Posted by Jason Cabaniss - Outside Sales on 4/19/2016
If you are still printing in your shop with your startup equipment, what do you upgrade first?  Here we offer help in choosing your new screen printing equipment so that you can maximize your shop capabilities.   

We have all been there; brand new to screen printing and having only the basic equipment for starting out.  Many start out with an entry level screen printing press (probably only 1 or 2 color capability), an overhead lamp-style exposure unit, a heat gun for a dryer (luckier folks may have started with a dedicated flash unit), a couple of screens, and some basic inks and cleaning chemicals.  Those of us who stick with it and do quality work should easily and quickly outgrow startup equipment such as that, and face the task of trying to decide exactly what screen printing equipment should be upgraded, and in what order.  

Unfortunately there isn't an answer that fits every shop and every situation.  But there are some things to keep in mind when considering the process.  

I would argue that a quality conveyor dryer should be one of your first considerations for a new equipment purchase.  If you have been using a heat gun, a conveyor dryer will likely make the biggest difference in your shop output and overall efficiency.  Where you may have been standing over a shirt for minutes using the heat gun, a quality conveyor dryer will keep an even, consistent, and controlled heat across the shirt for the correct amount of time (belt speed).  Print, pull the shirt, lay it on the dryer, done.

Next (in most cases) will likely be your manual screen printing press.  I have seen some really interesting modifications to existing starter presses to try to repair or give some sort of new functionality, when modest money could be spent on a newer, higher capability screen printing press, and be done with it.  For many screen printers, this may mean going from a tabletop or bench model press, to a full freestanding press.  Obviously there are considerations of the area you have available as well.  Typically this means going from a 1 or 2 color bench type press, to a 4 color 4 station freestanding manual press (and some will upgrade to even more colors).  A quality press such as this will usually have an outstanding warranty and be very durably built.  An investment in a quality manual press will give you new capabilities, faster production, and more flexibility.  

Perhaps lesser on the list but still important are items such as exposure units, screen drying cabinet, washout booth, etc.  Certainly all of these have their place in a well run shop.  Upgrading your exposure unit may be especially important as they can significantly cut exposure time and exposure errors.  Too many shops are trying to scrape by with older outdated units, and it often seems that they are wrestling to get a quality screen burn.  Newer exposure technology, such asLED exposure units will serve your business for many years of trouble free service and quality production.  

In the end, only your production needs and your budget will determine the best upgrade path for your screen printing business.  But when you feel that you are outgrowing your current screen printing equipment, hopefully these general guidelines will stay in the back of your mind and serve as a good base of knowledge.  
Air dry screen printing inks are a whole category of specialty inks that work well on substrates and materials that standard plastisol, poly, and silicone inks do not have acceptable performance on.

When selecting the proper screen printing ink for a job, the substrate, or materiel being printed, is your primary guiding factor in your choice of ink type.  Cotton material gets, of course, a cotton ink.   Likewise a poly garment will require a poly ink or perhaps one of our new silicone inks.  There are even additives for standard inks for materials like nylon, that will give excellent adhesion to products such as umbrellas.

But what if you are wanting to print on a plastic (Coroplast) sign, or on certain types of plastic bags?  Such items would almost certainly ruin in a typical screen printing setup, as melting would occur during the curing process of running the material through a conveyor dryer.  Air dry inks are exactly as the name would imply, they are a series of inks that do not require high temperatures to cure like other inks do.  When using these inks there are some considerations to both your screen printing equipment and also to you technique that you need to be aware of.  

First, you need to know the limitations of the air dry ink you have selected.  All of the Air Dry inks that Texsource sells online includes exactly what materials the ink will print to, so you should first read that carefully.  Secondly, you should be aware that these inks are far thinner than what you may be used to when dealing with standard plastisol inks.  So much so that it is recommended you start with a very high mesh count screen.  We recommend starting at around a 280 mesh count or higher.  This will keep the ink from running through the screen and ruining your print job.  

Next is the cleanup stage.  As these inks dry without heat curing, you cannot simply leave your screens out as you can with other inks.  The ink will dry and can sometimes make reclaim a real pain, so if you are running a print job, make the extra effort to reclaim your screens immediately after use.  This will save you considerable time, effort, and cleaning chemicals later.  

