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Hey!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us… Have few questions about printing ink and stuff… which ink you recommend for black shirts like waterbased or something else and can we dry our ink in direct sunlight? Thank you in advance 🙌🏻💙
You're welcome. In textile screen printing we typically use 2 types of ink. "Water based" and plastisol. Check out my video collection for more about inks. Usually textile water based inks need to be heat set to become wash safe. Plastisol inks need to reach about 320 degrees F. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for your support. I'm here to spread knowledge and through that, wealth. Use what I teach any way you want to prosper and grow. Thanks for watching.
With flats like this I use no off contact. The surface of a paper poster or coroplast sign is smooth and non-absorbent. In such a case we need to print less ink rather than more. It's not about opacity with a red vinyl ink on a white plastic surface. If, maybe, you were printing a black coroplast sign, you might be concerned with opacity. Savvy? Wait, forgot to mention a vacuum pallet is normally used for this type of printing. But you can do it like this or maybe you could use a spray adhesive. But that might leave residue on the substrate.
Johnathan, yes you did get a working screen and in all fairness and because I tend to keep comments short my wording was messed up. My point was such a different mesh was used from what you intended, that’s all. I’m in my 70’s and still going strong in screen printing and like yourself can determine image to mesh and exposure but will always drop on a 21 step to fine tune. I feel with the advancement of LED’s unlike metal halide there is no need to use a scale every time to check for light degradation but you would want to check periodically. Wow, my longest comment ever but I felt I owed you an explanation. Keep well and much success in the future.
It's all good. Sometimes you need to be detailed so you are not misunderstood. It's simply a matter of preference. Today with LED exposure units, there is really no need to monitor degradation of the UV output which should be about 400 nanometers UV light. The lifetime is such that I will be dead before I would notice any degradation or have issues with it. Black lamp industrial UV lights do degrade over time but in my experience, I still do not need the exposure calculator to notice that. Not only will the exposure time become noticeably longer, the black light fluorescent UV bulbs will begin to darken at the ends. Like I said, everyone has their own way of doing things. Nothing wrong with that. Let me know if I can help out anytime.
Air dry ink is a general term for any ink that dries or "cures" by evaporation of the carrier. Some textile water based inks still need to be heat set even though they will dry to the touch by evaporation. To make them hold fast and wash safe, we need to heat the pigment to about 250 degrees F depending on the brand of ink. There are some technical considerations for some air dry inks that need some time to cure and bond to the substrate. Hopefully that makes some sense... thanks for watching.
The main problem nowadays to printing these signs is finding the ink everyone that used to carry it just stopped due to all the regulations on solvent ink,
In my experience, that is not the case. You can still get what they call coroplast ink or vinyl ink. Yes, these are called solvent inks because the carrier is a petroleum product. There are also "water based" inks that actually have petroleum carriers in them. A truly 100% water based ink can be cleaned up with water. Anything else that needs a solvent to be cleaned, likely has petroleum carriers. There are many graphic industrial screen printing applications that require specialized inks. For instance, circuit boards can be screen printed with conductive "inks." The defrosting pattern you see on your rear car window is screen printed. Today there are "inks" that can print LED lights. Don't ask me about that because I am a textile guy... lol. Try to contact Nazdar or Dubuit. Tell them Catspit sent you. You can still get the ink you need.
@@CatspitProductions Yeah I've used Nazdar but it takes almost 2-3 weeks to get ink from them I've taken to using inktech coroplast ink but still a lot of companies don't have it in stock but that might just be in my area.
@@TomSmith909-ty5ez Yeah these days things take longer due to the increase in cost of... well basically everything. You have to keep in mind that sometimes the smaller suppliers cannot stock pints, quarts, gallons, 5 gallons of every color and every ink that a manufacturer makes. That costs a ton of money. Not only is it about the cost of the product but it's also about the space needed to house those products. You might notice that currently many smaller suppliers are closing down and disappearing. I had to close my storefront at the end of March this year. Another problem is even if a supplier stocks everything under the sun from a manufacturer, there is no way to predict what people will buy. Black and white inks are obviously in demand the most. But who knows if all colors will be sold and when. Chemicals and inks usually last forever when stored properly. Unfortunately some manufacturers put a production date on the product. What happens is even though the product is still good many years after the production date, people will think it's expired and useless. Once the manufacturing date gets too old, suppliers cannot sell the product. Even though it is still perfectly usable. Today, you need to prepare ahead of time. Customers need to be informed that the ink needs to be brought in for the job. There's an old saying: a lack of planning and preparation on your part does not create or mandate an emergency on my part. Or something like that... lol. You are the professional. It's your job to inform the customer about their project and what it will take. You cannot magically produce custom printing out of you but hole on command... sorry. lol.. I might be a retard ;)
5:58 if I flash cured and not semi-cured. Will heating the shirt to 400 help? What temp is a semi-cure? I had a job where almost every shirt washed out (white on white) and I cured (final cure) at 340
Semi cured is "flash cured." The purpose of flash curing is to dry the plastisol ink to the touch and no more. Screen printing is often not so exact. I cannot tell you an exact temp that will work for you. Experience matters here. It depends on how much ink you actually print. That will determine how long you need to flash or final cure. The brand of ink may also be important. Usually plastisol ink needs to be heated to about 330 degrees F. If the entire ink layer does not reach that temp, it will wash out. I have 1 or 2 or more videos that will help you understand curing plastisol inks.
