How To Screen Print: Tips On Good Ink Coverage

[cikguhalmi]

hi jonathan.. i'm a follower from malaysia.. been watching your vidz for months now... i'm having problems like @amesk. about the retarder u mentioned, i was told before by my supplier that retarders are used for plastisol inks only.. is this true? coz i'm using waterbased inks and it tends to dry too quickly..thanks man

[CatspitProductions]

@cikguhalmi Hey there, thanks for your support! I don’t think that is true. Plastisol inks do not need a retarder because they do not air dry. They will never dry until heat cured. If you are using water based ink then you need to back flood or use a retarder for the ink to slow the drying time down a bit. I’ll send you the video on back flooding. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[amesk]

you said at the end the ink isn't very important. well for me, it is a big thing right now, i tried doing 10 shirts with white ink on a black shirt and by the 4th shirt the ink felt like its started to dry, it got a little stickier/harder and it was really hard to flood the screen and most importantly pass the ink through the stencil. the ink is brand new, just bought it, ( waterbased ink from matsui 301 eco series ) i dont understand ? should i be using plastisol for big prints?.

[CatspitProductions]

@amesk It must have started to dry on you during the print run. You need to work in a humid room or use retarder for the ink and work faster. Plus you should back flood the screen each time between prints. I’ll send you a video. A retarder is an additive that will slow down the dry time. A plastisol ink will be easier to work with because it won't dry without being heat cured. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[amesk]

@CatspitProductions i see i see now second question, how do i remove plastisol ink from my screens? i find it very very difficult to remove from my screen, from my hands, and basically anything that it touches ! i tried using the envirowipe from ryonet but it didnt really work.. atleast when i tried using it.

[CatspitProductions]

@amesk For cleanup you should probably use a press wash or an ink wash made for plastisol inks. Those are solvents that will break up the ink and allow you to wipe it off with a rag or rinse it off with water depending on how you want to do it. I have a video on this I will send you. Thanks for your support! ☠

[edyfreshh]

your a fucking legend

[CatspitProductions]

@edyfreshh LOL... Nice, thank you! Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[thehookster23]

Jonathan I really appreciate your knowledge....Great Video as always 5 stars !!!

[CatspitProductions]

@thehookster23 Thank you very much and I appreciate your support. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[lilpjuarez]

what are halftones?

[CatspitProductions]

@lilpjuarez Screen printing uses small dots in varying sizes and/or spacing in order to re-create full tonal ranges that you might find in such images like photographs. Halftones can also create shading and color blends in other types of non-photographic screen prints. Basically it's a way of re-creating tones in a process that inherently cannot. Check out the Catspit website's Article Archive page for more information on halftones. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[johnk6749]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I appreciate it very much.

[CatspitProductions]

@johnk6749 You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure to help out and share information. Check out the Catspit website for a lot more free info on screen printing. Link is on the channel page. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[krisw9456]

If I double coat the shirt side of the screen with emulsion for white ink, would the exposure time have to be increased to make sure that the screen blows out the image properly?

[CatspitProductions]

@krisw9456 Perhaps, if it’s a very heavy coat of emulsion, but if it’s just an extra pass or so it may not make much difference. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☠

[printedshirts]

Like this video, very informative.

For UK users the 110 mesh is around 43T mesh and the 305 we would call a 120T.

[CatspitProductions]

@printedshirts Thank you. I have a more in depth article about this on the Catspit website which gives charts and conversions for European to US mesh count nomenclature. It also explains the mesh terminology. Check out the Article Archives section for the Mesh Conversion article. The link for my website is on my channel page and in the video description. Thanks for watching & commenting! ☠

[lmeyer005]

hey, your videos are excellent. what would you recommend for a good ink to extender base ratio?

[CatspitProductions]

@lmeyer005 I think that will depend on the manufacturer’s recommendations and what you are using it for. Check with your ink vendor for more information on what you want to do. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[pezbamann]

Thanks!

[CatspitProductions]

@pezbamann - Thanks for your support. Feel free to ask questions anytime!

[pezbamann]

godfathermaxi.. is asking you to make videos on how to make supplies at home. For example would you consider making a video that shows how to make a screen, or a light box for example, to reduce costs.I know there are viseos on you tube for this, but that question was directed towards you. I think this is the question.

[CatspitProductions]

@pezbamann Yes, I understood that. If you check out my reply to GodfatherMaxi, you will see I addressed the question. I am a commercial screen printer and time is money. I do not make any of my own equipment. Check out my favorites list for videos about homemade equipment and home printing. Also check out the Print At Home section of the Catspit website. There are links to free press plans and other useful info for the home printer. Link is on channel page. Thanks for watching!