Printing with Air Dry inks can give your business an added dimension of printing that will give a competitive advantage over shops who refuse such work because they may be unfamiliar with the products or techniques.  With proper foresight the job can be easy, and cleanup a breeze.
If you are new to screen printing, one of the most overwhelming aspects that you may encounter is all the different types of screen printing inks and plastisols that are available from suppliers such as Texsource.  Here we break down some of the differences.

As if you don't have enough things to learn as a newcomer to screen printing, the choice of ink type can make or break a project.  Now, the different series from all the major screen printing ink manufacturers all specialize in various things, and that is beyond the scope of a simple blog article, but I will attempt to give you an overview of ink types and their uses in your shop.  

One of the main things to take away from this writing is that the substrate, or material you are printing to, is going to be the most important factor in choosing ink type.  When you see an ink labeled as a general purpose ink, that ink is typically formulated for use on cotton and/or 50/50 shirts and materials.  Many shops will use this ink about 75% of the time, and most smaller jobs where customers want the best possible price will be printed on normal quality cotton or cotton blend shirts.  These 'plastisol' inks are durable, easy to work with, and also some of the more economical inks that you can have in your shop.  

When a customer wants a job printed on polyester or athletic wear, there are special polyester inks formulated just for that.  The biggest problem with polyester materials is dye migration.  That is, when you heat the garment up in the dryer to cure your ink, the heat will try to release the dye in the actual material.  This can 'mix' or blend in with your ink and cause your ink to have a faded, splotchy look that is typically not desirable.  The solution could be to use special inks formulated for use on polyester garments.  These inks are more resistant to dye migrations issues (although they are not immune to some problems themselves).  You also may find benefit in using an underbase with this material. 

an illustration of dye migration issues.  note the 'faded' appearance of the shirt on the right.  

Silicone inks are a relatively new type of screen printing ink, and are available from us here at ScreenPrintingSupply.com.  Silicone inks have a much shorter shelf life and, in the current state of the technology, each color has to be mixed on site using a base and toner system.  The benefits of silicone inks are numerous, however.  It is an extremely durable ink, especially in athletic garments.  It has tremendous elasticity that cannot be matched by any other current ink type, making it ideal for stretchy garments.  It has a smooth, soft-hand feel that is appealing to the touch.  Lastly, silicone inks cure at a much lower temperature than standard plastisol inks, typically at a lower temperature than most polyester materials will release dye, negating dye migration issues altogether.  Note that this may depend largely on the quality of your polyester garment, as lower quality poly garments may release dye at even lower temperatures.  

Then there are all varieties of 'specialty' inks.  These are inks that are beyond the scope of standard plastisol, poly, or silicone inks in that they normally have some feature that sets them apart visually or to the touch.  These can include glitter inks, puff inks, reflective inks, etc.  There are many additives that can be purchased for plastisol inks to achieve many of the same benefits, but there are inks with these features that are ready to use.  

Air dry inks may be your choice for printing on any material where the heat of curing may cause problems or applying heat is impossible.  Such inks are commonly used for printing signs such as campaign or realty-type signs, plastic bags, and many types of promotional items.  Air dry inks are generally quite a bit thinner than standard screen printing inks, so you should typically start with a much higher mesh-count screen (we recommend starting with a high-200 or low-300 mesh).  As the name implies, these inks will fully cure without applying heat, so care should certainly be taken to reclaim your screens soon after finishing the job to avoid a much harder reclaim later.  Our full line of air dry inks all include a full description of substrates that the ink works well on, so be sure to read carefully before making a decision. 

Lastly, take some time to make yourself aware of many of the different types of ink additives, and they will add flexibility to your printing capabilities.  Products such as Nylobond enable screen printing to nylon-based products such as umbrellas.  There are thinners for use in ink that may be a bit thick, puff additives to add depth and texture to your print, and so forth.  

So there you have it, a very brief overview of some of the major types of screen printing inks.  Again, let your substrate dictate your ink type, but it will benefit your shop if you have experience with all of these types, and it will add capabilities and experience to your shop reputation that competitors may not yet have.  All of these ink types and more are available at Texsource at 888-344-4657, or online at www.ScreenPrintingSupply.com. 
Posted by Harvey Cole - Outside Sales on 3/30/2016

Properly utilizing a quality screen tape such as PMI Split Tape is a great way to reduce your screen work area and increase efficiency.

