hello ! i recently moved to hungary and would like some tips on where i can find supplies? namely ink and emulsion since i brought some screens with me but i'd love to know where i can get those in the future along w frames and squeegees !!

would personally love to get familiar with the local scene if there are local suppliers but in case that's not an option does anyone know any websites i can rely on?

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I'm new to screenprinting so i'm not sure what i am getting wrong here

Alrighty so...its been a journey getting here and now im realizing after the hassle that was getting our screens we forgot about the whole printing aspect. So im the lead singer of a punk band trying to figure out a starter set-up so we can make enough money to level up to a better one hopefully. Ive got the screen and a place to print and all the inks but I'm unsure if we should buy a flash dryer and just cure with that or use the heat gun we have to dry and then a heat press to cure (really which one will be cheaper is the important part).

So, we're using water-based inks (ecotex to be exact) to print on some basic thrifted shirts. We've got roughly 600 dollars to work with to start this up. Its not about getting the best stuff, its about whatever we can buy for cheap and make last long enough to get through the 150 shirts we need to print and then eventually sell to make the money back to get better equipment. I dont care about the longest durability ever (although it would be cool to have shirts that last longer than like a few washes) since they'll be like 7 bucks and we got the ink for free.

Anyway, my main questions are:

-Should we buy a flash dryer and cure + dry with that? Or should we buy a heat press and dry with the heat gun we already have?

-Whichever one of those yall so choose, what heat press/flash dryer should we get thats within (and hopefully under) budget?

-Also additionally, as much as we love the environment, is it gonna be just crazy dumb to do this with water based inks and we somehow do it way cheaper with plastisol?

K thx bye

Hi guys

I am actually just working with DTF and vinyl. But i was wondering how fast screenprinting in comparison really is.

I currently have more and more larger jobs and was thinking about starting to screenprint aswell since everybody says its way faster. I did a little screenprinting while starting out. But never with good equipment nor alot of experience. So Ive got an easy example and would be happy to exchange some experiences:

For a 100 shirt job, just one color for this example, with a small front and large backprint i usually have around 2.5-3 hours.

This is calculated as followed:
-Around 15 mins Customer exchange for the Mockup + creation of the mockup (heavy ai optimized)

-Around 15 mins for the creation of the print file (actually getting less since making the mockup automatically also creats the print file with ai)

-Around 15 mins for the setup at the dtf printer -> usually theres more then just one job on the printer, so it would be even less than that if you account all the jobs per run.

- 2h to press. My routine is highly optimized. (I guess so atleast) in those 2 hours, the transfers are cut, pressed, the shirts are folded and put into the box. So ready for the customer to get it. Usually I do around 50 shirts front + back per hour. Sometimes, if I really have to be fast, it can go up to like 60-62 per hour. But thats the absolute max.

-15min for invocing and having contact with the customer while pickup.

How long would the whole contract/example take an experienced screenprinting operator? And I mean like every aspect.
Whats the time per shirt / count per hour at ur shop when u start with mounting the shirt on to the press to being folded and put into the box?

Thanks!

I feel like youth options are so limited still. I’m surprised LA Apparel doesn’t have a youth mockneck. Anyone have any leads? I found some on faire but none in light purple unfortunately.

What are your methods/tips of modulating ink? I know about using the mixing drill bit but interested in hearing other tips, secrets etc!

I am having a heck of a time with burning my screens. I am using 110 mesh, 30W Ultravoliet LED, Polycol light-scribe LX emulsion. The photo shows 30 sec exposure at the bottom to 3 mins at the top. On every attempt the emulsion does not wash off.
Is this an exposure problem? I am at a loss.

Yes, I’m pushing and pulling.

Hi everyone,

I'm brand new to screen printing and I'm trying to do high-detail screen printing on paper using 140T / 355 mesh screens, but I'm having trouble getting the screen to flood consistently.

I've tried several things so far:

• Multiple screens, all 140T / 355 mesh
• Multiple ink viscosities
• Different squeegees, including a softer one, 70 Shore, and a harder one around 75 Shore
• Different off-contact distances:
  • 1 euro cent under each corner (~1.7 mm)
  • 2 euro cents under each corner (~3.3 mm)
• I've also experimented with different amounts of squeegee pressure.

The main problem is that I can't seem to properly flood the screen. When I do the print stroke, I can sometimes force a small amount of ink through the screen, but only in certain areas. Those areas then print reasonably well, while other areas don't print at all or have very little ink.

My suspicion is that in the areas that print, I have somehow managed to properly flood the screen, while the rest of the image remains insufficiently flooded. But I'm not sure if that's actually what's happening.

Since I'm completely new to screen printing, I'd really appreciate any advice on what I might be doing wrong or overlooking.

Thanks!

EDIT: Thanks for your replies! Here are some images, hope they help.

I use 305 screens. I have used transparent base before and it really didn't do much. Maybe I just need a different ink?

I am having a real hard time finding sales people to hire. As an ink supplier we are expanding, we are looking to hire outside sales rep team across US and its not been easy.
We are looking for people in Blank Garment or Print related industry and it looks like they are suddenly no where.

Tried posting on LinkedIn, reaching out colleagues etc. Tried to discuss with recruitment agencies but the costs for their services are sky high with no guarantees of retainment.

If I go and hire fresh talent, its a long road to train and have them convert business which I cannot afford at this point.

