[jasperhagen]

Hi, I am a newcomer and I am finding the screenprint process to be very interesting and the input I have received on the forums has been quick and awesome ! I now am wondering what type screen to start out with. After initial research it seems some people mention 110 a lot but a friend at work tells me that it can vary depending on the color ink. Can anybody suggest basic beginner screen ?

 

[nwscreenprinting]

Hi, I am a newcomer and I am finding the screenprint process to be very interesting and the input I have received on the forums has been quick and awesome ! I now am wondering what type screen to start out with. After initial research it seems some people mention 110 a lot but a friend at work tells me that it can vary depending on the color ink. Can anybody suggest basic beginner screen ?

Your choice of screen mesh count should depend on a number of factors. Type of ink,
color of ink
type of fabric
etc.
Good luck!

 

[jasperhagen]

Would you mind giving me a brief breakdown ? I'm wondering what are a couple basic screen mesh counts to start out with ? A couple videos I watched on YouTube mentioned the 110 but I don't want to assume to get all 110 screens. I didn't realize that there was such a variety in screen mesh count. How can I tell which type to use, and when ?

 

[760rdl]

For screen i would get 156mc the 110mc is fine but i do not like it i feel like the designs hold better on a 156mc and white goes through like a breeze as you go up in mesh count your whites will be harder to push . i to heard alotta 110mc talk and tried it but was not my thing . i say go with 156 as it will do most basic jobs and as you get more into the water based and haltones and all that buy em as you need . but 156 you should work well . if your doing mettalics go to a 80 or even 60 mc depending on the ink . but once again i say go with a 156mc

 

[indyjkc]

you will need 110's as well....

 

[gnatt66]

i'm VERY new but didnt like 110 screens either. p/f/p white on 156 looks awesome and black is a breeze with them as well.

 

[nation03]

Sometimes the ink has to do with the feel as well. My boss pretty much just uses 110 because its all sports printing. I print mostly white and when I use Wilflex white it is nice and smooth, but he's been buying one stroke white and I've had consistent issues getting it to print smooth. You can run a job with identical screens and tension levels and the Wilflex will always win in my opinion. Just a heads up about the One Stroke white inks... maybe they print nicer on a high mesh, but as far as I'm concerned, I'll stick with Wilflex.

But anyway, Mesh depends on what you're printing... like most people said already. If you're doing basic spot color prints with little detail - 110 will be fine. 156 has been a good overall mesh for me as well.

 

[latitude42]

With whites on a black fleece I sometimes have to go with a 83...
Latitude 42

 

[gnatt66]

i did an order with white on purple yesterday and only had a 110 that was ready to burn. so i used it. the results were very good. i just don't flood anymore. p/f/p..make sure the screen is cleared both times and it worked great!

 

[foot print]

You will always have a need for 110, here are the mesh counts I keep on hand. 110, 160, (white mesh) 180, 200 (yellow mesh) it's nice to have a 60 mesh for those glitter inks. Yellow mesh are perfect for detail and half tones . If you are doing process color you need 4- 300 mesh screens. It's all personal preference...

 

[nativesonjls]

I'm new myself so take my advice with a grain of salt,
I've practiced with both plastisol and water based with 110 and the plastisol worked good with the exception of the white which I used a small about of reducer with to thin it, I don't flood the screen like with the water based and also use a couple of quarters to achieve the off contact. The white was sticking in the screen and leaving a rough pattern till I thinned it. Works like a dream now. had to switch to a dual cure emulsion to get the screens to hold up with the 110, I did some fine lettering on a few graphics. Water based was a different story, several colors including the white caused some saturation problems, I flooded the screen to avoid drying and this may have been the problem but I will be using 110 for the white but moving up to a 230 for the detail and usability with some of the thinner colors IE black water base, can't read the letters of the text. All plastisols work fine. I didn't move on till I felt like I had a grip on each stage of printing even pushed back finish print date to insure I can deliver a quality shirt. Just working out some curing issues and I'm ready to do 5 graphics for a total of a 100 shirts to take to market Saturday. I'm sure some more experienced printers could have made the water base work with the 110 but I have some hours to put in before I have the control needed.