Usually when you have a screen printing job that requires multiple colors and you have to burn several screens, it almost always happens that one or more of your screens will have a very small area of a certain color, yet for proper registration you must almost always coat an entire screen with emulsion and burn the image.  Although your screen size may be large, your work area may only be a few inches or less in some cases.  Here is where proper taping of your image will save you wasted time and ink and make cleanup easier and faster on your screen printing equipment and frames. 

Consider a wider size tape such as our PMI 3" Blockout Tape.  I still see some shops use simple masking tape, but masking tape in most cases has a much more aggressive adhesion that can pull your emulsion and in some cases perhaps even damage the screen mesh as well.  The blockout tapes that we sell almost all have a less aggressive adhesion that peels away easy for fast cleanup.  Have a look at this video for a demonstration of the application and adhesion properties -


As you can see, this is a fast and economical choice for reducing the work area of the frame which will make your subsequent equipment cleanup a breeze.  

Our PMI Split Tape is a tape that is specially manufactured for use by screen printers, as it has 2 section of the tape in a cross/section type configuration.  Half of the tape is designed for screen adhesion and the other is designed for adhesion to your aluminum frame or wooden frame material.  It is designed to be both applied an removed quickly, is economical, and will save you time and resources in your shop.  Here is a video that demonstrates just how easy the split tape is to apply - 



The tapes themselves have so many advantages over normal masking tape that it makes it almost impossible to use masking tape again once you have used these PMI products in your shop.  As always, Texsource has the entire product line in stock at all of our US locations, ready to ship.  Contact us if you would like to try some of these PMI tapes in your shop - we can arrange sample products to be sent to you to try out.  You will not find a better deal anywhere than you can get here at Texsource, the largest distributor of screen printing equipment and supplies in the US!
Posted by Ryan Bolin - Outside Sales on 3/28/2016
 Spring is the time that many shops gear up for printing of athletic jerseys, and there is no better piece of screen printing equipment to help you with jersey numbering that the Vastex Digit numbering system.

The Vastex Digit is one of the most popular pieces of screen printing equipment that we sell here at Texsource, especially around this time of year and also in the fall.  We typically keep a complete system or two here in stock, and we can quickly set the system up for a full demo (it is just as quick to setup in your shop as well).  Provided you have a decent quality press, it is designed to fit into a screen printing press made by a variety of manufacturers.  

The true beauty of the system is in its simplicity and ease of use, excellently designed and tested by Vastex Equipment.  Once properly mounted in your manual press, you can simply slide the screen from left to right to select your number.  There are slots for centering a single number, or for double digit numbers you can select whether that number will be printed on the right or left of the other number.  Since the number "1" is thinner than other numbers in most fonts, there is an offset setting for that digit, so that your printing is still centered on the jersey no matter what number you are printing.  

Have a look at this video by Vastex Equipment demonstrating the Vastex Digit Numbering System presented at the most recent Texsource Open House Event -



As you can see, the Vastex Digit Numbering System is the ideal system for fast, accurate athletic numbering.  

With the introduction of our new line of Rutland Silicone Inks, there has perhaps never been a more exciting time in athletic numbering.  Silicone inks are ideal for athletic wear with their adhesion and flexibility, and they have a smooth, soft feel that cannot be matched by any existing plastisol ink.  

Many screen printing shops depend on athletic seasons for a large part of their yearly business.  Why not make an investment that will pay off big for your business for years to come?  The Vastex Digit Numbering System is fast, affordable, efficient, and will serve your business without trouble for many years of printing.  It is one serious piece of screen printing equipment you need if you are printing numbers on jerseys, and nobody will match the deal that Texsource can make you today!
Posted by Dustin Koch - Outside Sales on 3/25/2016
This year Texsource is doing something a bit different with our annual Open House Event - we are hosting our customer is both our Georgia location and our North Carolina location, making it easier than ever to come by and pay us a visit!


The Open House Event will be held at our Georgia facility on April 31, and then a little later at our NC facility on September 30.  As usual, we have an impressive lineup of manufacturers who will be joining us at each event.  If you have never attended on our our Open House Events, you owe it to yourself to make plans to attend; admission is free for everyone but you must register here for an accurate food count.  

So what can you expect to see at such an event?  As you might can guess, it is screen printing and more screen printing.  All of the leading manufacturers will be on hand with their very latest screen printing equipment and supplies, including some that may not yet be released to the public.  This isn't a situation where you see the screen printing equipment from behind a velvet rope.  Screen printing presses will be running all day, with hands-on demos and clinics on the latest equipment,screen printing ink, printing techniques, and more.  All attendees are free to approach vendors and ask questions, run some prints, pick up some samples, and have fun.


