Working With CMYK Black for Screen Printing

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster on 11/30/2016

Black can be created by laying out multiple colors on top of each other, so instead of pure black being used, your screen and printer will register 100% black as an overlay first of CMY (cyan, magenta, and yellow) and finally, it will process K (black) over top the blend. This creates a lighter black resulting in transparency that is more like a dark gray when against bright colors.

If you choose to stick with CMYK coloring when doing a multi-color project including black, your best option from there is to create a rich black. This is created by altering the CMY colors to create a darker mix. The most common combination for a rich black that does not represent any other color would be a 60-40-40-100 CMYK. 

 

                 100% Black v. Rich Black

In order to see how your colors are blending, especially in regards to any questions you have about a certain tone that appears, it is important to preview your separations. By previewing the separations before you print, you are able to view not only the blends that create your colors, but also where there may be any overprint within your design. 

Once it comes to printing out your separations, it is highly recommended that you use RIP software. This will allow high-quality halftones creating a smoother and more vibrant blend. When choosing the ink to best represent your CMYK project, Union Tru-Tone Process Black will give you a consistent and accurate color reproduction.

How To Create a Basic Underbase

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster on 11/1/2016

When printing, you want your finished product’s image to look like what you created on the screen. However, if that merchandise happens to be a dark t-shirt, you may incur a hiccup or two. 

If you print on a dark shirt without a white underbase, the final color will be dulled. The vibrancy you once had will disappear and the design itself may be hardly recognizable. This can be extremely frustrating, especially if you have already printed onto a t-shirt and are confused by how it turned out.

A white underbase is all you need. The phrase itself can be intimidating if you haven’t run into it before and can even seem like it will take a lot of work to accomplish. It won’t. The creation of an underbase is simple and will save you so much extra work and frustration in the long-haul. 

If you are printing a black design on a dark colored shirt, i.e. a black logo on a maroon shirt, then it should be noted that no underbase is needed. Black never requires an underbase, and, in fact, one may subdue the black, eliminating its rich color. 

First things first, if you are using Illustrator, check that the colors you are using are being typed as spot colors. You will know when you are doing this because the symbol (a white triangle in the right hand corner with a black dot in its center) will be visible around the square. As you progress forward, continually save your colors this way.

Just like when you are printing separate colors, you will be printing a separate film for your underbase. This will require an actual color being used for your underbase. 

Crisper images are guaranteed with an underbase.

Note: do not use the regular white swatch. It signifies a lack of color, not the color white. 

With that said, to create your underbase you need to select all areas where color other than black will be present (use the shift key to select more than one area). While selected, fill in the space with the intended color. 

Once you have colored your design as you see fit, copy and paste it. You want two layers of this so that one can become the underbase, which simply put is just an extra layer of ink between the design and the shirt. With the bottom layer selected, choose your underbase color. Being placed under your color, it will not be visible to the naked eye, but if you remove the design color at any point you will be able to see it is placed correctly. You will also want to select any “white” space you may want, such as an eyehole. 

Afterwards, you will want to turn on your Attributes. From there, select Overprint Fill. Again, you won’t see a huge difference except maybe a tiny line around your picture. To make sure your image stays tight against the shirt, create a stroke of the intended color around the design and then select Overprint Stroke. It will be past your underbase, guaranteeing the proper blend is on top of the shirt.

When you are ready to print, most white inks will work for the underbase, though a particularly useful ink for this task would be International Coatings Blocker Gray. It works well to help prevent dye migration.

If you have any questions or concerns, Texsource has a great staff accessible anytime during business hours (Monday through Friday 8:30-5:30). Monthly screen printing classes are also available and encouraged to those eager to learn how to screen print.

#screenprinting #screenprintingsupplies #silkscreen

The Benefits of Blockout Products

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster on 10/26/2016

When it comes to your design, you want it to print exactly as you see it. Unfortunately, there are times when you will print out a new design on a fresh t-shirt and notice one, maybe more, pinholes in the image. This can be frustrating on many levels, and if you aren’t properly prepared beforehand, can really mess with your mojo.

This is where blockout comes in handy. Blockout will cover and fill the pinholes present in your design. The fluid acts as a barrier so when you continue forward with screen printing the hole is no longer there. You are able to purchase large amounts of this liquid at a time, but through Texsource Ulano offers two types in both quart and gallon sizes. The two types of blockout liquid are no. 10 for coarse mesh and no. 60 for fine to medium. If you know from the beginning what type of design you are doing and on which mesh, being able to see this difference is extremely useful. The liquid itself will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes to dry depending on how many holes you have and how large.

