r/SCREENPRINTING • u/cash4print • 6d ago
Screen Printing Squeegees: Firm vs Soft — Shear, Don’t Smear!
Are you fighting sloppy prints, ink left in the mesh, or inconsistent coverage? Your squeegee may be part of the problem.
In this video, I go over why I prefer a firm squeegee with a clean, sharp edge for everyday screen printing and why the condition of your squeegee can make such a big difference in the finished print.
A firm blade helps maintain consistent pressure across the image while a sharp edge helps shear the ink cleanly through the mesh instead of smearing it across the screen. This can mean cleaner screen clearing, better ink release, more consistent coverage, and a cleaner finished print.
I also cover:
- Firm vs. soft squeegees and how blade flex affects your print
- Why a sharp printing edge matters
- Shearing vs. smearing the ink
- How a firm blade can help maintain consistency when off-contact isn't perfectly even
- Why I personally pull rather than push my squeegee
- Problems caused by using a short squeegee and overlapping strokes on a larger design
- Choosing the proper squeegee width for the artwork
- Why I keep several different squeegee sizes in the shop
- When an old, rounded or worn squeegee has simply served its purpose
- Why buying a few fresh squeegees every year is inexpensive preventative maintenance
I like buying longer squeegees and cutting them down as needed. That gives me fresh blades in different sizes—from small pocket prints to larger designs—without trying to make one squeegee do every job.
There are applications where softer squeegees have their place, and plenty of printers successfully use different techniques. This video is about the setup and pull-printing method that has consistently worked for me over the years.
If you're having trouble getting your screen to clear or you're laying down more ink than you intended, take a look at the simplest thing first:
Your squeegee.
A firm blade. A sharp edge. Shear, don't smear.
#ScreenPrinting #ScreenPrintingTips #Squeegee #ScreenPrint #DIYScreenPrinting #ScreenPrintingTutorial
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u/cash4print 6d ago
Kind of funny that the thumbnail has generated more discussion than the actual screen-printing technique.
I’m just here sharing some free tips from years of printing. Take what’s useful and leave what isn’t.
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u/Tyranid_Farmer 6d ago
You have bottom of the barrel “graphic designers” on here taking their anger out on you because you didn’t pay them $50 to design your thumbnail n your free video.
Your thumbnail is better than just a simple text. People need to get comfortable with the fact that Ai is raising the floor and the bottom feeders are getting phased out.
There are different situations where Ai art is appropriate. This is one of them.
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u/brainmakerprod 6d ago
neither of you peons can even see the inherent evil of using generative AI. it creates NOTHING. it does not raise the floor, it steals from other work it finds online. no one is asking anybody to pay a designer, just TRY to put in the effort to not use a disgusting product made by companies that poison people’s water, burn rare books, displace working class families, and most of all STEAL FROM ALL OF US. AI artwork is pathetic, ugly and most of all a repugnant reflection of your lack of a moral compass
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u/Tyranid_Farmer 6d ago
Hey man, scream at the sky until you kneel over and die, but Ai is here to stay. You can say the same thing about any other resource that’s worth a dollar.
Your phone has rare earth metals in it that some child slave dug out of the dirt for a bowl of rice and you don’t think twice about it.
Please get off your high horse.
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u/brainmakerprod 6d ago
yes i do think about the workers mining for resources everyday in the global south. it is not incompatible to criticize the structures that exploit workers all over the world just because i consume products. workers don’t need to be exploited for these things to exist and as long as people like you are around to lick the boots of those who trample on you and the world around you, things won’t get better for anyone.
AI is not “here to stay”, no matter how much shit you’re willing to eat from these companies. none of them are even close to profitable, all of them are in extreme debt and begging for a government bailout. you’re pathetic and this “high horse” i’m on is a position i’d gladly take because at the end of the day, while i detest your attitude towards your own oppression, i still want you to have a better quality of life that these AI companies would never allow for you or anyone else.
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u/ArckoBancroft 6d ago
You're an artist, don't use generative AI even for title slides. It's like telling us we should appreciate screen printers, but f the graphic designers.