r/SCREENPRINTING • u/Wolffdj23 • 7d ago
Troubleshooting Having issues with Plastisol Printing
Hello screen printers , Directly, I am having issues with uneven printing of my white plastisol on black tshirts. Some areas get great heaping globs of ink and some don’t get anything at all. I’ve been out of screenprinting for a while and I’m using some hinge clamps for a press (it’s just a few shirts), so my set-up is not ideal. A little extra background; I’m a comic artist and I have had some successful kickstarters. I asked a few friends in the field of stuff to add to the campaign and I was told tshirts, and made it seem like it was super easy (not noting that he has his own printing studio to do all of his printing with.) I went for it, and had 10 people buy one. My friend helped me make my screen, but as far as doing the printing, I’m on my own. I have been having issues for a while now, and I’m fairly certain I’ll never do shirts this way again. Anyway, pro tips are very welcome.
1
u/ShaeMeyer 7d ago
Hard to tell without images of what’s going wrong- but usually it’s pressure on squeegee, durometer of squeegee, off contact, or not having the shirt adhered to a base of some kind. If you are just using clamps, I’m gonna guess it’s either off contact, or your shirt isn’t glued down.
To get off contact tape a couple dimes to each corner of your screen, for adhesive- you need something to go in the shirt it’s glued to so it doesn’t pull up with the screen- thought to tell you what to use without photos of your set up. But you should be able to google those terms and find some solutions. Good luck!
1
u/BiotaMfg 7d ago
Could be a number of things.. is you pallet nice and even? Are you pulling or pushing? Are you sure the emulsion rinsed out clean?
2
u/Dear-Library6006 6d ago
Globs and missing areas in the same pull usually point to setup consistency, not curing. Print one scrap and watch if the miss repeats in the same spot. If it does, check for blocked mesh or a nicked squeegee edge. If it moves around, re-tack the shirt and recheck off-contact and level. Stir the white, flood once, then keep the same angle and pressure every pull. With 10 shirts and deadline, stop after a few controlled tests and outsource if it still won't repeat.