If, however, you feel both sizes of the liquid are still on the large side for you because you haven’t come across many, if any, pinholes in your designs thus far, Texsource also offers blockout pens. Note that both the liquid and pen should be used on the press during screen preparation. Texsource’s ecofriendly pen, the blue blockout pen, still takes the regular 10-15 minutes to dry. In cases where you may be in a hurry, or noticed that the issue has already been printed, you can use the green blockout pen for touch-ups which only takes 30 seconds to 1 ½ minutes. The green pen is the only blockout which can or should be used off the press.

If there are large holes that were accidental, or even if areas are without emulsion on purpose, blockout tape becomes very useful. Some users may suggest regular packing tape for this process, and while it may be a cheap go-around, you definitely see the difference. Regular packing tape tends to be extremely adhesive and can ruin your mesh and create a mess. Blockout tape specifically fixes this problem and also manages to not damage the emulsion while being easily removable from the frame and mesh in one pull. It speeds along the clean-up process tremendously and leaves your materials unharmed.

 Texsource-branded PMI Split Tape for Frames 

After you have used blockout products, whatever the reason may be, it is vital that you test the print. In economic terms, it is best to experiment on a test pellon than a scrap t-shirt or paper and Texsource offers pellons in both white and black. If you found out about any pinholes from a printed shirt, you want to make sure no more of your product suffers the same fate.

How to Keep Your Screens in Tip-Top Shape

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster on 10/19/2016

Designs coming out oddly and you don’t know why? Many errors stem from emulsion issues. First and foremost, try to keep your screens clean in between printing jobs. How your screen reacts to the cleaning can determine what steps need to be taken to prevent future problems.

Even before screen cleaning, it’s important for you to check that the products you are using are in their prime. Don’t use old emulsion. I know it can be tempting, but the majority of emulsion problems you can end up having are because of the condition of your emulsion and having too much time in between laying down the emulsion and printing. Something as simple as keeping it in your refrigerator can help, but there is quite a bit of speculation about that. It is mainly important to keep it in low humidity and above freezing (freezing and high heat/humidity can ruin emulsion). Most emulsion should last for a year, always check its shelf life, but if you’re noticing more and more that the screen is getting difficult to clean, it’s best to be on the careful side.

When you are cleaning your screen, take your time and do it properly. Cleaning wet ink now is a lot easier than dried ink later. This is especially true if you are using excellent resources for your reclaiming methods (if you’re doing it by hand, it’s going to hurt either way). If you want your screens to last as long as possible, it really is best to look into getting the proper screen cleaning chemicals and equipment. Easiway is known for its cleaning products and the fact that they are eco-friendly, protecting both you and your screen.    

An example of one of our beautifully dirty screens.

Another thing that can affect your product is placement. You need to have everything in its proper place. Ensure that mesh isn’t loose and there isn’t any significant damage to your frame. Similar to emulsion problems, damage to either area of the screen can cause wonky designs. Always check your frames first, because you may replace your mesh only to find that the reason it was loose is because your frame has been well-used and is tearing down.

So all-in-all, the best way to keep your screen healthy is to pay as much attention to your equipment as you do your final product. If you want great designs, make sure your equipment is in great shape!

Determining the Perfect Mesh

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster on 10/14/2016

Have you finally completed your band by giving the fresh drummer a chance? Are you an event planner who wants your decorations to really stand out? Well then, you’ll want to discover the art of screen printing.

It may seem intimidating at first, all the different products to look into and the hands-on effort that needs to be applied, but that’s what I am here for! I am writing to assist you on your journey to bettering your career and market outlook.

The first step is to understand how you wish to present your finished design. It is important to fully understand how the design will be represented to your consumers. Do you want a full band photo on a tee shirt? Or maybe just the band name in gnarly letters? Depending on the size and detail, your mesh range will change.

Hold up, though.

Mesh?

What is mesh?

Mesh, simply put, is the area in which the ink for your design will run through to transfer the image to your product. It is decided based on the TPI (thread count per inches) that you need. An easy way to keep what kind of mesh you need in mind is similar to lefty loosy, righty tighty.

