This is the 3rd time i've washed the screen. the white ryopaque ink is way too thick. I've added a bunch of curable reducer and it doesn't seem to do much difference, actually might be worse after stirring it. Screw screen printing, I'm putting everything up on craigslist. I'm raging right now.
I hate white ink
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Haaa-haaa!!!!
I'm not making light of your frustration. Just remembering the emulsion I threw against the basement wall years ago after similar rage.
Looking back I learned that my rage from the problem I was having was due to my lack of experience and basically not knowing what I was doing.
First calm down. Take a breath...hold it...now release.
Know that there are a whole lot of different whites even from the same manufacturer and they all have different properties and characteristics for different applications. The ink you're using may be "bad" but probably not. Stirring is fine but try putting a bit in a smaller maybe quart container, add a small bit of reducer and use a hand drill type mixer to throughly mix it. And make sure you have the type of ink you need for what you're printing. If you're doing 100% cotton for example, a regular soft hand white will suffice, even on darks. You can print/flash/print or with the right set up and technique, do it in a single pass. If you're doing a blend, a higher opaque white might be in order. It will probably be thicker in the container but it can be modified and stirred to a more viscous consistency. And mesh ount, set up, screen tightness, ff contact, squeegee hardness and edge type all come into play also.
Bottom line is that it printing white) shouldn't be that hard.
When it is, something needs to be checked and reconsidered.
Repeat after me...Screen printing is fun...
I'm not making light of your frustration. Just remembering the emulsion I threw against the basement wall years ago after similar rage.
Looking back I learned that my rage from the problem I was having was due to my lack of experience and basically not knowing what I was doing.
First calm down. Take a breath...hold it...now release.
Know that there are a whole lot of different whites even from the same manufacturer and they all have different properties and characteristics for different applications. The ink you're using may be "bad" but probably not. Stirring is fine but try putting a bit in a smaller maybe quart container, add a small bit of reducer and use a hand drill type mixer to throughly mix it. And make sure you have the type of ink you need for what you're printing. If you're doing 100% cotton for example, a regular soft hand white will suffice, even on darks. You can print/flash/print or with the right set up and technique, do it in a single pass. If you're doing a blend, a higher opaque white might be in order. It will probably be thicker in the container but it can be modified and stirred to a more viscous consistency. And mesh ount, set up, screen tightness, ff contact, squeegee hardness and edge type all come into play also.
Bottom line is that it printing white) shouldn't be that hard.
When it is, something needs to be checked and reconsidered.
Repeat after me...Screen printing is fun...
I know the frustration, I have been at the shop for 2 days straight now, trying to do somd orders for a member of the fourm. The problem I am having is similar, I got some useless red ink trying to print on black. If I underbase it then flash the white the red is still tranparent to the point it shows up pink. If I hit it a second time after flasbing thd red it gets better but then becomes to shinny and make the other colors and image look weird.
I was so frustrated I wanted to throw all my silk screening stuff in the tall grass. I have since calmed down, and now I am just super tired. I have been at the shop since 4 pm saturday. I finished one order and got to more that needs to be on a UPS truck by 4 Monday evening.
Frustration hits but try to hang in there dude.
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I was so frustrated I wanted to throw all my silk screening stuff in the tall grass. I have since calmed down, and now I am just super tired. I have been at the shop since 4 pm saturday. I finished one order and got to more that needs to be on a UPS truck by 4 Monday evening.
Frustration hits but try to hang in there dude.
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You know I was going to reprimand you for being up so late/early.
I'm grown and can do that, but you kids need your sleep. Haa-haaa!!
I feel you. Been there. And that emulsion I mentioned is still there.
I know you can't post a pic. But describe the job...shirt color and content, ink color(s), how many colors, what kind of press, screen mesh count.
And what do you think you could do differently to make it easier next time?
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We've all had issues printing white but once you get it figured out and find one that you like, you won't dread printing white on darks anymore. There are so many different white inks out there and I probably have 10 different white inks in my shop from low bleed and cotton whites to fast flash and opaque. I use Union bright cotton white and it is great because it is nice and creamy with good coverage. I also have Wilflex and QCM whites that I like as well.
On a side note, what mesh screens are you using and are you flashing your print? As your pallets heat up, they can begin to cure the ink in your screen if you don't have enough cool down stations.
On a side note, what mesh screens are you using and are you flashing your print? As your pallets heat up, they can begin to cure the ink in your screen if you don't have enough cool down stations.
This was probably the culprit, I printed 80 shirts straight for a 100 shirt order, all black. the pallet was about 200F as it goes around and around. the ink gets harder and harder to print every time around. what am i supposed to do? print 2 shirt, and wait 10 minute for the platen to cool down? I card out all the hardened ink on the screen and clean it with citrus plastisol screen cleaner. Since i ran out of ink, i ordered another white from ryonet, same type as last time except the one i got was hard to use. it clumps up and catches to the side of the squeegee. reducer doesn't help at all.
I'm giving the 20 other shirt to another company to print, and I'm losing profit, but at least it'll keep me sane.
I have like a couple of gallons of paint,
6 Color Two Station Screen Printing Silver Press™ (SKU: LG6x2) 4 micro-reg.
Econo Flash Dryer 18x18" 1700 Watts 115v standard plug
Aluminum UV Screen Exposure Unit 20"x24" (SKU: RXP2024)
Accurip
Epson photo 1400 with black-max ink
bunch of adhesive in a spray can
bunch of ink card
couple of quarts of emulsion
about 20 screens, and 15 squeegee
some cleaning chemicals.
some etc things for screen printing.
