick.
It also looks like the ink has shirt fuzz in it.
For ink that thick and double printed, I would think it would cover any of the garment material "fuzz".
I see dark shirts everywhere that don't have any fuzz in the ink AND none of them seem nearly as thick. WHAT'S THE DEAL?????
In Hawaii, we don't have alot of options for screenprinters, so it's very difficult to find someone else.
Maybe my screenprinter isn't the most experienced ,but he's very flexible and works with me on many levels and really does a good job except for these issues.
Are there any tricks he may not be aware of that are causing these thick and fuzzy problems???
I know he would be open to suggetions.
Can anyone help me?
__________________ "It's not the shirt on your back, but what's on the back of your shirt!"
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
After reading some info about discharge screenprinting, that sounds like the "bomb" but my screen printer is not set up for that. (his shop is in his garage)
Does anyone have any suggestions if discharge is not an option due to the 20-30 ft conveyor dryer needed?
__________________ "It's not the shirt on your back, but what's on the back of your shirt!"
Last edited by HulaArt; January 31st, 2009 at 01:42 AM.
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
Thanks John! I do appreciate your trying to help by suggesting discharge, but after reading the whole thread I'm pretty sure my screenprinter can't do discharge. Also, I get rock bottom pricing and could not afford any higher screenprinting costs such as discharge.
Being in Hawaii is awsome in many ways. But trying to start a t-shirt biz is not one of them. Shipping alone added $1.50 per shirt to my last order because they wanted 12oz. pigment dyed sweatshirts. There is no one on the mainland that will print for the price I get at small quantities.
I know nothing about screenprinting or inks etc. PLEASE, what I really need to know is if anyone knows any way to get the plastisol printing to be not so thick and why I get the fuzz in the ink.
__________________ "It's not the shirt on your back, but what's on the back of your shirt!"
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
Tell him to try a higher mesh for the underbase- like 156 or 230 mesh. Also he may try to do a halftone underbase instead of a solid white patch or block. If he uses 230 mesh or even 156, the print will be much softer. You can also use a little softhand base, or curable reducer, but not too much or you will lose opacity in the white ink.
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
It sounds like he's using a 110 mesh or possibly lower. As far as the fuzz goes if he's hitting it so many times with that low mesh count, it starts peeling fuzz off the shirt mixing it with the ink (with long runs). You also get a rough print if you use low quality shirts, for example it's happened to me with a cheap 80% cotton 20% poly. 156-160 mesh would be the way to go.
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
I have said this many times. You get what you pay for! The trick to printing tees is that you lay the ink on top of the fabric not into the fabric. Here is what needs to happen. Use a higher mesh, 230 or higher. Use a soft squeegee, as soft as you can get by with and make sure it has a sharp edge. Make sure you have some off contact between your screen and fabric. We thin our ink with about 10% nova base (you can use other reducers if nova base is not available). Using only one stroke lay down one layer of ink, make sure it does not get pushed into the fabric but lays on top of the fabric. Flash and then put another layer of ink on top of that in the same manner. You need very tight screens to make this work well. Odds are your printer does not have the right equipment to make this happen. It takes a lot of time and experience to achieve this using a manual press but it can be done. For an extremely bright white or bright color you can use 156 mesh for the under coat and a 230 mesh for the second coat. It takes a lot of practice to get it right but it is worth it in the long run. Patience is key when learning to do this, don't settle for poor quality. Achieving a soft hand on the shirt will make your printer, a better printer and he will get more business as a result. Good luck.
__________________
Mike
If you dig ditches be the best ditch digger you can be.
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikelmorgan
I have said this many times. You get what you pay for! The trick to printing tees is that you lay the ink on top of the fabric not into the fabric. Here is what needs to happen. Use a higher mesh, 230 or higher. Use a soft squeegee, as soft as you can get by with and make sure it has a sharp edge. Make sure you have some off contact between your screen and fabric. We thin our ink with about 10% nova base (you can use other reducers if nova base is not available). Using only one stroke lay down one layer of ink, make sure it does not get pushed into the fabric but lays on top of the fabric. Flash and then put another layer of ink on top of that in the same manner. You need very tight screens to make this work well. Odds are your printer does not have the right equipment to make this happen. It takes a lot of time and experience to achieve this using a manual press but it can be done. For an extremely bright white or bright color you can use 156 mesh for the under coat and a 230 mesh for the second coat. It takes a lot of practice to get it right but it is worth it in the long run. Patience is key when learning to do this, don't settle for poor quality. Achieving a soft hand on the shirt will make your printer, a better printer and he will get more business as a result. Good luck.
I understand that laying the ink on top of the shirt is key to reduce fiberillation, but wouldn't laying it on top of the shirt actually make the print thicker?
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
Not neccessarily, because a thin layer on top will make it more opaque, requiring less ink than if you had to build up a heavy deposit of ink for increased opacity.
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
Thank you all VERY much for your valuable time and input. Yes, I think he is using 110 mesh. I'll ask him to go to the 156. Since he is not using an underbase, but flashing and adding a second layer, I think using a higher mesh might help. (based on your suggestions) If that doesn't do it, and he can't master the 1 pass method, I'll try the water based ink.
I'll also talk to him about the 1 pass method. I did some research on youtube last night and found some good info on that as well. 1 question about the 1 pass method; will that be as durable and last as long? Given that the ink is "on" the material and not "in" the material?
__________________ "It's not the shirt on your back, but what's on the back of your shirt!"
Re: My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP!
If it is cured correctly it will last forever. The shirt may deteriorate and the will deteriorate along with it. But it will look as good as the shirt will as long as it is properly cured.
__________________
Mike
If you dig ditches be the best ditch digger you can be.
My customers complain the ink is too thick. HELP! 