A more detailed design, such as the band photo mentioned above, will require thinner ink to make sure the entirety of the shading and features are captured. It also means that you will need a higher TPI because if the TPI is too low, creating larger holes in the mesh, your ink will bleed and the detailed images will be less recognizable and even distorted. 156/160 is a good count to stay around for the beginning. Think of this image as a detailed sugar skull that one may place in the middle of a table cloth or tiny print such as a list of bands on the back of a tee shirt.

If you are only wanting the band/company name or something like a classic white on black similar to the Misfits with the large print name and the iconic white face, then you will not only want thick ink, making sure the image is completely filled in, but also a lower TPI. At a higher TPI the ink won’t be able to pass through the mesh which will distort your image in a different way. 110 is about the size you would want to go, especially for a white color.

                                                                      
An image such as this (without a great deal of detail) would work fine with a mesh count of 156 / 160)

So when deciding your mesh based on image and ink, you now know that thinner ink/more-detailed image needs smaller holes (high TPI) and thicker ink/broader image needs larger holes (low TPI).

When you are ready to purchase your mesh, Texsource offers Aluminum Frames (23’’ x 31’’, 20’’ x 24’’, and 20’’ x 28’’) which include mesh, or not if you would prefer to buy large amounts of mesh separately, and covers a majority of the space, taking away 4’’ from both width and height for the frame itself. Of course, if less space is needed you are not forced into these dimensions; the product has great reviews based on the usable size including sleeve and leg prints.

The Texsource Wood Frame is also available and includes larger sizing such as 25’’ x 36’’. This frame also can be ordered with or without the mesh as Texsource offers yards of screen meshwhich can be very helpful when different designs are used or different fabrics.
                                                                    
                                              Replacement mesh of all sizes is available from Texsource

Embroidery Lettering

Posted by Alexandra Perry - Webmaster on 9/27/2016

There are a few different fonts that can be used in embroidery lettering such as pre-digitized fonts, true-type fonts, key board fonts and digitized letters. A font is categorized as a complete set of characters that make up a specific typeface in a specific size. A font would include upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

  When using any type of word design quality is the most important factor. If a font is poorly digitized it can exude major flaws when enlarged so it is important to be mindful of your pre-digitized font when it comes to sizing. Native fonts in your software tend to yield the best results when resizing a font and of course it is always better to invest in many different types of fonts as well as different types of threads.
  Machine files such as DST and CND do not resize well because different software produces different results when translating non-native languages. An important thing to know is that if you change a design’s size then the stitch type or tie-ins and tie-outs must be changed as well. Script lettering can present a challenge because the connectors often do not line up correctly which is why there are only a few script fonts that feature successful joins as opposed to overlapping.

  When creating lettering; true-type font presents an easily accessible and high quality product. The outcome of true-type font is generally affected by the quality of font being used because it has more powerful and flexible hinting capabilities. True-type is the best for digitizing.

  Keyboard fonts are great because you can type the lettering in as needed and are generally arranged right to left, center out, and left to right manner. You must be able to move from each letter efficiently and should test character spacing in order to make sure that spacing is correct regardless of the lettering.

  Digitized letters provide you with an opportunity to match your artwork and change the column width in order to make embroidery friendly. A great tip is to view the lettering upside down which forces your brain to consider the shapes, the negative spaces between them and their relationship together. Stitch-outs are another great way to check progress and using a cross-hatched underlay as a base will help stabilize the stitching process.

  Appearance, obviously, plays a big role in the professional embroidery field. Using a solid embroidery backing and a spray adhesive will help join the layers. Placement which also falls into the category of appearance can make or break the outcome of the lettering because it can make it look sloppy. Overall embroidery is a beautiful art with a complex background and the overall appearance determines the success of the work. 

Tips On How To Solve Sublimation Issues

Posted by Alexandra Perry - Webmaster on 9/26/2016

Sublimation printing is a complex process; during the chemical process sublimation is the transition of the solid dye to a gas but it does not change into a liquid during the transition. The process is endothermic; the dye absorbs heat from the heat transfer machine, emits gas, and then dyes the polyester.

  Intriguingly enough the most common issues seen with sublimation generally deal with color, printing, and computerization. Start-up issues can happen when a new user doesn’t understand the difference between factory print drive and the drivers for their specific ink system. Configuring those two things can be a challenge and many times during the setup a new user will power on the printer before reading the proper installation instructions. You should never turn on or connect the printer to your computer until prompted to do so because it can cause a communication failure between the machines.