Texsource Open House Event - free demos and clinics all day

To add to the fun, Texsource and specific vendors sponsor prizes that can be won.  The last several events that we have had took on a 'Vegas' theme, with table games, slots, and a prize wheel.  You have several opportunities to win and no purchase is necessary.  

Speaking of purchasing, there is likely no better time of the year to make a purchase, as many vendors will offer show specials that are not available at any other time.  Our full customer support staff will be on hand and ready to help you and on-site financing is available for qualified buyers.  You can also take a walk around our clearance rack (which seems to get emptied off with the first hour or 2).  

If you have only read about a piece of screen printing equipment that you would love to have, this is the chance to get up close with the actual manufacturer reps and get some first hand knowledge.  Come and stay all day - Texsource will even feed you lunch on us!

Don't miss the opportunity to see the latest equipment, inks, techniques, and screen printing technologies at the 2016 Texsource Open House Event.  Register today!
Posted by Harvey Cole - Outside Sales on 3/24/2016
The term "RIP" software has probably passed by you many times as a screen printer, and indeed you may use RIP software.  But if you are new to screen printing, what is RIP software and what can it do for you?

According to Wikipedia, RIP software is defined as follows - 

 - A raster image processor (RIP) is a component used in a printing system which produces a raster image also known as a bitmap. Such a bitmap is used by a later stage of the printing system to produce the printed output. The input may be a page description in a high-level page description language such as PostScript, Portable Document Format, XPS or another bitmap of higher or lower resolution than the output device. In the latter case, the RIP applies either smoothing or interpolation algorithms to the input bitmap to generate the output bitmap.

One of the more well known RIP software packages specifically for screen printing equipment is AccuRip, which is developed and released by Freehand Graphics.  AccuRip takes RIP software and presents it with specific printers in mind (almost exclusively Epson printers).  Some of the most common features of interest to scree printers are - 




  • Easy Setup: AccuRIP's Setup Wizard makes the setup process fast and convenient. It auto builds a print driver for your selected Epson model. In minutes you are ready to output (print) using AccuRIP.
  • Streamlined User Experience: As an on-demand RIP, AccuRIP is always ready and waiting to process your file data and deliver sharp and clean halftones and solids. No program to launch and manage.
  • Job Queue: A "Job Queue" and "Job History" window to review and watch jobs process.
  • Direct Application Printing: Nothing beats the convenience of printing directly from the graphics program your file is in. Go to the "Print" window of any of your design programs and AccuRIP is ready to RIP.
  • Automatic N-UP Printing: AccuRIP automatically gangs a separation on your film saving valuable output time and media. When your art board/page size is less than half your media’s width, the N-UP feature comes into action. This feature is a user favorite.
  • Ink Laydown Control: With numerous ink and film brands available AccuRIP provides the controls to balance ink laydown to your media. A good match delivers needed dMax and a better dry time.
  • Dye Black Film Ink Cartridges loaded into your Epson: An option for AccuRIP users with select ink jet models. Enjoy the many benefits of running your Epson with every cartridge filled with high-quality black dye. Don’t try putting an Epson black cartridge into another slot. Cartridges are chipped and keyed for particular slots. Only AccuRIP and our Dye Black Film Ink Cartridges are designed for this purpose. This feature is a user favorite.
  • Network Solution and No Dongle: Install AccuRIP on one host computer and share the AccuRIP driver easily across your entire network and even across platforms. One printer, one RiP, multiple users. AccuRIP uses an Internet-based serial number registration for instant access. No dongle required.
  • Windows and Mac Solution: Whether you use Mac or Windows, or have a cross-platform network, you have the RIP for all environments. Share AccuRIP at no additional cost with all users on your network

