Shirt Shrinking and Press Technique
Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 10:58 am
I just started a new job in a verrrry small shop and am a bit at wits end on day 4 after one particular reaccurring problem:
The shirt is shriking?
It is a typical one-colour, hit twice, on a blue shirt. Simple right. Hit it, cook it, hit it again.
Obviously, it is shrinking between hits, so when I spin the pallet towards me --to print that last colour layer before sending it down the drye--- the image is off-registration, essentially smaller and ultimately a ruined print.
There are two things I need help resolving:
1) how to deal with this shrinking problem
2) to know if I am indeed operating a manual press correctly
(#2 comes up because the designer is arguing it's the way I print and that I leave it under the flash too long. Which, albeit, I do leave it under there, but it is a reasonable amount of time)
I've suggested adjusting the heat on the flash, but he says the ink is formulated to cure at 30 sec? or something like that. Obviously ink is formulated to cure at a certain temp and time but even if it was 30sec or 15sec I'd be okay, this is like 6/7sec.
I've also suggested adjusting the temp on the flash, but I get the same response.
We thought of pre-cooking the shirt one day. But it's just super hot. Ultimately I feel the flasher needs to be reducedin temp and height. However he has told me he has never had to do this at any point in his career and no one else has had a problem before me. I personally, am used to having to adjust the flasher at times. It's not unusual in my small 5 years of commercial work.
At this point I feel accused of being slow, however, I'm not (references attest to this). He has also said he's never seen anyone print like me in his 4-10 years in the business just as designer and maybe ink mixer/screen prep but never printing itself.
This is how I print:
It's a 6-colour manual. I stand in front of the lock-in, print a colour, send the pallet over, hit the next shirt, pull and put on dryer, then load the next shirt and send the pallet again.
He tells me (and this is how the way I print effects time under the flash) that everyone else will load and unload the shirt with the pallets off-lock-in (so between position) thus keeping the shirts from being under the flasher during that time. My argument here is that this seems against the very nature and efficiency of the press. Why would I need to move aside with a pallet now not locked in, to load and unload shirts?
Is this wrong that I think you should be able to adjust the flash so you can keep the pallet locked in place for all loading and unloading and printing of the shirts? I feel odd even asking myself if I'm doing it wrong, since I've printed this way and watched coworkers doing the same for 5 years.
Any suggestions on how to resolve the shrinking would be appreciated! And just let me know if loading and unloading with the pallet in the locked in position (by this I mean in the print-ready spot) is correct?
Cheers,
L.O.
Additional info:Flasher
-about 2inches from shirt.
-Omni-Flash
-@926
Ink
-One Stroke ColorMax FF 0810-162
Press
- an older Sport Max M&R 6 colour Manual
The shirt is shriking?
It is a typical one-colour, hit twice, on a blue shirt. Simple right. Hit it, cook it, hit it again.
Obviously, it is shrinking between hits, so when I spin the pallet towards me --to print that last colour layer before sending it down the drye--- the image is off-registration, essentially smaller and ultimately a ruined print.
There are two things I need help resolving:
1) how to deal with this shrinking problem
2) to know if I am indeed operating a manual press correctly
(#2 comes up because the designer is arguing it's the way I print and that I leave it under the flash too long. Which, albeit, I do leave it under there, but it is a reasonable amount of time)
I've suggested adjusting the heat on the flash, but he says the ink is formulated to cure at 30 sec? or something like that. Obviously ink is formulated to cure at a certain temp and time but even if it was 30sec or 15sec I'd be okay, this is like 6/7sec.
I've also suggested adjusting the temp on the flash, but I get the same response.
We thought of pre-cooking the shirt one day. But it's just super hot. Ultimately I feel the flasher needs to be reducedin temp and height. However he has told me he has never had to do this at any point in his career and no one else has had a problem before me. I personally, am used to having to adjust the flasher at times. It's not unusual in my small 5 years of commercial work.
At this point I feel accused of being slow, however, I'm not (references attest to this). He has also said he's never seen anyone print like me in his 4-10 years in the business just as designer and maybe ink mixer/screen prep but never printing itself.
This is how I print:
It's a 6-colour manual. I stand in front of the lock-in, print a colour, send the pallet over, hit the next shirt, pull and put on dryer, then load the next shirt and send the pallet again.
He tells me (and this is how the way I print effects time under the flash) that everyone else will load and unload the shirt with the pallets off-lock-in (so between position) thus keeping the shirts from being under the flasher during that time. My argument here is that this seems against the very nature and efficiency of the press. Why would I need to move aside with a pallet now not locked in, to load and unload shirts?
Is this wrong that I think you should be able to adjust the flash so you can keep the pallet locked in place for all loading and unloading and printing of the shirts? I feel odd even asking myself if I'm doing it wrong, since I've printed this way and watched coworkers doing the same for 5 years.
Any suggestions on how to resolve the shrinking would be appreciated! And just let me know if loading and unloading with the pallet in the locked in position (by this I mean in the print-ready spot) is correct?
Cheers,
L.O.
Additional info:Flasher
-about 2inches from shirt.
-Omni-Flash
-@926
Ink
-One Stroke ColorMax FF 0810-162
Press
- an older Sport Max M&R 6 colour Manual