Screen Printing Forum

Hi, very new to screen printing - but am getting there slowly.
Hope someone can help, i'm pulling the waterbased ink across for the 1st print, then lifting the screen and pushing the ink back, i believe this is called flooding. However there is way too much ink going thru the screen, therefore when i put the screen down onto the next item and pull the ink across the images is smudged - aaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhh help !

Thanks

Are you using the proper mesh count for the ink? Have you thinned the ink, possibly too much? And last but not least, don't flood if it isn't working.

Thanks so much for your help.

Mesh is 43 and the waterbased ink came with the kit. Haven't thinned the ink.
Why do you need to flood the screen? is it just to move the ink back the start?

thanks

43? Never used anything like that that I know of. Standard mesh count for textiles is generally in the 120-210 range depending on type of print. Above that and you're getting into flatstock printing which is what I mainly do, although I have been printing more textiles lately. If 43 is referring to mesh count in the same way as in my screen fabric that is wide open and your ink is just flowing through the open mesh. Flooding the screen serves many purposes one of which is to help get the ink back to start of print stroke. Try not flooding and see if that helps, other than that get tighter mesh. Are you in the UK? I know mesh count is defined in different terms over the pond.

I don't think I've even heard of a mesh that low. Use a much higher mesh. Most likely nothing below 156 and you should have no problem. When you pull for the print you should be applying pressure, but when pushing it back to flood there should be almost no pressure, just enough to "spread" the ink back over the screen and not push it through.

I have used a 43T mesh but just for printing adhesives. But the ink is very thick it is more like a paste. I'm not a textile printer but a 43 for any ink would have to much open area unless it is a paste. Like the others said try a finer mesh or don't flood. On a side note what does your graphics look like going through a 43 mesh?