[paulisaez]

G'day there.Catspit you are woderfull, very easy to understand explanation, the only thing is that the mesument here is different and on this video you did not say that for to print plasticsolve ink on tees you need a dryer with a industrial electricity, no good for me on this case cose I woork from home. But good on ya catspit and receive a printing regard from downunder.

[CatspitProductions]

@paulisaez Actually many belt dryers function on standard 110-115 household current. Some operate on 2 phase 220. But many people use other things to cure plastisol inks at home. I cannot possibly cover every detail for you. Measurement conversions are up to you. And every video cannot contain all of the information it should. Make sure to watch my other videos for the information you do not find in any given one video. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[THENISTIK760]

what is your opinion on using water based inks to screen print garments

[CatspitProductions]

Water based inks are excellent these days. They come in high opacity formulas and appeal to the growing eco friendly market. Water based inks also produce a soft hand feel in general which is very desirable to some. The biggest drawback to working with water based is drying in the screen on press. But that can be dealt with fairly easily. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[Jeffveron]

I am interested in screen-printing circuit boards onto plexi-glass. Is it possible to use a conductive paint on the screen/emulsion and penetrating the open screen? Or even spray-painting a circuit through the mesh with conductive paint? Will MEK eat away the unexposed portions of the silkscreen or affect the silkscreen in any way? the MEK is very important to know about, even using it in very small amounts. Thank you in advance for your time. ~Jeff

[CatspitProductions]

Acetone is pretty aggressive but does not seem to harm polyester mesh when looked at by eye. Some emulsions may be affected by it. I do not know enough about industrial applications to instruct you on this. But I do know that screen printing is used in industrial applications to do exactly what you are referring to. Conductive inks can be screen printed. You will have to do some research on this to learn what you need to know. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[GodfatherMaxi]

thanks man.

[CatspitProductions]

@GodfatherMaxi - My pleasure to help out. Feel free to ask questions and thanks again for watcing.

[GodfatherMaxi]

Sorry I do not speak good English. try to rephrase the question. I am in another state. and to buy equipment is very expensive. I want you to make shirts at home. but I have equipment. so ask yourself if you could make some tutorials how to build equipment.

[CatspitProductions]

@GodfatherMaxi - I am a commercial screen printer and time is money. I do not make any of my own equipment. Check out my favorites list for videos about homemade equipment and home printing. Also check out the Print At Home section of the Catspit website. There are links to free press plans and other useful info for the home printer. Link is on channel page. Thanks for watching!

[GodfatherMaxi]

are very interesting. but how do tools

[CatspitProductions]

I am not sure I understand your question. Please be more specific. Thanks for watching!

[deroncky96]

what is the best setting for halftone printing? I know it looks best with like 100 lines per inch on photoshop but what is the optimal line per inch setting for screen printing?

[CatspitProductions]

The finer the screen, the more detailed the reproduced image. The more lines per inch of halftone dots your film has, the more detailed the reproduced image. Resolution between screen printing and computer monitors or printers is different. The optimal line per inch setting for screen printing will be dependent on your substrate. You can only print so much detail on a shirt as opposed to fine paper. Thanks for watching.

[Topdoginuk]

I'd love to get into this field of printing but, the equipment looks expensive and I'd need enough orders to justify paying the set up costs.

You certainly inspire me to consider giving it a go though. Pity you aint doing a course in UK. I hate flying!

[CatspitProductions]

You can look for used equipment and start only with the basic key components. Then as you grow, you can fill in the gaps. There should be some kind of screen printing instructional classes where you are. Google it and check it out. If not, jump the pond and come for a visit!

[CatspitProductions]

Check out my website for information that supports and supplements the videos.

[akmeak]

Another informational video! Always look forward to your videos.

[CatspitProductions]

Thank you!

[speedymarathon]

Wow this is amazing! great video man! I've never done a screen printing but it sounds complex...

[CatspitProductions]

Thank you very much! It is not as bad as it sounds. Screen printing is easy and fun with a little knowledge and some good tools. Stay tuned for more videos. 3 color print demo with flash coming soon.Thanks for the comment!

[rdloco]

this is a good video man! thanks a lot!! I didnt know the different between the mech counts!!

[CatspitProductions]

Glad you found it useful. Thanks for the comment!

[puppetplant]

Another great video!

[CatspitProductions]

Thank you!