Printing to the edge of plastic?

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BLUNTBRAD
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Printing to the edge of plastic?

Post by BLUNTBRAD »

Im trying to screen print somthing similar to a sign, but the red color goes all the way to the edge. Is there any technique used where you wouldnt have to make the plastic larger, and cut it down to size after printing?
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tompaine
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Re: Printing to the edge of plastic?

Post by tompaine »

Can you sit it in a pattern - so that it's level?
iloveprint
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Re: Printing to the edge of plastic?

Post by iloveprint »

Not sure of that, but I'd be perfectly content with just having a process that works. Still, it would be helpful if someone else can answer this.
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tompaine
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Re: Printing to the edge of plastic?

Post by tompaine »

It's common to print inside the edge of a product, then trim off the bleed to give ink to the edge.
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Re: Printing to the edge of plastic?

Post by geneh »

Here is what I do when I print to the edge of a flat stock. First set your job up put down your guides. Then take a piece of your substrate or something equal to it in thickness and arrange it around the outside of your set up part. All four sides. Use a squeegee that is long enough to ride on the outter pieces that you put around your substrate. Make sure to guide to the oppisite side of your incoming print stroke so you can put your backer substrate as close as possible to your print substrate. This will keep the squeegee from hopping. Also if you can snow plow your squeegee angle so that it release at the end of the print stroke at an angle instead of straight off the substrate. This will help elimanate ink build up at the end of the print stroke.

Hope this helps.
walter w
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Re: Printing to the edge of plastic?

Post by walter w »

the normal process is to trim after printing...with 30 years experience, I've never seen it done sucessfully any other way...with the exception of maybe a ''one off''...the problem is that the ink will eventually ''migrate'' off the edges of your material and make a mess (as you've probably found out) on your print table and get all over the bottom side of your substraight
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Re: Printing to the edge of plastic?

Post by ChrisScoff »

Not having bleed area is a must thing sometimes. i enough explained above butt some ideas missing you can try one of following tricks.
1. Clean edges of the object immediately after printing
2. Print edges in same color
3. Try to print thin layer of ink.
4. Use film screen exposed exactly to the size of object

Hope this will help!
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