Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Fall 2014 - 13

Figure 1

* The correct mesh is crucial in determining
proper ink-film thickness, hand and resolution.
Photo courtesy of Total Ink Solution

Figure 2

of proper mesh selection, screen preparation and off-contact
to ensure a soft hand.
* Controlling of any potential dye migration or sublimation
through the use of the correct bleed-resistant ink and heat
control to minimize potential dye sublimation.
* Proper squeegee selection and printing technique (square
angle, durometer, pressure and speed) to contribute to controlling the ink-film thickness.
* Minimizing heat exposure to the fabric while ensuring
proper curing of the ink film. This includes controlling the
heat exposure from the flash units (when employed), heat
absorption by the platens, as well as the dryer settings.
* The production of a final print that will maintain its
vibrancy and possess the elongation characteristics that the
fabric demands.
Now with our objectives outlined, we will begin with the
step-by-step process of producing the print.

STEP 1: SCREEN PREPARATION
Mesh Selection
Mesh selection controls three variables in the printing
process:
1. Ink-film thickness, which determines the hand of the finished print
2. The overall opacity of the print in conjunction with the
ink employed
3. The squeegee parameters, including edge pressure and
speed.
When printing on fabrics of this nature, you want to achieve
the softest print possible while meeting the desired opacity
and print performance parameters required of the fabric. For
general guidelines, I prefer the following mesh selection for
polyester.*
A Supplement to Impressions

* The 70/90/70 squeegee will allow the
blade to transfer the
desired ink deposit
onto the fabric without
rollover of the blade.
Photo courtesy of
Printersedge.com

* 158-180 mesh for the underbase/flash screen
* 230-305 for the wet-on-wet colors
* 156-230 for the secondary or highlight white
*These are recommended screen meshes and may vary
dependent on your printing conditions (Figure 1).
Screen Tension
When it comes to the screens used in any printing situation,
it's "quality in, quality out." For this reason, when printing
high-quality artwork on apparel, you need to invest the best
materials available. This means that we bring out the retensionable frames and stretch the mesh to the manufacturers'
recommended tensions. These parameters will control most of
the aspects of the print. The quality and tension of the screen
will control the off-contact distance, required squeegee pressure and speed, and resolution of the finished print.

STEP 2: SQUEEGEE SELECTION
There also are variables that will determine your selection
of squeegee durometer. Those include the viscosity or printability of the ink and required squeegee pressure based on offcontact and screen tension. For printing on a smooth fabric,
such as 100% polyester, you will want a relatively stiff squeegee. This would call for a 70/90/70 triple durometer. In this
situation, you will want the soft edge of the 70/90/70 to conform to the surface of the mesh, allowing for a smooth ink-film
deposit while having the rigidity of the 90-durometer center
to keep the squeegee from rolling over and resulting in loss of
resolution (Figure 2).

STEP 3: PRESS SETUP/OFF-CONTACT
The use of high-tension screens will allow for the minimizing of the off-contact distance. This, in turn, will dictate
Fall 2014 * 13

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Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Fall 2014

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