News
A Checklist of Equipment & Supplies Needed to Start Screen Print Shop
Ready to start screen printing? It's a big jump, but it's so worth it. To build your shop, you will need to obtain some equipment and supplies. Our Sales and Success Team put together a handy check list of everything you should consider investing in your future shop.
Calculate Screen Printing Profits for a DIY Printer in 4 Steps
One of the scariest parts of screen printing is turning a profit. Printers want to make a profit and stay competitive, but not price too high or too low. How do you make a profit in DIY screen printing? Let’s follow the blog “A Guide to Pricing Screen Printed Garments and Turning a Profit” and take a look at four steps to turning DIY screen printing into a profit.
How to Print White Plastisol Ink on a Black Shirt with a Smoothing Screen
Printing white ink on black shirts is a popular design combination. For this design choice to be most effective, the ink needs to be clean and bright. For the best results, printers should use a smoothing screen. Want to learn how to do it? Print expert Colin Huggins has the answers.
The Screen Printing Equipment Every Water-Based Printer Needs
Water-based printing takes a few different pieces of equipment and a bit of know-how. When printing with water-based ink, the water in the ink needs to evaporate in order for the ink to cure. This may seem challenging, but it’s a cinch with the proper tools. Let’s talk about the tools needed to print with water-based ink.
Switch to Water-Based Pallet Adhesive for These 4 Benefits
Keeping a shop clean is essential. A clean shop not only keeps the space looking nice but keeps your equipment running at max capacity. If you’ve used aerosol adhesive, you’ll notice it gets everywhere. The adhesive might work, but also will stick to anything in its path. One way to keep a shop cleaner is to use water-based adhesive. Let’s talk about how to use the adhesive and the benefits of keeping it stocked in your shop.
3 Ways to Create Soft Prints with Plastisol Ink
Soft hand prints are best achieved with water-based ink but can be done with plastisol ink as well. Between the inks you choose to use, the garments you're printing on, to the available ink additives, achieving soft plastisol prints is possible. Let's take a look at three ways to create soft hand prints with plastisol ink.
Want to Screen Print? Here’s How to Choose the Best Start Up Press for You
The day has come: you're ready to jump into the screen printing world. A key factor needed to get started in this adventure is a screen printing press. With tons of press options, it may be difficult to choose the best press to get started with. Luckily, there’s a guide to choosing the best startup press for your shop. Keep reading.
Best Practices to Ensure Proper Ink Curing with 4 Curing Methods
Curing your prints is one of the last steps of the screen printing process, but it is one of the most important steps. Ink needs to be cured properly so it sets into the garment. If the ink does not cure fully, it will crack, fall apart, and not last for long. Printers use either heat guns, heat presses, flash dryers, or conveyor dryers to cure inks. Let's take a look at how each curing device works.
The Best Way to Set up a Screen Print Shop in a Garage
Tons of print shops start off in basements, spare rooms, and garages. Think about it, they're already investing a good chunk of cash into purchasing the equipment and supplies, why not set up shop in a space they have already paid for?
Print expert Darryl Sapp shares his past experiences of working in a garage shop, offering best practices to make the most efficient workflow in the space you have.
Control Print Shop Temperature with these 3 Tips
Temperatures in screen print shops can get uncomfortable. Whether you’re sweating in the summer or shivering in the winter, controlling the temperature in your shop makes a big difference. There are plenty of ways to keep your shop’s temperature comfortable, from venting conveyor dryers to simply opening a window. Let’s dive in.
The Basics of Mixing Emulsion and Coating a Screen
Not all emulsions respond the same when coating screens: some emulsions require adjustments in pressure and speed, depending on the emulsion thickness and the type of mesh you're working with on your screen. The end result should give a nice glisten that makes a great stencil for your next screen printing job. Darkroom expert Colin Huggins is on the case.
3 Steps for Mixing Your Own Colored Shimmer Ink
Who doesn’t love a bit of shimmer? While shimmer inks like Silver or Gold shine bright on their own, sometimes a little color brightens the whole print. Mixing colored shimmer inks takes a bit of experimenting, and can be super fun to test out. Here’s a three-step guide to mixing colored shimmer inks.
