Screen Printing Forum

Couple of items that trip me up, I have been reading about the snap back or off set for the screen to the fabric (tee shirt in this case), and even though I think I have it set anywhere from 1/8" to 1/4" (experiment with distance) the shirt always sticks to the underside of the screen and I end up with a poor print. I am using a hard liner (cardboard or wood) inside the shirt in an attempt to slightly stretch the shirt to keep it down, but without over stretching it, I have to peel the two apart. If I go even higher in my off set then I end up with a partial print as I think I have covered the area properly, but seem to miss regardless. My next thought is to use some kind of adhesive inside the shirt to keep it tacky to the liner, but with that I think I am over thinking it. I am sure someone on the forum has overcome this part of the learning curve.

My second question is about quality of ink, I have been using Speed-ball ink but this stuff seems thin as the shirt seems to suck up colors like white and florescent green. Is there a better ink the pros use that give a better result?

I have had good results as I learn this, but the off set business I really need to get on the other side of, thanks in advance.

As a matter of information I am using the speed-ball kit with the standard screen and frame, have not moved on to more expensive equipment, learning with the training wheels first.

Speedball is hobby stuff. You need to use an adhesive to keep shirt on platten until printing is completed.

You should us something like spraymount or any light controllable spray adhesive to make your shirt stick to the board, but dont overuse it, you can just dust the spraymount on the board once every 10 or so shirts maybe more and the shirts will not stay stuck to the ink on the underside of the screen. Also speedball gets sucked into fabric yeah, but you wouldn't notice it to much if say you were printing black ink on a white shirt or any dark ink on a white shirt, but the ink will begin to fade over a few washes of the shirt regardless with speedball. That stuff will not ever work EVER if youre trying to print colors on various colored shirts, it doesent matter if its fabric ink or acrylic, speedball just wont make a "pro" quality tshirt. Plastisol is the only stuff I've had success with but you'll need a flash dryer, access to a power washer (a car washing place works just as good as having your own) and the solution to remove the plastisol because that stuff is like oil paint and gets everywhere and is not able to be cleaned off with water, the pressure washer just cleans it due to it forcing the ink off. I'm a total novice though, just printing flyers and band shirts, but after a few years trial and error this is what works for me.

Thanks Jim, knowing that Plastisol is tough to get out and the things you have to have to work with is a lot of great information. Would have taken me a long time to work through that learning curve.

Mineral spirits and a rag will get your screens clear of plastisol and ready for power wash. A good dehazer occasionally not a bad idea either. Nazdar is one good source for supplies.

Tons of good information from learning it hands on, thanks!