  Poor or washed out color is another complaint often heard about sublimation. Poor or washed out color can be caused by printing on the wrong side of the paper. The side intended for printing is bright white. The white material captures the sublimation ink to preserve the dot structure while in turn keeping the ink on the top of the sublimation paper. The ink is then absorbs the heat and outgasses which in turn dyes the substrate material. Once the color has been applied then you can start to figure out your color problems. Printing a primary color chart and checking the expiration date on your ink, verifying that you are using the right time, temperature, and pressure, as well as making sure you are printing with the right driver for the ink can help you determine any issues you may be having.

  Banding can be defined as consistent, straight, horizontal, white lines that appear on print and run in the direction of the print head. Banding is commonly found among inkjet printers. Banding can be caused by clogged nozzles, therefore, you need to run a nozzle check which you can do from your printer drive or power drive and you should make sure to run the test on regular paper.

  Another common issue is black turning out brown after application. This problem is generally found when applying a transfer to a ceramic but can still be found among apparel applications as well. Black may appear brown when the transfer was applied too long or at too high of a temperature. In order to fix this issue it is best to review application instructions and check your temperature and dwell time.

  Sublimation has become a common practice among small and large decorators alike. There are large amounts of information regarding sublimation and sublimation packages you can purchase to help get you started. The main issue many decorators seem to have is the inability to follow instructions and seek help. Don’t forget the many tips I have provided you with as well as the fact that there are many facets of information pertaining to sublimation out there.

Increasing D2G Production

Posted by Alexandra Perry - Webmaster on 9/20/2016

D2 production is an abbreviation for direct-to-garment production. Some pros of D2 production are photo quality images, easy to operate, and an essential way to make profit. The negative aspect of D2 production is that it is not known for being able to produce a high-volume of printed t-shirts.

  The average production rate for D2 is around twenty to twenty-five printed white shirts an hour, but now we are seeing an increase in production with a few simple tricks. This newfound information is allowing some printers to produce eighty or more printed white shirts in an hour.

  In order to increase production a few adjustments to the decorating process and dual CMYK printing process must happen. Before making adjustments it is important to know that while this will increase production time it will limit you to white and light colored garments only and it will decrease the print quality somewhat due to the high volume.

  The dual CMYK removes the white ink from the printer in order to add another set of CMYK inks. In order to make the changes necessary to increase production you must first and foremost check that your printer and RIP program will support the CMYK setup; then you must flush all of the white ink from your printing system. A step that you can cut out in order to save more time would be to skip the pretreatment of the garment which will lessen the quality of the picture but if it you wish to increase production then it is well worth it.

                    

Direct To Garment Printing Can Be Easy And Affordable

  Adding a second heat press or a conveyor dryer will speed up the drying process of each print because you can lay two shirts side-by-side allowing for a fast print time. Another way to decrease printing time would be to use a printer that has a removable platen system because you can load a shirt onto the second platen while another one is being printed.

  As I said before, the short cuts are simply to improve production time. It would be deemed quantity over quality but if you wish to have maximum print quality then pretreating the garments beforehand would be your best option. By taking the time to pretreat your garments you would be gaining two minutes per print and if you chose not to pretreat it would be one minute per garment. It seems like a small difference but if you want to increase production time a few minutes can mean everything. These shortcuts tend to work best if you are printing a lot of white garments because it maximizes the potential of your D2 printer.

  For many D2 printers sixty to eighty shirts an hour is not the average rate of production but if needed a D2 printer can be maximized for this purpose. As technology advances we may not have to sacrifice quality or quantity or vice versa.

For more information feel free to contact the Texsource sales staff at 888-344-4657.

How To Make a Better Screen

Posted by Alexandra Perry - Webmaster on 9/12/2016

When it comes down to it the screen is one of the most important parts in the printing process. While looking at the sharpness of an image you will see that the quality of the positive influences how easy it is to reproduce an image, therefore, higher quality is better. For example, if a high resolution is needed then you will need a film created by an image setter.

  
Quality is a word that you will find brought up time and time again because it influences the beauty and the consistency of each print. Wooden Screen Frames appear to save you money but realistically the wood is unable to hold a high-tension mesh which causes the consistency of each image printed to lower drastically.     
Another factor in creating a better screen is the Mesh color used which plays a part in resolution. There are two types of mesh; white and dyed mesh. White mesh causes light to scatter and dyed mesh absorbs light reducing scatter. When searching for a proper white mesh their mesh counts are usually less than 110 while dyed mesh counts are 230 or higher. Dyed mesh is the preferred aid in creating a better screen because it has a better durability and overall quality, however, dyed mesh must be exposed longer to obtain a complete emulsion.

