Genelia

  Screen printing is the most basic form of transferring an image to a garment. It’s been around for well… a long time! Approximately 221 AD (we’ll feed your curiosity). Besides the creative side of screen printing, another reason screen printing is a popular business is because it’s relatively cheap to start. As screen printing has evolved many printing techniques and styles have emerged. There isn’t a right or wrong way to print. Printers choose their printing approach based on the job at hand. As business owners, screen printers are always striving for a more profitable bottom line. Today we compare two methods, plastisol transfers vs screen printing (traditional form) First, we will briefly break down the screen-printing process. This is necessary to understand plastisol heat transfers. Traditional screen printing can be a lengthy process. It starts with a stencil being burned into a screen using emulsion, light and a film positive. Once the stencil is created, ink is passed th...

Curing screen printing ink is a crucial step in the screen-printing process. To create a durable and permanent print, the ink must dry completely at the correct temperature. Curing ensures that the ink solidifies and adheres to the substrate. Incomplete curing can lead to poor adhesion, resulting in the ink peeling or flaking off the substrate. For textiles like T-shirts and other garments, curing is essential to make the print withstand multiple wash cycles without fading or deteriorating. It also prevents the ink from bleeding or transferring onto other fabrics. Screen Printing Inks Water-based and Plastisol screen printing inks must both be cured when printed onto textiles. Water-based ink should not be cured when printed onto paper. Ink curing temperature times vary depending on the ink manufacturer. While different manufactures may have different temperatures, a few things are pretty constant with screen printing ink. Most ink must be cured for at least one minute at the manufactu...

  Water-based inks and paper might sound like a natural match, but if you've ever ended up with a blurry, over-saturated, or cracked print, you know the process has some quirks. The good news is that once you understand how water-based ink behaves on paper stock, the results are outstanding.  In this post, we're walking through the full process from screen prep to cleanup, plus the common mistakes to avoid and the questions we hear most from printers making the switch to paper. Keep reading till the end and don't miss the video showing the whole process in action. SUPPLIES What You'll Need Before you pull your first print, make sure you've got the right gear. Water-based ink on paper is less forgiving of equipment mismatches than fabric printing, so the setup matters. Supply What to Look For Screen & frame 155+ mesh count depending on detail level. Higher mesh for fine lines and halftones. Water-based ink Avoid fabric-specific formulations that may not bond well...