I have. With over 500 videos spanning more than 12 years, the chances are I have already made a video about your question. But yes, flash curing is necessary when it's necessary... lol ;) Flash curing is as it implies. We quickly flash the ink with heat so it is dry to the touch. No more. We do not want to fully cure when we flash cure. Check out these videos: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2ADPL-R70gM.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DJs4zc2ewB8.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--iJUi2skGz8.html Hopefully those links work for you. Otherwise go to my channel page and click the videos tab. Then use the search bar using "flash cure."
Always awesome. Are you still in business? Need equipment. Any refurbished or used to get started with. Need a burner and printer to print positives. ❤
Yes. I am still selling screen printing equipment. I am still in business. I made that clear in my most recent newsletter but it seems people think I closed down. That's a great way to ensure I never make a new screen printing video again... lol. Like many suppliers and businesses, I have had to cut costs. Commercial and residential rental prices have skyrocketed. In this modern age I hate to tell you that an ecommerce site like I had for many years costs as much as a brick and mortar storefront. I had to streamline my Shopify website to save some money. When I first started in this industry 3 years after Ryonet started on RU-vid, it was possible to build a complex website for very little money. A lot of things were even free. That is not the case today. This is what the ecommerce platforms like BigCommerce and Shopify do. They sell you a broken unfunctional ecommerce website and then charge you for all the fixes and functions that should be included in the product. If I had enough money, I would develop my own platform and make it stupid simple to use. For instance. When you add a product to your ecommerce site, the page for that product should have tabs that control everything about that product. Drop shipping from different locations with a shipping calculator that actually works. Sorry. I should have said, don't get me started. Who wants to invest and do this right with my experience and guidance? ;)
If you’re going to promote a product do it properly. You said you were going to expose a 156 and you guesstimated a 13 second exposure. Why would you not put a 21 step exposure scale on the screen. Then you used a coarser mesh what a mess.
Hello Bob. I'm pretty busy but I had to respond. It's interesting. I'm 54 and I started screen printing when I was 11. I use the same emulsion every time. I am very familiar with the process and speed of the emulsion. Never in my life have I used or needed an exposure calculator. I'm a mess? Maybe. But I can pull out any screen of any mesh count and produce an excellent stencil without a step calculator. I can even come in your "shop" and use whatever you have and I will get a working stencil. Once you become familiar with things, you won't need crutches like a step calculator. It's emulsion. It's either there or not. There are no gradients as in photography. So yes, I wanted to use a 156 or 160 because I am experienced enough to judge the artwork to determine the mesh I need to use. But I didn't have one ready. Therefore, with my experience, I used what I had and still had a working stencil with all the detail. This video was more about the machine than my method. Everyone has their own method and way. If you think I am stupid and I do not know what I am talking about, then please begin to upload over 500 screen printing videos for free for the world to use them as they wish. In the end this is true. There is no wrong way to screen print, unless your print sucks and/or you are taking too much time. Other than that, if your print looks good, I will never criticize your method. Thanks for watching and reminding me how the internet is and how RU-vid works. Since 2009 I guess I have been teaching the wrong things. Best wishes and love from the old Cat.
Hey Bat. Thanks for still being here! I appreciate your support. You're very welcome. It makes me happy that I can help people through my videos. Any time you need me, hit me up. I'm always here to help. Thanks for watching this re-edit!
I’m currently doing a 2 color job on a 1 color press. My current time on 1 shirt is about 20 minutes total. How long would you say would be the max amount of time that the ink could sit in the well?
Okay, so the first problem here is you are using a 1 color press to do 2 colors. Listen, I am not your average equipment dealer. I'm not trying to sell you anything. However, I will tell you what I believe to be the truth. I just replied to a comment in which I said: "There is no wrong way to screen print, unless your print sucks and/or you are taking too much time. Other than that, if your print looks good, I will never criticize your method." 20 minutes for 1 shirt is not acceptable and your water based ink, or air dry ink, is drying in that 20 minutes. If you watch the short re-edit video about corrugated plastic signs, you will hear me mention the tacking or drying time for the ink I was using to be about 10 minutes. Different brand inks have different specifications for use. The relative humidity in your shop will also affect this time. I really couldn't tell you the exact time you have before any ink will start to tack or dry. There are too many variables. What I can tell you is you need to work as fast as you can while back flooding all the time. Unfortunately, you cannot do that when you need to swap out screens and align the registration for every print. 20 minutes is far too long for an "air dry" ink.