I'm throwing all these out for about $3000 on craigslist
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It's tough when you're flashing with a two station press because it doesn't give the pallet any time to cool off before you are printing on it again. I like having at least 4 stations so it has at least 2 stations to cool off a bit. If they are still getting hot, you can put a small fan over the pallet after it after the flash station to cool it down as well.
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Dude, wait!!! I really was kidding! Don't give up!
It's all in the set up and technique. I've been printing for quite a few years and I've pretty much over come most issues I've had. Just takes patience and some reading, asking and implementation.
The real stressful part is learning on an actual pay job. Take a week off and come back to it. Read some. Practice. And come back to it
It's all in the set up and technique. I've been printing for quite a few years and I've pretty much over come most issues I've had. Just takes patience and some reading, asking and implementation.
The real stressful part is learning on an actual pay job. Take a week off and come back to it. Read some. Practice. And come back to it
at first i flash in about 4-5 second and i tried washing a shirt and the plastisol kinda faded. so i leave it for like 10 second now, the shirt gets up to like 320F.
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You can't give up now.. White is the hardest ink to print with.. Make sure your squeegee is nice and sharp.. I prefer a 70 durometer. Print your white through a 110-125 mesh.. Try to push print instead of pull print. Also make sure your off contact is good.. And when all else fails.. Practice practice practice.
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If you're flashing to 320 degrees, you're way too long. You're close to fully curing the ink at that point. The second hit may not stick if the underbase is cured. You want to gel the ink, which is about 190-200 degrees. Just keep at it and don't give up. If everybody that has ever struggled with white ink gave up, there wouldn't be many printers out there.
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There's flashing and there's curing. Flashing is gelling the ink at a lower temp. The ink needs to reach full cure throughout the entire ink deposit.
If you're flahsing for that long, the platen and ink is too hot and gelling the ink in your screen.
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If the plastisol is fading after a wash then you could be experiencing fibrillation.. Possible causes could be too high off-contact, to much squeegee pressure, too low screen tension- This is actually a cascading affect I mentioned.
Too thin an ink deposit can also cause this.
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I too feel your pain. I was in tears everytime I had any large amount of white to print. When Bill Hood asked me what I felt my biggest problem was I said White Ink. After two days I changed my answer to my screens. I don't know if your ink is bad and I'm not trying to sell any one training class over another but your problems may not be the ink at all. You can add all the additives you want and try all the brands and it won't do any good if your screens and emulsion aren't correct. 2 days with Bill Hood and I now enjoy printing white. Get some training before you quit. It will be worth the money.
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Richard is correct in stating that your biggest problem is probably not the ink, but any one of a number of variables that you have encountered.
Without having a good grasp of the variables, and there are well over 500 variables in the screenprinting process, you will expend a great amount of effort in attempting to guess how to solve your problems. After much guessing, you will have nothing but experience, which means nothing if you have been making incorrect assumptions. What you need is knowledge of the technical aspects of the process in order to know what the problem is and how to fix it with the least amount of work.
This knowledge is not easily acquired from bits and pieces of information presented by others who may only be guessing or perhaps what works for them, which is contingent upon their set of variables. You'd do well to educate yourself as to the technology of screenprinting and especially ink transfer before continuing on your journey.
Without having a good grasp of the variables, and there are well over 500 variables in the screenprinting process, you will expend a great amount of effort in attempting to guess how to solve your problems. After much guessing, you will have nothing but experience, which means nothing if you have been making incorrect assumptions. What you need is knowledge of the technical aspects of the process in order to know what the problem is and how to fix it with the least amount of work.
This knowledge is not easily acquired from bits and pieces of information presented by others who may only be guessing or perhaps what works for them, which is contingent upon their set of variables. You'd do well to educate yourself as to the technology of screenprinting and especially ink transfer before continuing on your journey.
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To the OP - don't give up! It can be a turd, but you'll get it!!!
I've been doing nothing but printing white on black for weeks.
Even took up printing white plastisol transfers.
I've been getting by, but I know this could be a lot easier. P/F/P/F/P seems excessive, but it's working, going fast, and yielding good results.
After watching a Bill Hood video on youtube, I was so p!$$ed off at my process and results that I have been going back to square one on troubleshooting - a new squeegee, a new screen, a new exposure unit, a conveyor dryer, step tests, and some new white ink.
Getting better
Gotta say tho, if I ever get one hit white on black prints like Bill was in his video, I'm gonna crap myself. Here's hoping!!!
Bill- thanx for the vids by the way...
Any particular white ink would you suggest for on 100% cotton black ring spun printing???
I do a ton of this, and I really need to find a killer white for this. I am SO far from one hitting white on black...
I've been doing nothing but printing white on black for weeks.
Even took up printing white plastisol transfers.
I've been getting by, but I know this could be a lot easier. P/F/P/F/P seems excessive, but it's working, going fast, and yielding good results.
After watching a Bill Hood video on youtube, I was so p!$$ed off at my process and results that I have been going back to square one on troubleshooting - a new squeegee, a new screen, a new exposure unit, a conveyor dryer, step tests, and some new white ink.
Getting better
Gotta say tho, if I ever get one hit white on black prints like Bill was in his video, I'm gonna crap myself.
Here's hoping!!!Bill- thanx for the vids by the way...
Any particular white ink would you suggest for on 100% cotton black ring spun printing???
I do a ton of this, and I really need to find a killer white for this. I am SO far from one hitting white on black...
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yea I'm not a big fan of the whole white ink thing myself but it seems that most of the work I've done is on dark shirts which means white ink...I use the same white from Ryonet (international coatings) and I thin the crap out of it, getting good results with P/F/P on 156 mesh.
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