Impressions - April/May 2013 - (Page 64)

tS Screen Printing Production most only have 110 and 156 mesh on hand when I visit their shops. I agree that a T-shirt shop needs 110 and 156 mesh, but it’s important to have a nice range of meshes beyond these two common ones. I recommend having some 60, 86, 110 and 156 mesh to cover special-effects inks and everyday spot-color jobs. Keep some 195 and 230 mesh for detail and simulated process jobs, and 305 and 355 mesh is great for holding detail and printing four-color process work. Mesh counts from 230 to 355 should be purchased in colored fabric (orange, yellow, etc.), since it reduces light scatter and reduces undercutting during the exposure process. 4 Screen prep. Today’s screen-cleaning chemicals are more biodegradable and userfriendly than ever. For ink removal from the screen, we have gone from using harsh solvents with low ﬂash points to soy- and citrus-based chemicals with very high ﬂash points. It’s a much safer environment in the screen-reclaiming area than it was 20 years ago! Here’s a review of the screen-cleaning Moisture trapped in the emulsion is the No. 1 screen exposure problem. Many shops will rack dry the coated screens in this room and use a dehumidiﬁer to keep the moisture level at a minimum. I recommend hanging a hygrometer on the wall to check the relative humidity in the air. process: After a job is printed, remove all the excess ink out of the screen and return to the ink bucket. Next, use a commercial screen wash and a shop rag to wipe down the screen. Place the screen in the washout booth and use a degreaser and a brush to scrub out any stray ink residue on the screen’s surface. Use a spritzer bottle and spray the screen with stencil remover to soften the hardened emulsion, let it sit for a few minutes and then scrub the screen in multiple directions with a scrub brush. Use a power washer and spray the entire screen to remove the old stencil. Next, apply the screen degreaser again and scrub the bare screen mesh until you work up lather. If there is a ghost image, apply some screen haze remover to the area and let it sit for a few minutes and then blast the area with a power washer. (Always wear eye protection and earplugs in the screen-reclaiming area.) For high-volume shops, there are commercial screen washers available to remove ink, clean the screen, reclaim the stencil and degrease — all in one conveyor-fed process. Use Info•Action #34 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction See us at ISS Orlando 64 Impressions | April/May 2013 impressionsmag.com http://www.impressionsmag.com/news http://www.impressionsmag.com/business http://www.impressionsmag.com/screenprinting http://www.impressionsmag.com/embroidery http://www.impressionsmag.com/digitaldecorating http://www.impressionsmag.com/events http://www.impressionsmag.com/newsletter http://www.impressionsmag.com/techtips http://www.impressionsmag.com/productguide http://www.impressionsmag.com/catalogcentral http://www.impressionsdirectory.com http://www.impressionsmag.com/infoaction http://www.transferexpress.com/samples http://www.t-shirtforum.com http://www.impressionsmag.com/designgalleries http://www.transferexpress.com http://www.issshows.com http://www.impressionsmag.com/infoaction http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - April/May 2013

Impressions - April/May 2013
Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
ISS Conferences
Game On!
There’s a Cap for That
Should You Start a Preprint Line? Part 2
How to Maximize Your Resources
Setting Up a Mobile Garment Decoration Business
Shop Spotlight
Embroidery Design & Digitizing
Embroidery Production
Screen Printing Graphics & Design
Screen Printing Production
Online Directory
Digital Decorating
Classifieds
Ad Index

Impressions - April/May 2013