[WHCustomRainMan]

when printing on the manual press i dont always pull the ink towards me with the squegee...sometimes i push it...sometimes i step to the right or left side of the pallet and pull the ink sideways...i do this for different reasons depending on the job. sometimes its for registration purposes and sometimes im able to get the ink to clear the screen with fewer swipes if i go from different derictions/angles. this is a trick i figured out on my own and i dont know if other screen printers do the same thing. im very versatile in the way i print. my boss sometimes gives me crap about it...sometimes my carpal tunnel flares up worse...but i do whatever it takes to make the print look the best that i can. the old man i learned from pulls the ink towards him like 99% of the time... Does anyone else print like i do or do most of u pull the ink towards u most of the time???

 

[Naptime]

when printing on the manual press i dont always pull the ink towards me with the squegee...sometimes i push it...sometimes i step to the right or left side of the pallet and pull the ink sideways...i do this for different reasons depending on the job. sometimes its for registration purposes and sometimes im able to get the ink to clear the screen with fewer swipes if i go from different derictions/angles. this is a trick i figured out on my own and i dont know if other screen printers do the same thing. im very versatile in the way i print. my boss sometimes gives me crap about it...sometimes my carpal tunnel flares up worse...but i do whatever it takes to make the print look the best that i can. the old man i learned from pulls the ink towards him like 99% of the time... Does anyone else print like i do or do most of u pull the ink towards u most of the time???

i pull to flood, push to stroke.

after watching enough videos, and trying things out for myself, i determined that the push stroke was more effecient, and less strain on the hands and arms.

i will sometimes do a left to right stroke for front pocket logos, but most of the time i am able to accomplish them with a push stroke as well.

 

[PhilR]

I push to stroke and pull to flood for all the reasons mentioned above. Also it's kind of a pre-requisite of my press setup. I tend to pull stroke when printing flatstock though, mainly because of how waterbased inks behave on the squeegee.

 

[beanie357]

Pull flood. Pull white.
push one color like black on lights.
Weird but it works well on the whites (warrior and other wilflex)

 

[TYGERON]

...sometimes my carpal tunnel flares up worse...but i do whatever it takes to make the print look the best that i can.

Your boss is right in giving you crap especially if you're hurting yourself (and on his/her dime to boot!)

What ever works I guess.

But if you're sacrificing your physical wellbeing for the sake of printing, then I suggest you reconsider your technique and the equipment.
There are quite a few things that can be done to minimize srtess, strain and fatigue. Screen tension, off contact, ink viscosity, the type of squeegee, the actual handle, your grip, angle, stance etc.

Try experimenting until you find what works best.

Screen printing, like love, shouldn't hurt.