As you go through the process of creating a better screen you will find that the stencil is pertinent in the emulsion process. You must always make sure to check that the emulsion will work with the inks and press wash being used as well as the capillary film. EOM aka Emulsion over mesh when done right will aid in the image being processed consistently and at a high quality. If EOM is done incorrectly it can cause mishaps such as sawtoothing or ragged edges, the print can become wavy or have uneven ink deposits. Print Tests must be performed each and every time so that we can be sure the printing process is of high caliber. A great way to find out more information is to contact the distributor or manufacturer who are always more than willing to help.                  
                               Sawtoothing can occur if EOM is done incorrectly

  
The last step in creating a better screen is exposure which is the most important factor in creating high-quality stencils. Every product you use will have an effect on the overall print. The mesh, stencil thickness, emulsion type, and brand will play a part in how the overall print comes out. Even environmental factors such as humidity or changing a UV bulb can impact the print.

  
We have learned some important steps in creating a better screen; quality of the frame and mesh, EOM, exposure whether it be the products being used or environmental factors, and last but not least performing exposure tests regularly and contacting the manufacturer of each product if you have any questions.

Texsource Open House 2016 - September 30

Posted by Ryan Bolin - Outside Sales on 9/5/2016

Texsource Inc. is hosting their annual Open House & Customer Appreciation Day September 30^th from 9:30am -4pm at their corporate facility in Kings Mountain, NC.

This event is well known throughout the Southeast not only by the customers who attend, but also by the many different manufacture representatives in the screen printing industry who put on classes and demonstrations throughout the day. These manufactures fly in from all over the U.S. to support Texsource as their events have continued to grow since its first Open House in 2007.

This year Texsource is expanding outside the normal footprint of past open houses into a brand new 5,000sq. Ft. facility. This new addition will not only host these types of events in the future but will also become the new home to all screen printing classes and serve as a fully functional equipment showroom. With this being said it is also open and will be used for vendors to host training seminars.
               
 In addition to the new space Texsource will also be introducing their brand new Automatic Color Matching Dispensing system. This new color matching system is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and will be operating all day for customers to watch the automatic PMS process. Texsource will be giving out free PMS samples (pint container) of the pantone color of your choice!

 Along with the new additions attendees will be able to speak one-on-one with industry leading manufactures, attend seminars, demo new products and screen printing equipment, and receive great discounts. Not to mention the amazing food (which is said to be Ribs and Pulled Pork BBQ) that many of the past attendees come for year after year!

 For more information on this FREE event or to register, please visit www.screenprintingsupply.com or call 1-888-344-4657.

Pocket Printing Tips for Screen Printers

Posted by Ryan Bolin - Outside Sales on 8/22/2016

Printing on shirt pockets can be a bit of a pain for those new to screen printing.  Here are some easy tips to help.

As a screen printer we always try and find ways to make our lives easier when it comes to printing t-shirts. Any shortcut that we can use that will speed up the screen printing process always helps. In my opinion the number one thing on everyone’s wish list would be to find screen printing ink that you only have to print once when printing on dark garments and being able to avoid a ‘print - flash - print’ process. Well, this is the real world and the reality is that it’s not going to happen (at least not any time soon).

However, there are some tricks and tips that screen printers have learned throughout the years to help with this issue, and today ill share one of mine. In the correct application my tip will allow you to be able to print white ink on a black garment with just one stroke, no flash and your print coverage will be great. Although, I have found that this only works with left chest prints, pocket prints, small linear designs or small-bodied designs.


                    adding Puff Additive can help you with whit-on-black prints

My tip is, Puff Additive! Just add a small percentage (5% or less) of Puff Additive to yourwhite ink, print it once and your shirt will be ready for the dryer. By adding the puff additive it causes your design to rise slightly (and I mean very slightly) off the shirt giving your design a good ‘pop’ and vibrant look to it. Whereas before, printing normally without the puff additive and with printing one stroke you loose the nice bright white and your design looks dull. By using this tip you eliminate having to flash cure your design after your first squeegee pull as well as skipping the second stroke, thus allowing you to save a lot of time and money. It is very important though to make a couple test prints or strike-offs FIRST before printing an entire job! This is key for getting the correct percentage of Puff Additive added to your ink and for your finished product to look perfect. No one likes having to eat a hundred shirts after the customer refuses to take them. This handy tip can help!

