Shrinking ... that sounds unlikely.

A couple things to mention that might help:

When printing white on black it is perfectly normal to print the image more than once. This is called Print/Flash/Print. The "flash" refers to drying (not curing) the ink between prints. A flash dryer is a radiant heat panel made for this purpose. You repeat the Print/Flash process as many times as needed to get the look that you want.

If you are using Plastisol ink, you need a flash dryer. If you are using water-based ink, you can use a flash dryer or heat gun. You flash long enough so that the ink is not wet/sticky (drying the ink, NOT curing it). The garment then needs to cool a bit so that it doesn't cause the ink in the screen to dry when you do the next print stroke. To speed cooling, you can blow a fan over it or just wave a piece of cardboard back and forth.

Are you using pallet adhesive to hold the garment firmly in place while printing? That should keep it from squirming out of place.

 

Are you using pallet adhesive to hold the garment firmly in place while printing? That should keep it from squirming out of place.

I agree with NoXid. I am new myself and through trial and error I can recommend one more thing to try. I flash my ink for 5 seconds so it is just enough to not be wet to the touch. Find the minimum amount of time to flash. I am currently using Triangle Stretch White Ink I got from Anthem Printing SF (on a budget). I read the forum veterans swear by One Stroke Hybrid White. I wish i could buy a pint to try. Best of luck.

BEFV

 

I secure the shirt so it does not move, and i do use a heat gun in between prints, yet the design still does not match up with the screen when i do a second print

 

Yeah, I read somewhere else to preheat the shirt before printing. so ill try that out

 

1. Make sure you have enough glue on pallet

2. make sure screen is locked in/micros

3. adjust proper off contact

4. Print using Print Flash Print Method I Prefer 2 strokes then flash for no more than 15 seconds if its too hot raise flash or vice versa still wet lower flash then then stroke 1 time .

This always works for me

Hope I was Help to You

 

If you're using water-based ink and a multi-platen press, or just have plenty of time to work on your shirts and don't mind, you can set up a small fan blowing onto the platen, skip the flash, and wait about 15-20 seconds between hits of white. It requires your work space stay relatively warm, but it will give you a more even "flash" across the entirety of the print than using a heat gun which will automatically result in a more consistent product, and will prevent the chances of damage to the shirt from putting a heat gun too close to one area of the print, which I suppose could theoretically cause shrinkage if it's a high polyester content in the shirt.

I use this method by printing my underbase on each shirt before rotating the platens around the press and doing my colours on top at the next pass before I take the shirt off and run it through the tunnel dryer.

All pre-heating your shirt will do is make the plastisol more pliable and willing to go through the screen as it'll conduct heat from the shirt and thin or dry out your water based ink more quickly if you're using that. You can accomplish the same result by just storing your plastisol ink in the sun or near a mild, even heat source.

 

So, with all your suggestions, I fixed the issue of the design "shrinking" but now I have a new problem. Like I said, I am a beginner, so I was using Speedball ink. However even after the first wash in the washing machine, the paint is cracking, fading, and coming off. I wanted to stay using Made In the USA ink. Are there any other inks that are Made in the USA that stay permanent and last through multiple washes???

 

My experience with Speedball was horrible. It was with a event where people were showing the process of screen printing. They let you do the process for $15 bucks. They had to keep cleaning the screens, and my shirt washed out first wash.

I have tried multiple inks and what I think is hard to the touch is normal to others. I have used Triangle inks which I think you will have the same issue with if not cured properly, it can be very thick and reducer and soft hand base suggested with it made my ink oily even though I only used 5% reducer and separate mix 10% soft base. I like Union Ink Ultrasoft but it's not very opaque, Maxopaqe is good but is thicker to the touch. I just bought One Stroke Hybrid White and the opacity is great and is holding up the best so far. I really would like to do discharge prints but I am starting out myself and don't have a forced air dryer.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

How do you cure? Flash unit or conveyor dryer?

 

This helps alot. New to printing myself and just dealt with this.

 

The right equipment is key to printing. Conveyor dryer and Flash unit. But if you are not doing it for a business, and just for fun, then spending that money for the right equipment is not on your list. So small problems with printing will always be there with a heat gun. Some more info on your exact process will help everyone determine on what to suggest.

 

Speedball is low quality crap. Even their poster ink is garbage. They're only one of the leading brands because they were one of the first to set up a major deal with the art stores ( they may have been better quality at some point in the past. ) If you want to stay made in the US and water-based, Ryonet's Green Galaxy line is a pretty decent middle of the road ink and it's cheap compared to other water-based systems. We use it in the shop here because we have so many beginners coming in for classes and it's extremely easy to work and cheap so we care less if they waste it. I've also had amazing results with Matsui, but their ink is harder to work, requiring a bit more knowledge of mixing, and costs about double what the Green Galaxy does at it's cheapest.

You may also not be curing your ink long enough if it's washing out. Speedball has a lot of water in it, and not much acrylic ( Acrylic being the binder agent that makes it adhere.). My guess is, especially for the guy who got his shirt at a live printing, that the ink isn't heating all the way through and isn't bonding to the shirt. Under infrared heat, which is what most screen printing curing equipment or heat guns are, water-based ink has a dwell time that's about 3x as long as plastisol. At minimum, you need about 50-60 seconds under 360 degree heat for a cure, and even then we'll tend to run it through a second time in the shop here, just to be completely sure.

 

Do any of you newbs realise that Screen Printing is a trade to be learnt over 4 years. You can't pick up a squeege and off you go.

 

That is such a poor answer. Just look at what Lee Stuart has done. Yes, he went above and beyond in equipment purchases, but his whole shop out shines all others, and he's only been in business for a few years. It isn't about trial and error, it is about watching what others do, learn from their mistakes, so you don't repeat them. And shine on. 4 Years? I was printing in 4 days thanks to watching what others were doing right and wrong.

 

If you're using water-based ink and a multi-platen press, or just have plenty of time to work on your shirts and don't mind, you can set up a small fan blowing onto the platen, skip the flash, and wait about 15-20 seconds between hits of white.

 

I would recommend following Lee Stuart on YouTube. As well as The Print Life. Cam does great videos with content to learn from. Heart and Health also has a great channel, and he shares great pointers everyday to help you get started the right way. YouTube is your friend. I will soon be starting a new series of using RhinoScreen 2.0 to eliminaate the emulsion, drying, exposing, and need for Chemicals very soon. It is a new product that is revolutionizing the industry by storm.

 

Lee Stuart is a really great lad, he is a good specialist