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