Ensuring Ink Color Accuracy on the Web

Posted by Josh Gilbert - Outside Sales on 8/8/2016

Many visitors to the Texsource website may be concerned with the accuracy of the color swatches in the ink section - here are some step that we use and that you can use to ensure that what you are seeing on your screen is as close as possible to the product that you receive. 

It always starts with the actual screen printing ink manufacturer.  In the case of Texsource, we carry more brands than any other distributor in America - brands that you know and have an established reputation for quality.  Names like Rutland, Union, QCM, Triangle, International Coatings, and our own highly regarded Texsource GEN ink line.  These manufacturers provide us with the most accurate color samples that they can generate.  From there, an accurately sampled hex code is generated for that particular sample, which we use to generate a larger, more convenient color swatch to post on our site.  A sample of these can be seen here - 

We have here 2 different brands of screen printing ink (International Coatings and Rutland).  The new color swatches we are using indicate the manufacturer, the series, and present the color.  If you were to go to our site and perform a search for Orange Ink, you can now more easily find not only our entire selection of orange inks, but can also quickly tell the manufacturer and ink series that you may be looking for.  

In addition to this, we are now providing the most accurate Pantone match for each ink color (when available).  Again, these are taken directly from the manufacturers own documented information.  If you have a Pantone color chart available while you are browsing our inks, you can easily see the Pantone value for all available inks and can easily cross reference your chart to see if your screen or display settings are varying the color in any way.  

Speaking of this, how exactly do you setup a screen for accurate color?  Well, for us in the states, monitor calibration is generally done to the accepted NTSC standard color temperature, which is 6500k.  Generally, this is the 'warm' setting on most monitors when asked for the 'color temperature' setting.  Any other color enhancements should be disabled for the most accurate color representation that you monitor is capable of (this will vary among monitor manufacturers, of course).  

So there you have it - how we ensure the most accurate ink color shopping possible.  Of course, if you do not see an ink that quite fits the Pantone color you are looking for, we offer customer PMS ink mixing for any color imaginable, shipped out same-day if ordered by 2pm. 

Brace Yourselves - Winter is Coming

Posted by Ronnie Cannon - Outside Sales on 8/3/2016

In late summer and early fall, many screen printers can look forward to some of their busiest times of the year.  But waiting until the last minute can be costly both to productivity and to the bottom line.

Usually when a screen printer thinks of this time of year the first thing that comes to mind is 'jerseys', as just about every school, university, and YMCA league in America will be looking for football jerseys.  But you also have to consider the numerous opportunities that come with that time.  Sports has long been a huge driver of business for screen printers, so be mindful of the plethora of football and sports-related team items that can be printed and sold by schools for fundraisers, booster clubs, school stores, etc.  Everything from t-shirts to umbrellas and everything in between.  

If you are new to screen printing, you may be wondering what the absolute best way to be productive with such opportunities.  Fortunately with regards to numbering and jerseys, there are several excellent options.  One is to use simple numbering stencils.  These products are easy to use, versatile, look great, and come in a variety of sizes.  Best of all, they work with most any screen printing press that is available.  Make sure that you use a proper type of athletic ink when printing and you should have no problems at all.  

When you are ready to move up from that (for shops who may do a LOT of jersey numbering) you should consider a special press attachment like the Vastex DiGIT Numbering System.  This special attachment for your manual screen printing press is designed to make printing numbers easy and foolproof, and will easily pay for itself in increased productivity.  Once properly setup on your press, the system can be adjusted for any number configuration for either single or double-digit prints.  

Have your screen printing equipment ready to go, have the proper screen printing ink in stock and on the shelf, and be ready to take advantage of one of our busiest times of the year!

Proper Screen Printing Curing Techniques

Posted by Harvey Cole - Outside Sales on 7/11/2016

With so many different types of inks and so many different types of substrates it can be difficult as a relatively new screen printer to find good information on curing techniques - these tips are here to help you get started.

Find any old-school screen printer who has been around the block a few times and a large percentage of them will likely tell you 'just get your dryer good and hot - we never touch the temperature, we just speed the belt up or slow it down'.  Well, if you are printing pretty much the same shirts and same inks over and over and over, this technique may work.  For the rest of us, we might want a more scientific and researched method of curing.  

