SCREEN PRINTING BASICS | These 3 Tips Will Improve Your Screen Printing Game

In this screen printing basics tutorial these three tips will improve your screen printing game.
Tip number 1 how much off contact is too much? How much off contact is too much. In screen printing textiles we use what’s known as off contact. It’s something critical to know.

Tip number two. So, if you have ever wondered how much squeegee pressure is too much then this video is a must see. I briefly discuss how you know when you’re using too much squeegee press and what it can do to your printing.

Tip number 3. How much plastisol ink you have to place on the screen?
Placing too much plastisol ink on the screen is not a good idea. in this video I will explain the reason not to place too much ink.

Not using off-contact
I wrote a whole post about this. In short, you should keep a bit of gap between the screen and the substrate so it doesn’t stick together as you push/pull ink.

Using WAY too much ink
Unless you’re printing a 100 pieces at once, most beginners don’t need to use more than a few spoonfuls of ink. Too much ink on the screen will no doubt make it harder to manage the glob.

Squeegee-ing down too hard
You want a firm grip with a firm push (or pull) down of the squeegee. Do not press down too hard else you might experience slight ghosting or smearing of the image which will obviously botch the job.

Not flashing after laying down white ink
There are professionals that say you don’t need to, but I prefer to flash after I lay down a white coat. Letting the white base cure allows other colors to be printed on with more vibrancy. Printing wet-on-wet is okay when you’re using plastisol inks but never water-based.

Not using a screen printing press
Unless you always have someone present to hold the screen down for you, you’ll need, at the very least a 1-station press. The press will keep the screen locked and firm, eliminating any risk of jerking or shifting as you work the squeegee.

Leaving ink in the screen
Water-based inks dries up faster than plastisol so if you’re using water-based inks (and I hope you are), immediately run some water through the screens once you’re done printing. This will make sure you’re able to reclaim your screens 100%. I also have a spray with some water that I use during a print run. Having some mist on the screen helps moisten up the liquids.

Screen printing is the process of pressing ink through a stencilled mesh screen to create a printed design. It’s a popular technique used in a whole range of different industries, so even if you've never heard of the term before today, it’s likely that you’ve worn or used a screen-printed product at some point without even realising. The process is sometimes called serigraphy or silk screen printing, but all of these names refer to the same basic method.

Screen printing is an effective technique for creating bold canvases, posters and artwork, but the method can also be used to print fabrics and textiles, so it's great for creating all sorts of custom clothing and products. In this channel, we'll cover all of your questions about silk screen printing, including:

What is screen printing?
Why is screen printing used?
The screen printing process step-by-step
A guide to screen printing equipment
Will screen printing wash out?
What’s the difference between digital printing and screen printing?
What's the difference between heat transfer printing and screen printing?
And many more.

Checkout the Automatic t-shirt folder:

Link to Printavo
Use the coupon TAINO for 50% off your first month.

Equipment I use: Anatol Thunder 6x6, Anatol Rapid Cure Flash Dryer, Anatol Aurora Exposure Unit and Anatol Solution Conveyor Dryer.

[chalo]

Taino you’re my savior, I watch all your videos you’re always there to guide me in all the right directions

[philipmazonson]

I’ve owned a shop over 30 yrs and now that I’ve lost most of my employees I’m back in production, your vids have been really helpful, thanks bro!

[walidelzoul]

I wanted to like for each tip honestly. Thanks for the tips

[innitart]

Thanks for these tips, Taino! I was applying too much pressure and I’d get one good shirt then it would all go wrong. Now I go smooth and light and get much better results. With one video you upped my game. Thanks again! 🙌

[RichardThompsonCA]

Great video! Another tip for keeping your wood handle squeegees clean is to varnish them. Any type of waterproof clearcoat will work, makes the ink really easy to remove as it can't soak in to the wood. I'm using waterbased ink though, the cleaning solvents for plastisol might remove the varnish.

[karthikeyanmakegreen]

Hello sir
Your videos are fresh and full of core information for screen printers.. Full of enthu.. 👍👌

[samfrito]

Really needed to see this. I routinely get myself into cleaning frames off and the squeegee too. I need to pull back on ink going in the screen. Thanks Taino!

[georgelopezdesigns]

This video told me exactly what my problems have been. Was doing all of the three things you mentioned wrong.Will change my technique right away. Gracias Tiano.

[sickDesigns]

You must have been watching me print the last three shirts, had red bleed into the underbase white, and on the other shirt it was bleeding out under the screen.😟was about to give up but remembered your video talking about failing is not losing, it’s learning... or something like that. your a great inspiration thanks for the help...🙏

[AOD]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. I'm very interested in screen printing & I know it's not an easy process but i like this method on a shirt & I'm willing to learn from the best to make my projects come out official. I'm definitely subscribing to ur channel

[cathiematthews]

I loved your video! ❤ The cardboard was a brilliant tip! I had the opposite problem with paint, however. Lol 😂 When starting out, I would have to save up to order another colour, so paint was like gold.

[michaelhaasjes]

Great video, what do you think the pros and cons are of pushing the squeegee vs pulling the squeegee?

[Lmr_ArtsAndTattoos]

I learned a lot about your channel

Best Screen Printing Channel ever

[tubs]

Thank you amazing videos God Bless You

[theblankworkshop]

This is a great video right here! Going to make sure my team watches this one. Great knowledge

[emmanuelscott]

Cool tips🤔.
Question, what if I just started and I don't have the actual screen printing table, how do I go about the Level of contact with what I'm about to print on?

[mercatorprmerc]

Gracias papa por los Tips !! Saludos desde Puerto Rico

[HLE]

Great tips thank you! I’m a few months into screen printing and needed this

[steeloink]

great video as always. great tips !! 🤙🏼👏🏼

[guanacoboy]

I love your channel! I've been doing screen printing for about a year now and im always looking to improve myself to do a better job! ... I have a question... what size are the dimensions of the platens where you put the shirts to print? ... thank you for everything you do! Much love from Silver Spring MD