[shanes]

Hello All,

I recently just purchased a Javelin 6c/8s automated press. Before purchasing the press I was printing on a 4c/6s Hopkins manual. This is my first time using an automatic machine, but for the most part I've been able to learn a lot about this machine specifically.

A question I have is what techniques and proceduces would you use for printing wet on wet? When manually printing, I would usually flash inbetween every color being used. I rarely printed wet on wet, because by the end of even a 100 tshirt run, the inks would run and smear on the bottom side of the screen, creating a less that satisfactory result.

I am attaching an image for a print I ran last night on my automatic press. I began the process printing wet on wet, running white underbase (flashed), than red, yellow, and blue last. I ran my whtie through a 110 and the rest through 200. By the time the red and the yellow got to the blue screen, the inks began to smear. I ended up throwing my small manual flash dryer into a unused print head to flash the red and yellow before it made it to the blue.

Is there any suggestions or tricks to printing wet on wet to not have the inks smear? The print shop I purchased the machine from informed me about getting my ink consistencies the same? Also just any type of method that would help me determine which colors to print first, and why I would choose those colors first. Any insight would be helpfull!

 

[shirleyg]

We have one or these machines also. set up your screens lightest to darkest print color. for wet on wet you do not want lines in your art crossing over one another. corectly seperate your art on the vellums before you even burn a screen. A color that crosses over another color in wet on wet will start to smeer and change color almot imeadetly. Also a tip for that pesky ink build up on the bottom of your screens, pull paper every 5 to 10 shirts " print just on paper till the other image has started to disapate then continue printing. Hope this helps Good Luck

 

[mikelmorgan]

I f I were printing this, I would put the underbase on a 200 mesh also. If you have a trap make sure it is minimal. To print wet on wet it is critical that you have tight screens, at least 20 newtons and your off contact is at a desired height. I generally print my brightest color last. One trick that some printers have some success with is make one of the inks thinner than the others, this makes it hard for the two different consistencies to mix with each other. A sharp squeegee is also a great help. Bottom line is the thinner coat of ink the less ink can bleed. You just have to play with it, don't give up you can make it happen. Keep in mind some times you will still have to add a flash, Welcome to the world of autos.

 

[forward dc]

Shane, i would suggest putting what we call "gutters" on your underbase screen. where the red and yellow colors touch, just put a slight (.4 point works for us) stroke so that the underbase is not continuous there. now when you print those colors that butt against each other, there is a slight valley for the ink to drop into when it spreads outward, thus reducing your smearing problem.

regarding press setup, we use sharp squeegees and set them with the lightest pressure and fastest speed possible, while still clearing the screen. use enough pressure on your flood bar to fill the stencil completely so that the squeegee just shears it out of the screen.

its gonna take some trial and error!