How to SCREEN PRINT Safety Jackets without a Hold Down 

I have my reasons as to why I do things the way I do, but since you were so irritated with the video, and are clearly THE expert and there's only one way to do things, I'll humor you. Grab and beer and chill. You have to realize that there's more than one way to skin a cat. That wasn't a stutter. With a graphic that has a straight edge, the squeegee can hang on the graphic once it hits the open mesh, but I don't have to tell you, because clearly you knew that. The point of the screen tape is to reassure all pinholes were taken care of, just incase I missed any. Screen tape is way cheaper, pennies per inch, vs a $300 jacket. Are we talking about painters tape to seal off the edges or are we talking about under the screen tape around the graphic? I would't recommend that to anyone, nor is it THAT much cheaper. I'll disagree with you on the time savings, because clearly you know that PMI split tape has a low tack side that makes it a breeze to pull off. And the way I taped the screen, it all comes up in one pull. Try that with painters tape, aint happen... captain. The under side was taped with quick rip tape (also a screen printing tape) that has a low tack edge for EASY removal. Reasons I wouldn't recommend painters tape: Tears easy during removal, can easily puncture allowing ink to get through your screen and onto your garments, not cost effective, ink can make it's way around it, and it's made for latex paint, not plastisol nor water based inks, can leave residue on your screens, and does not hold up well to long runs. 3/4" painters tape for pinholes and registration marks, sure, that's fine. Checkmate! Just playing with you, but seriously. If this video that was meant to help others pissed you off that bad, I think you should start a channel of your own to share you knowledge, or learn to chill a little. Perhaps it's time to add a therapy session to the end of my videos.

Jamie Jaime Jaime, You are correct! The pull stroke is more predictable. Matt has correctly used a fine mesh with multiple strokes and I have seen him use this technique many times to where i am sure he has a good idea of the sheer and pressure to get his results. In the future, I hope you will be blessed with large enough orders that Taping your screens becomes obvious. It's a good habit for a commercial setting. Good Luck with that calming and be sure to lubricate!

@@rickpaul2177 Thanks, Rick.

Thank you! I appreciate it.

Thanks, Willie!

Thank you! The client was happy with the results. First job for us printing for him. Now comes the easier stuff. Thank the lawt!

Thank you!

Great point! Normally I'll flash them before, but because of the cost of these and not knowing how they'll react to heat... Made me nervous.

Had we screwed up one... a lot of profit down the drain. :)

MD&SS: I use spring clamps, the ones with rubber tips & rubber handle grips, the kind you can get from home depot/lowes/harbor freight etc. Pull the jacket/substrate taught from the bottom and cinch it with a couple of clamps. But get the metal clamps with the rubber tips & handles like I mentioned above, their only a buck or two and they are more sturdy than the plastic clamps! Also give it a quick flash before & after printing, this will smooth/flatten out any wrinkles , and reduce the risk of smearing wet ink while transferring to the conveyor dryer. Good luck!

Great tip! We've done similar things in the past. It's definitely cheap insurance going that route.

Thank you! I was way too nervous printing these on the auto because of the cost per jacket, and our current auto probably would have messed them up because it can't do a multiply prints without tabling up and down. So the manual was the best way to keep an eye on things without making mistakes. Plus it was a really small run.

Sublimation will work well. It's really up to the client what they're looking for. For the most part, screen printing is what they do tend to look for however.

NILAJA STATES that’s awesome! Once you’ve done enough of these, it becomes easier and you’ll be able to control the results with minimal mistakes.

We occasionally do classes. We are in the Houston area (Humble).

Great advice Peter! Merry Christmas!

@@mikeydesignssilkscreen473 Merry Christmas to you and yours, Mikey.

@@upstandingmember2518 Thank you!

They are poly, but regular plastisol will need to cure around 330º. I didn't want to take the chance melting the jackets, or having die migration happening. The best way to handle that is with a low cure ink.

Good call! The client has given us feedback since and says they're holding up great. Only one of them has a little scratch in the print, but they are overall happy.

If you’re to spray that water resistant part with alcohol, how would I restore the water resistant membrane after printing and letting it cure?

Hahaha.. Hold downs are for rookies ;) hold downs are great, but we don't do enough work to justify buying one. There's also workarounds without one. We do have manual screens in the shop, but this was a rush order and I happened to have an auto sized screen ready to go. Ideally I would use a manual size screen, but this little press has done okay with the larger screens. It's a poly material, so I wasn't too worried about it adhering. Only how they'll handle the heat. We have had a lot of success screen printing safety garments with low cure inks, with no issues. As long as they don't have a fireproof / teflon coating.

Mikey Designs & Silk Screen gotcha! Good info my man👌🏾

@@Factory928AC Thanks!

Any time! Well, that's exactly what were are using is a low cure low bleed ink. With the ink being black as well, we haven't had any issues.

As long as you get the ink to the proper cure temp, you'll be fine. Our client has reported back that they have been holding up great.

LOL... we did those some time ago. There's quite a bit more.

Our client wanted them screen printed. :)

What is best for T-shirt? Vinyls Screen Print DTG

@@themehmoodshah They all have their pros and cons. None are better than others. HTV is easiest to get into. Screen printing requires a lot more skill and setup time, but you can mass produce shirts quickly once setup. DTG is expense to get into as well as the cost, but DTG yields high quality results, but your client is better off getting screen printed shirts after about 50 shirts.

Just to make sure there are no pinholes. Tape is cheap and blowing out pins won't work with these types of garments.

Thanks for your reply Happy new to you guys and gals @@mikeydesignssilkscreen473

@@mikejones5772 Happy New Year!

Low cure ink. Any will do. Low cure helps with dye migration and from the jackets melting.

LOL, I hear that. I used a 230 mesh to keep the deposit low. I've done numerous jobs like this and have a good feel as to when the ink has cleared the screen. Only one shot at it per jacket without messing them up. Our client was very happy with the results. Guess I could have shared how I know when I'm happy with how the screen is clearing from my experience.

@@mikeydesignssilkscreen473this is also a perfect example of why buying the newest best automatic isn't going to solve all of a businesses problems. Some people in this industry forget the nuances in screen printing.

@@dmowolfenspeedster I agree. Now matter how you slice and dice it, you have to know your stuff and potential issues you'll run into or you'll spend a lot of time redoing orders and never making a profit. Start small, learn from your mistakes, and keep pressing on.

We're located in Houston, Texas.

I hear that. They are difficult to print on as well.

LOL!

I got feedback and they're holding up great. One jacket scratched just a little, but could be either how ruff they are with the garment, or their cleaning process.

Exactly how I felt the whole time.

LOL! I got this! I think... most of the time.