At one of our recent How To Screen Print classes an industry rep from Rutland Group (manufacturer of Rutland, Union, and QCM ink lines) had a question on general guidelines on dryer temperature.  His answer was, of course, that there was no set number, temperature, or belt speed.  However, for most general purpose inks he recommended a temperature of 320 degrees for 60 seconds.  This number was supported by research from their own chemists and R&D department.  The problem comes with the vastly different quality of substrates and screen printing equipment that you use.


When your screen printing dryer is running and set to a temperature of around 300, running many shirts through quickly can dissipate the heat and make it difficult for your dryer to maintain a consistent temperature.  Spacing your shirts out and running a slower belt speed can help maintain a constant temperature.

The next logical question may be 'what about polyester substrates and polyester inks?'  Indeed, high heat can be the enemy of polyester material, as at a temperature usually required for standard plastisol inks, polyester material will tend to release the actual dyes in the shirt and cause dye migration issues.  Well, one of the big innovations happening in the screen printing industry right now is the introduction of silicone screen printing ink.  These are a brand new type of ink that are sold and fully supported by Texsource that are formulated to cure at a lower temperature than most polyester materials will typically release their dye at.  Recommended curing temperature for silicone inks are in the 260-280 degree range.  Silicone inks also offer the advantage of being extremely elastic, making them perfect for athletic wear.  

dye migration issues that typically plague polyester materials and inks can be remedied by using new Silicone screen printing inks.

What about substrates that are not designed to be heated to the temperature required for a certain type of ink?  What about plastics, nylons, or other materials that might melt, burn, or otherwise be damaged by such heat exposure?  For those materials, Texsource recommends using an Air Dry Ink such as those from ColorFX.  Air Dry Inks, as the name implies, does not require heat to cure, and has excellent adhesion to a variety of materials including plastics, woods, glass, and metals.  An exact list of supported materials can be found on the subsequent product pages for those inks.  They offer an excellent alternative to standard screen printing inks when heat curing may not be advised.  

All of the screen printing inks that Texsource sells typically include a product spec sheet located on their product page.  This sheet can offer help with topics such as curing, mesh count, additives, application, and more.  Following the manufacturer specified guidelines is always the most important advice, but hopefully some of these tips will be able to stay in your memory and help as well.  

Updated Website Features and Changes

Posted by Doug Smith - Texsource Indiana on 6/16/2016

In an ongoing effort to always make your online shopping as easy as possible, Texsource has some new changes and upgrades to our site make it easier than ever to find the screen printing equipment and supplies you need.

Likely the most noticeable change is in our Screen Printing Ink section.  We spent quite a bit of time going through this section and found numerous ways that we could improve.  First, whenever you do a simple search on our site for something like 'Green Ink', you will now get more accurate results.  But in the past where you would simply see a screen filled with green color swatches that you had to click through to find out more important information (such as the manufacturer or ink series), we now have that information right on the color swatch itself, for all inks and all manufacturers.  The new color swatches look like this - 

As you can see from the 2 color swatches in this image, it is now easy at a glace to see the exact color (taken directly from the manufacturer source), the ink manufacturer, and the exact ink type or series.  Having such information available at a quick glance can not only help you find the ink you need faster, but can also eliminate errors in ordering.  

In addition to re-thinking our ink swatches, we also looked at our overall ink product pages.  We have updated the newly formatted SDS sheets (where available - as of this writing sheets for all products are not yet available), new product and series descriptions, and printing and curing instructions.  The idea is to provide you with as much important information about the products as possible, but still make a product page easy and quick to read so that you can get back to other important tasks.  

The changes don't just pertain to the Ink section.  If you haven't visited our site in a while you will likely notice an increase in new larger photos of products, with multiple product photos when available.  You can now ask a question about any product right on that product page, and get an answer directly from our expert sales staff.  New updated product descriptions for our screen printing equipment have been (and are being) written, product demo videos are being produced and added as we get them, our website 'Search' function has been improved to give you more accurate results, and more relevant related products are now shown for each product.  

Texsource works hard to be the best online experience possible, and we are always looking for ways to improve.  It is all in an effort to make your shopping easier and more accurate so that your shop and your business can run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.  If you ever see a way that we can improve, let us know!