[Vtec44]

Okay, so I'm trying out screen printing and doing pretty okay. One of the many things that I'm curious is how hard should I press the squeegee? Do I press it down for the screen to actually touch the shirt? It seems like if I do that, the surface of the "print" looks a bit rough because the screen pulls some of the ink off. I haven't tried any other "methods" yet. Maybe I'm still stuck with the "vinyl press" mind where the print is really smooth? The screen offset is about 2 pennies thick, and I do use enough adhesive so the screen doesn't pickup the shirt, but it lifts the ink just a bit. Is that normal? I look at some of the screen printed shirts I bought and they seem to be a lot smoother than my method.

 

[Squirts]

Okay, so I'm trying out screen printing and doing pretty okay. One of the many things that I'm curious is how hard should I press the squeegee? Do I press it down for the screen to actually touch the shirt? It seems like if I do that, the surface of the "print" looks a bit rough because the screen pulls some of the ink off. I haven't tried any other "methods" yet. Maybe I'm still stuck with the "vinyl press" mind where the print is really smooth? The screen offset is about 2 pennies thick, and I do use enough adhesive so the screen doesn't pickup the shirt, but it lifts the ink just a bit. Is that normal? I look at some of the screen printed shirts I bought and they seem to be a lot smoother than my method.

YES the screen should firmly touch the shirt!!! The screen should lift cleanly behind the squeege as it passes over, thats why its called "Snap Off" if its not then adjust your Off contact a bit higher..
Also watch your squeege angle ...not too much...just enough for the bead to feed ink... to much angle and you'll get too much ink which may contribute to it lifting back with the screen....
A third variable to play with is stroke speed..... Grab a few scrap shirts an play with these varibles it will help you understand how changing one affects your print....
Good Luck....

 

[Vtec44]

Wow, great info Squirts. Thanks!

 

[neato]

You also need to make sure all the ink 'clears' the screen. After your print, you should be able to see through your image area. Sometimes this takes 2 or 3 strokes to accomplish.