[Tamashii]

Curious.

How fine can screen printing reasonably go before details are blurry and another method is required?

We do not just apparel, but bags and binders etc as well. A customer complained that the print on the binder is too blurry with metallic gold.

The text print is about less than 1/8 of an inch in width (height?).
The screen board we used is the finest available.

Should the customer have used pad printing? Does pad printing work on leather?

Thoughts are welcome.

 

[PositiveDave]

You could use pad printing, which will print on almost anything.
Screenprinting is capable of very fine resolution but you need the right set up - don't use emulsion, use something like capillex, I think they do a thin version (capillex CD?).
Use a fine mesh and uv inks.

 

[Tamashii]

Dave,

Thanks for the helpful advice. I will look into these materials.

Again, I appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[Texsource Scott]

Curious.

How fine can screen printing reasonably go before details are blurry and another method is required?

We do not just apparel, but bags and binders etc as well. A customer complained that the print on the binder is too blurry with metallic gold.

The text print is about less than 1/8 of an inch in width (height?).
The screen board we used is the finest available.

Should the customer have used pad printing? Does pad printing work on leather?

Thoughts are welcome.

The detail of your print will vary with your artwork, mesh count on your screen and you emulsion or stencil material. If the print was blurry, you could have had a loose screen that moved slightly when the item was printed. The off-contact (distance between the screen and the platen when the print head is down) may have also needed to be adjusted. Hope this little bit of info helps.

 

[tpitman]

Too coarse a mesh will give you problems. Printing on a smooth, or a non-absorbent surface, requires a higher mesh count. I print yard signs with 230s. I did a white ink on royal blue nylon backpacks, and I had to go up to a 305 to get a clean print.