@@CatspitProductions I couldn’t agree with you more. The job was 82 shirts front and back. I completed it using one press & one squeegee. It was insanely difficult lol I learned a great deal from it. Thanks for your videos!
In 2007. I have been on RU-vid since 2009. Over 500 free screen printing videos available for over 10 years. Things have changed. I'm not sure I get the support I should. I do not make money directly from these videos. I sell equipment. If I do not sell equipment, I have no income. At this point, all I want to do is reach 100,000 subscribers so I can get an award from RU-vid for all my efforts and then die.... lol. Do you know how long I have been stuck at about 97,000 subscribers? It seems like forever. Sorry, the economy and such sucks right now ;) But I do love what I used to do.
What I wondered is that if they are LED bulbs over CFL or incandescent will that make any difference. I use mostl yellow e26 base bulbs and an LED lantern with a a rubylith shade over it and haven't had an issue.
Nope. Watch the full video. It does not matter what the bulb is. If it is red or yellow or amber it will not affect emulsion. Emulsion is blind to all light except UV light. Emulsion does not see visible light. There is science involved here. Did you watch the short re-edit I did about yellow or red film positives? You can use any red or yellow or amber light bulbs. Any. Unless the bulb emits UV light which it should not if it is yellow, red or amber. It's a photography type thing here. This is a photographic process.
You're very welcome. Thank you for your support. Often people complain and scold me for my free videos... lol. Sorry, maybe I am getting old and bitter ;) But I love teaching screen printing. I hope I can continue to o that. If you need help anytime, contact me. I'm here to help.
Thank you. I appreciate your support. Please understand that creating videos for RU-vid for free is not easy. I have been on RU-vid since 2009. I have over 500 screen printing videos for you to watch and learn from. For free. After over 10 years the videos are still live right here on RU-vid. Have you already consumed all of my videos? If you have a question the likelihood is that I have already made a video about that to answer your question. I'm still here. I'll always be here. Unless I decide to make the videos available through a paid subscription only. Today there are a lot of "copy cats." Get it? Once upon a time.... today is not that time. But I am still here.
How toxic is the screen printing process? I work at a place doing embroidery and the screen printer doesn't wear a mask and there's barely any ventilation.
Actually today it's a common misnomer that screen printing inks and chemicals are toxic. They are if you eat them or drink them. But technically speaking, they are not "toxic." Toxic implies that the item is going to kill you from any exposure. "Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous." I have been screen printing for a long time. Since I was 11. When used properly and disposed of properly, it's harmless. I do not use goggles or gloves in the washout booth. Never have and I'm only this retarded... lol. With intelligent and proper usage, you shouldn't have any issues. Now, about the mask the printer is not wearing... a mask will do nothing for chemicals or inks. For that you need what is called a respirator. Those cover the nose and mouth and allow clean air in through replaceable filters. But, in a textile screen print shop printing very high volumes, we need to be concerned about airborne lint. Maybe even aerosol adhesives. In that case it's almost like a flour mill. For high volume textile print shops, there should be adequate ventilation and filtering.
Dude. I am LATE to the party here, but as a fiber artist who was hired to teach both fiber AND printmaking classes, these videos have been LIFE SAVING in my lesson planning. Thank you for keeping these up on RU-vid for over a decade. Awesome explanations that not only taught me but will help me teach others -- and maybe I'll even use them in class. :)
Awesome. You’re welcome. Glad I can help through my videos. I also try to be sure all my videos are G rated so educators can use them in class. Hopefully, I will be able to make new videos in the future. Thanks for watching. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com
Check out my videos from my channel page. I have about 600 or more screen printing videos for you to watch for free. Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
I fail to see why you did the red so early. I would've thought the red after the white was fine. Also the yellow, not sure why that had to be done again. Seems like you could've done it in three, white, red, yellow. Or logically for some artwork light to dark works best, then white yellow, red Not trying to criticize, so much as understand. I guess you are seeing way more than can be seen on the video, that might explain why you're doing so much. 🤔
If you pay attention to what I am saying in the video, you will understand this was an experimental print. The artist was from England. This design would need another 2 screens to be printed for profit. What I did here was make it work and I layered it in a very nontraditional way. But the end result was very cool. I even printed the lower text differently than the skull art. That is because of the small separation of the 2. Anyway, this was a video that showed how you can make something more than what it is if you are creative in the way you print. It's not really how we would set this up to print for profit. Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
Um... 🤔. A few things that are really simple, you go over and over... But then "screens or coated by students", flash cure, and how to align again, when you've pulled it up, and want to more ink. All these things need more explanation We cannot see how you tell too much ink Less on the plugs for subscribe, and side of the leg IMHO
I have over 600 videos on my channel. In some videos we have to assume you know so much. I have many videos you can explore to get the knowledge you want for free. If no one subscribes or supports me, how do you expect me to continue to produce free tutorial videos on RU-vid? Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
What was the name of the company with that handbook? Sardi or similar. I would like to have that handbook with all that technical stuff explained... 😁 Can you please help to find that?
