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!