    Accurip software give you precise control over your Epson printer

    One of the more appreciated features of AccuRip is that it will let you use all black ink cartridges in your Epson printer and draw from them all, also letting you control very precisely how much ink is laid down.  When you are using it to control your half-tones and separations, you can use all available ink cartridges.  If you have been laying down too much ink then you can adjust for that in the software.  
    Some printers have even gone so far as to run a job through a printer twice if the ink isn't laid out in the thickness that was desired.  Obviously, this can cause some real problems with alignment.  AccuRip give you such precise controls over ink output of your positive printer that running through twice should not even enter your mind.  Using an Epson 1400 Series printer (our preferred printer for the Texsource screen printing classes) you get excellent speed and quality especially when paired with a good waterproof film.
    AccuRip software can be somewhat expensive, as retail prices for the latest versions tend to hover around the $500 price.  That is certainly a costly upgrade for some screen printers, but when you consider that a bad proof can halt your entire process (and you get used to how well a GOOD proof helps your production) then you begin to see that this may be a 1-time investment that is a worthwhile addition to your shop.    Need to speed up an inkjet device? The speed of an inkjet as its print head moves across the media is set and cannot be sped up. Others make ambiguous statements that make you believe that their RIP is speeding up the printing process. The speed of a RIP is in how it translates the file and sends it to your device. AccuRIP is the fastest at sending the data - so fast it only takes seconds. Your time savings is in this release rate as well as in work-flow. AccuRIP is so fast you will never again sit and wonder if your file is actually processing. In the time it takes another RIP just to "load" your file into the RIP application then process your data, AccuRIP is already printing. The instant your print progress bar leaves the computer screen your inkjet head is in motion! Nothing is faster that AccuRIP.

    Just want to print halftones with no hassles or extra work? After the tasks of designing, file building and color separating what should be a simple process on your list is often complicated by other solutions. By offering those screen print specific features for black and white channel output required by screen printers and eliminating the unnecessary color management features, for example, of other more expensive solutions the RIP process with AccuRIP has been significantly simplified and the RIP rate accelerated. Stochastic printing is a fantastic option for screen printers but not easily achievable before AccuRIP. The stochastic option is now available for both Macintosh and Windows users.  
    Texsource Screen Printing Supply is an authorized dealer for AccuRip software, and we have trained support staff that can help answer any questions or issues that you may have with it.  Texsource will never leave you hanging - on the contrary, we want to help your shop grow and succeed and earn your longterm business.  If you are looking to have some further questions answered regarding AccuRip or any otherScreen Printing Equipment or supply items, contact us today - you will be glad you did!
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    Posted by Dawn Dellinger - Customer Service on 2/12/2016
    Proper observation of your embroidery equipment with regards to your needles can save you from downtime and ensure that your machine runs smoothly and efficiently.


    Sometimes it is difficult to know when to make changes to your needles - if everything is running smoothly and you are having no problems with your thread, then chances are that your embroidery equipment is fine and there is no need for any changes.  The most obvious time to change a needle is, of course, when you have a break.  But waiting for that to happen isn't always the smartest move to make, as a breakage can cause downtime and a stop in production for your business.  


    Texsource sells a variety of embroidery needle sizes for Embroidery Machines

    The most common sign that an embroidery needle should be looked and and possibly replaced is when the thread starts experiencing breakage  or the thread is riding up on itself.  Usually the tip of the needle will be fine, but the eye is the first part that normal wear will start to show on.  

    The common colors on your embroidery machine will be the needles that wear out the fastest - black, white, red, blue, green, etc.  The yellow, pink, purple and other lesser used colors may rarely if ever require a needle replacement (depending, of course, on your common embroidery jobs).  You may find that with your common colors you are replacing a needle every week 2 weeks, or 3 weeks.  Such numbers are normal in a busy embroidery shop.  

    Choosing the right needle type from the very start of the job will also improve needle life.  I was able to find the following general guidelines from a forum that I will share here - 

     - Use ballpoint needles for knit fabrics
     - Use sharp needles for woven fabrics
     - The finer the detail, the smaller the needle you should use.  A 70/100 needle is usually a good choice to ensure clarity
     - Teflon coated needles help to reduce friction when working with synthetic materials like cordura, nylon, sticky-backed fabrics, or heat-seal fabrics
     - Titanium needles are more expensive than other needles, but can have as much as 5 times the lifespan of ordinary needles.  They work best in high-speed production shops such as those doing a lot of caps
     - With leather, try a 70/10 sharp, 75/11 sharp, or wedge needle made especially for leather.  The wedge needle will work best with heavier leathers.
     - For metallic threads, use a needle with an elongated, rectangular eye to ensure that the thread can pass through without snagging.

    With proper care and the right choice of needle for the material you are using, you can keep uptime maximized and the quality of your work high!
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