It's Saati. I have the tech information on my Mother website. Saati is gracious enough to allow you this information for free. But remember, you need to actually read and study the information presented. This is technical and scientific. For tee shirts, you really do not need to know all this stuff. www.catspitproductionsllc.com/screen-printing-article-archive.html Thanks for watching. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
Thanks for your support. I may be a nerdy technical person but I speak the truth. Thanks for watching! Screen printing equipment and supplies. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
Honestly, they probably work the same just fine. You're knit picking here. Any decent squeegee will work fine. I highly doubt that Fimor or Saati squeegee has some magical advantage over the other. Savvy? I do prefer Saati products because I know what to expect. But it's not something that will make or break you in my humble opinion. Thanks for watching. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
The shirt is fixed on the pallet with a spray adhesive. It stays put on the pallet no matter how many times I lift the screen. Also the press is top notch 😉 Thanks for watching! Screen printing equipment and supplies. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
There are more than you can see with the naked eye. Does that matter? How about the topic of the video? Thanks for watching! Screen printing equipment and supplies. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
There is press wash and ink wash. I sell on my own ecommerce site. Thanks for watching! Screen printing equipment and supplies. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
The pressure is adjusted with the turning knob on the lower back of the heat press. The black knob on the top is the heat adjustment. Thanks for watching. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
Hello! I was gifted the exact same press and I have no idea how to use it, it didn't come with a manual and I cant seem to find any videos on how to adjust everything
I have a lot of videos for you to watch about this press. Subscribe to my RU-vid channel and check out my video collection. Thanks for watching. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
With the proper ink it should. But I have no idea about that. You would need to contact an industrial ink maker. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
Hey Mike. Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video. It was good to see you as well. Thanks for watching! Screen printing equipment and supplies. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
I prefer rear clamp presses but I have to admit the AWT Rototex is awesome and that one is a side clamp. I can work with both easily. Thanks for watching! Screen printing equipment and supplies. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
I recently got an older 4x4 Workhorse Mach press of FB marketplace for a steal but have been having trouble printing on it. I was originally printing on the floor using no off-contact and stuck to using a 6" squeegee regardless of the design size (it was way easier to use and control the ink). Now when I use the press with proper off-contact and try to use a squeegee that is a smaller size than the design I see noticeable lines in the print. I went out and bought the proper squeegee lengths for my designs but now I have run into more problems: I am using white water based ink (Green Galaxy Cosmic White) on black 100% cotton shirts. My design is VERY large block text (2 lines of tall text), it takes up almost all the space on the 20"x24" screen. I only have an inch and a half extra room on both sides of the design and two inches on top and bottom. I am having trouble with ink control. I am using an old mixer to mix my ink for a few minutes in the tub before I put it on my screen but the ink is still not that easy to use. It is sticking all over the place and bunching up. It is hard to get a consistent flood, half the design gets no ink while the other half does. When I stroke (forward or backward) I see there are different levels of ink deposit from a single stroke. I go back over it to try and fix it and it just gets worse and worse until the image kind of bleeds out. It's been really annoying and I'm not sure how to really deal with this. Obviously I am still a beginner printer but I'm not sure how else to work this problem out besides practicing. I am hoping you will have some advice on maybe something I am missing? What screen mesh and squeegee durometer would you recommend? Should I try additives? I live in Florida and print in my garage so it is very hot and humid, is this also affecting it to a noticeable degree?
I want to add that I was able to successfully print the same design on a much smaller scale, like an 8in wide graphic and it came out perfect! It's just the large version which I am struggling with and I only care about printing it as large as possible. I also have a halftone design I want to print on a 305 mesh 25inx36in screen but will most likely stick to printing black water based ink on an ivory shirt lol
It's very hard to say without being there to see exactly what you are doing. But I would say be sure to use a squeegee big enough for the design. Also if you are maxing out this big version so it is coming very close to the frame edge, that could be the issue. The small design you said you printed fine. The larger one is giving you problems. I would guess it's too big for the screen. You need to keep the design at least 2 inches away from the frame edge. The screen will naturally print more in in the center and much less ink near the frame edge. However, like i said I am only guessing blind from afar. Pay attention to my comments about the art and mesh count in this video. That might help you with choosing mesh counts. I also have a few videos on that you can watch. Thanks for watching! Screen printing equipment and supplies. CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/