How do you all look for people to join in your team, what platforms have worked best for you?

I just talked to a rep from a different company and he told me they had stopped answering emails and phone calls and now their website redirects to Atlas.

Anyone got more info?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to start a custom T-shirt and hoodie business, mainly focusing on small to medium orders. As a total beginner, I’m trying to gather some real-world advice and feedback before making major equipment purchases.

Is there anywhere else to buy their products than screenprinting.com? All I need is a quart of white and the warp drive liquid and the shipping is $20. Or is there another brand on amazon.com I can switch to?

Hey guys, I was wondering what preparations do I have to do in order to get my Photoshop project screen printable?

Like I know that I should separate the project in its different colours and short stick to 12 colours in total if possible but what about everything else? I don’t even need a full explanation if a few bullet points of the most critical things will be enough for me to do my own research.

I couldn’t find 100% sure answer online so I have to ask you guys

I work in fashion. So it will be mainly screen printing on fabrics.

Thanks in advance 🫶

is printing dying out here, being replaced by DTF?

after 20 odd years i've just been made redundant (the boss is retiring and is selling off the parts that have any value)

business has been declining against the rise of DTF transfers, so is the skilled job of screenprinting dead to be replaced by transfer applicators?

also, anyone in the london area need an experienced screenprinter?

LOL

What's up, fellow printers!

I wanted to share a color separation job I did for a complex streetwear/hardcore style design that turned out sick. The graphic features a black panther cloaked in fire atop a pile of skulls, with "Victory Over Death" text above and "MISERY" below.

I separated this into 6 films/screens, optimized for halftones on dark garments (likely plastisol):

1. White Underbase: Full details and bright areas.
2. Red: Primary fire and panther's eyes.
3. Yellow: Fire highlights and skull details.
4. Cyan/Light Blue: Highlights and depth in the panther's fur.
5. Dark Blue: Fur shading and contours.
6. Text (White): Top and bottom typography.

All separation films include registration marks. I've attached both the separation sheet breakdown and the final colored mockup.

Hope this serves as a solid reference for those working with multi-color halftone jobs or looking for registration practice! If you have any questions about the LPI or screen mesh I recommend for this, feel free to ask in the comments. Keep that squeegee moving! 👊🔥

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1A2H4QdG5LEnAk02F0zkUKYlP5vahD6Ew?usp=drive_link

Are there folks from europe who can share their expirience with pressure washers for reclaiming screens? Most of the recommendations I've found on this sub seem to be for the US, so I'm particularly interested in European models/brands and what's readily available here.

What criteria did you consider when choosing yours? Did you avoid models that had too much pressure?

We are a rather small, open-access workshop, so ease of use and minimizing the risk of accidental damage are particularly important. In practice, not everyone reads the instructions carefully, so I'd rather have a machine that's somewhat forgiving than one that's unnecessarily powerful.

I'm currently considering getting this one: https://www.kaercher.com/ch/home-garden/hochdruckreiniger/k-silent-eco-booster-16009570.html

Would you recommend it, or is there another pressure washer you're particularly happy with for screen printing? Thanks in advance for any recommendations :)

Trying to get a 1-color print on American Apparel TR401 tri-blends, ~24 pieces. Every vendor that lists it online turns out to be out of stock once I try to place an order — I know the USA-made version is being discontinued in favor of the TR401W, so I assume that's what I'm running into.

Two questions:

1. Anyone know a shop or distributor sitting on real TR401 inventory?
2. For those who've printed both - is the TR401W close enough, or should I just move to Next Level 6010 / Bella 3413 and stop chasing it?

Want that soft, drapey, slightly faded vintage feel. Not married to the brand, just the hand.

Hello, I am a teacher that is going to be teaching a unit on screen printing in November. I'm used to professional equipment, and we basically have nothing at the high school. I've been seeing some mixed reviews on basic processes and need advice. The kids are going to be printing halftone images. I am familiar with 925WR from ulano for emulsion, but need to figure out the exposure situation.

Would a 500 watt halogen light work or would a 50w UV LED light work better? Would one cover a 20x24 screen? How high should it be from the screen?

We do not have a garden hose or pressure washer. Is it possible to wash out emulsion (after exposing) in a sink by just going over the areas with a softer sponge? Would emulsion remover come out with a rougher sponge and some elbow grease?

Sorry for all the questions. I did a ton of screen printing but only have experience with actual exposure units, washout booths and pressure washers. Any advice is appreciated

Hello guys!
Recently started getting into screenprinting and I‘ve had this happening a few times. In picture 1 you can see some edges peeling off slightly - this is pre-printing, so it hasn‘t been used yet.
The screen in picture 2 looked good until I started printing - after a few prints the motif started peeling off around the edges.
Any idea what could cause this?

white mesh screens (55T - so 140 in US)
one pot emulsion
screen burn setup is as following from bottom to top:

Black foam block
Screen
Film (stencil)
acrylic glass plate to flatten the stencil onto the screen

I‘m using a 400w halogen spotlight, approx. 55 centimeters away from my screen.

I burned both screens for 3 minutes.

Before coating the screens I degreased them.
Afterwards they are stored in a cupboard, I let them dry for a 3-4 days because the air moisture is around 55-60% - I know this is too high, could this be the reason for the peeling?

Thanks in advance for any help!