Impressions - March 2020 - 41

During the design process, Emily Suhadolnik had to remember
the various special-effects (SFX) inks that the printer, GSG's
Mark Suhadolnik, had selected, including:
* Wilflex Plush Base andVortex red plastisol for the red heart
* HD Sharp clear for the raised effect
* Wilflex Cork Base for texture
* Two layers of AMagic foil
Successfully executing this type of print requires a team effort
between the art and production departments."It also comes in
handy when your wife is a talented graphic designer," Mark
Suhadolnik says.
The Garment
Mark Suhadolnik screen printed the heart design on a Next
Level Apparel women's burnout hoodie (style 6521). It is made
of burnout jersey that is composed of 3.7-ounce, 65% polyester/35% combed, ring-spun cotton. It is side seamed and features
1x1 baby-rib cuffs and band, as well as a sewn-in satin label.
When burnout fabrics first hit the market, garment decorators
used standard plastisol ink to print on this material.The result
usually was a one-dimensional print that didn't achieve the look
and feel desired for fashion wear.Today's garment decorators
have an advantage with the availability of new, high-performance
SFX inks that have a softer feel and better stretch capabilities
compared to inks of the past.
Low-cure plastisol inks also now are available and are formulated to cure between 270˚F and 290˚F to reduce the chance
of scorching temperature-sensitive fabrics, such as burnout,
during the curing process.
Editor's Note:The Wilflex and Vortex inks used to print this design
cured at 320˚F.
Mark Suhadolnik added difficulty by using several SFX inks,
including Wilflex Plush, HD Clear, Cork Base and AMagic foil.
This was done with a specific purpose in mind.
"I wanted to print something out of the ordinary to showcase
what can be done with fabrics like burnout, plus I teach classes
on special-effects printing at trade shows and people expect

the unexpected from me," he says.
The screens used were static aluminum stretch and glue
frames tensioned between 24 and 26 N/Cn and coated with
KIWO Thick Coat emulsion using the scoop coater's dull edge.
Stencil thickness is critical when printing SFX inks in order
to create a gasket or ink well on the screen's contact side that
allows for a thick ink deposit.
Thick capillary films typically are used to produce a stencil for
printing SFX inks, but Mark Suhadolnik broke from tradition
and coated the screen's squeegee side with 10 passes, pushing
the emulsion through to the screen's contact side. Remember
to always rack dry, coated screens horizontally with the screen's
contact side facing downward.
The next challenge involved finding a suitable adhesive to
hold the garment in place during the printing process; aerosol
spray adhesive delivered either too much or not enough tack
to hold the hoodie in place. Mark Suhadolnik selected PMI's
dual tack pallet tape, a two-sided sticky tape wide enough to
cover the entire shirt board. This product yielded the right
amount of tack for this porous burnout material.
The Equipment
The burnout hoodie was printed on an M&R Kruzer sixcolor/six station manual screen-printing press withVortex and
Wilflex SFX inks.The garment was cured in an M&R Econo
Max infrared dryer. An 18" x 24" BBC infrared flash-cure
unit also was used.
Print Order & Ink Types
The splatter background was printed with Wilflex Fashion
Soft Base, an 80/20 mixture with Vortex Black and printed
through a 195-mesh screen with a single print stoke using a
70-durometer squeegee.The banner was printed second with
Vortex Gray through a 230 mesh using a double print stroke
with a 70-durometer squeegee.The garment was then flashed.
The rest of the print sequence was as follows:

1. The heart was printed with Wilflex Plush Base, a 90/10 mixture with Vortex Bright Red, and printed through a 156 mesh
with a double print stroke.The garment was flashed again.
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Impressions - March 2020

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