Impressions - May/June 2022 - 43

THE SOF T EFFE CT
Soft-hand prints are in high demand and it takes special steps to create such a feel. Veteran screen printers have learned how to use finer meshes
and they know to add soft-hand additives to the ink to achieve soft prints, but many still use standard plastisol inks directly from the bucket and print
through a 110 mesh, leaving the print hard and thick the touch.
The first step is to add a soft-hand curable base (or reducer) to the ink. Since these products are curable, it's OK to add up to 20% or more to the ink to
achieve an ultra-soft feel. Print with higher mesh counts in the 195-230 range for the softest results.
and a 60/90/60 triple-durometer squeegee.
Clear Gel: This SFX ink adds a nice highlight to a design or
can be printed as a standalone ink to create a " tone-on-tone "
effect by printing the clear ink directly onto a dark garment.
High-density clear inks also can be used to print over spot
colors to give them a shiny or wet look. Choosing the right
stencil system is key to printing with HD inks. Screen stencil
systems include direct high-solids emulsion and capillary film.
Coating a screen with a high-solids direct emulsion provides
a thick stencil and allows for an increased ink deposit during
the screen-printing process. The most popular stencil system
for high-density printing is 400-micron capillary film. The
film adheres to the screen's contact side, gets dried, exposed
and then washed out.
The thick film creates a " gasket " that allows the ink to stack
up on the garment during the printing process. For manual
printing, a 70-durometer squeegee works well and a 60/90/60
triple-durometer squeegee is a good choice for printing gels
on an automatic press.
Puff Ink: This ink type is the perfect way to add texture
to a design and was developed to be used as a highlight
to a design. Think snow in a mountain scene or a threedimensional
raised area in a design. Puff ink should be printed
with meshes in the 60-86 range. It's available as a base and
pigment system to mix a variety of puff colors; white and
black puff inks commonly are offered as RFU inks.
Puff ink has a blowing agent mixed into the ink and it's
important to reach the manufacturer's recommended cure
temperature so that the ink can achieve the proper height.
Note: Don't leave the garment in the oven too long or the
puff with rise and then collapse before it exits.
Suede Ink: These inks typically are printed through a
156- to 230-mesh screen, depending on the desired effect.
Suede ink imitates the look and feel of real suede leather and
is available in a suede base to mix custom colors. The base
can be used as an additive with standard plastisol to provide
a soft feel to the printed design.
Foil Adhesive: This adhesive is available in both water-based
and plastisol ink systems, and is printed through 86-110 mesh
in the areas of the design where the foil is to be applied. After
printing the foil adhesive on the garment, cure it in the dryer
at the recommended temperature and heat-apply the foil to
the garment with a heat press at 350˚F for 8-10 seconds. Then
let the foil cool and peel the backer sheet.
Metallic Ink: This type of ink can be printed with mesh
counts in the 135-156 range. Use a print-flash-print sequence
for best results. Remember to allow extra curing time in the
conveyor oven since metallic inks reflect the infrared heat waves.
Sculpture and Rock Base: These two bases can be used
to create a raised underbase to highlight certain areas in a
design to provide a 3-D effect. Sculpture base can be printed
through an 80-mesh screen with 400-micron capillary film
using a print-flash-print sequence to stack the ink to the
desired height. After the underbase is printed and gelled,
subsequent colors can be printed on top with finer mesh
counts in the 230-305 range.
Reflective Ink: Another popular SFX ink used in our industry,
reflective inks have glass beads mixed into the formula
that are illuminated when exposed to bright lights. Reflective
inks are available in water-based and plastisol ink systems.
Reflective inks can be printed with 110- to 135-mesh
screens. However, remember that screen-printed reflective
inks do not pass the reflective test criteria for printing on
certified EMT and emergency-worker apparel. Rather, these
inks are intended to be used solely for fashion purposes as
an embellishment.
The key to successful SFX printing all starts with quality
screen preparation, including using high-tensioned screens
in the 20-25 N/cm range and selecting the correct mesh and
stencil system for the job. Also, remember to use 60/90/60
triple-duromerter squeegees and the rest will be made easier
by following the ink manufacturer's printing guidelines.
Screen printing with SFX inks will take your designs to the
next level when it comes to creativity, as well as new heights
when it comes to profitability at the cash register. 
James Ortolani has more than 30 years of experience in the decorated-apparel
industry, specializing in hands-on, direct screen printing and heat-transfer
production. For more information or to comment on this article, email James
at jamesort12@yahoo.com.
Puff ink has a blowing agent mixed into the ink
and it's important to reach the manufacturer's
recommended cure temperature so that
the ink can achieve the proper height.
MAY/JUNE 2022
P.43

Impressions - May/June 2022

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