Design
What color must someone change their design to in Illustrator in order for the exposure process to work?
Rich / Registration Black
This is to block light from curing the emulsion during exposure.
Our type of ink, _______________, is the most common type of ink used for textile printing.
Plastisol
Other types of ink used in screen printing:
Water Based, and Alcohol Based
What are the two sides of a screen?
Well Side (Squeegee) and Platen (Printing) side
Squeegee side had the metal or wooden edges, while the printing side has none.
What side does the film get taped to before you start the exposure process?
The print side, film ink touching the screen
How is ink transferred to the shirt surface?
We use a squeegee to force ink through very small holes in the mesh.
What do we print our design onto for exposure and creation of a screen stencil?
Film transparency
What temperature is needed to flash cure our ink?
260 degrees
What is something you should always do before you touch a newly printed item?
Check for clean hands!
What measurements do we use to place the film for a full front or back design on the screen?
In the middle of the screen, 10" to midpoint and 4" from top
This makes it easier for you to line up a screen's registration marks with the pallet during the printing process.
White ink is thicker, so how do we prepare the ink for easier printing?
Heat it up by stirring, let the flash cure warm it up, add reducer (ink thinner).
You can also use a lower mesh count to have larger openings through which the ink will travel.
What is the largest size we should scale art to for a full front or full back design?
12" wide
What minimum temperature is used to fully cure our ink?
320 degrees
Define Substrate and provide 3 examples
The material that someone is printing on such as: vinyl, t-shirt, banner, paper
What do you do with the screen after the film is taped on?
Place the screen in the exposure unit platen side down. Lock the lid. Place the ropes on top of the frame sides to allow suction. Vacuum seal first, then light for 70 seconds.
What parts of a screen should one tape? Two answers
Any openings in the screen where we don't want ink to go through (such as registration marks) and all the edges.
Registration marks should be taped on the platen/print side of a screen while the edges should be taped on the squeegee side of the screen. Also: pin holes.
Register, Registration
What is the term for vertical threads in a screen mesh?
Warp
Pinch rollers must be placed where on the wide format printer?
Under the blue areas
We insert additional pinch rollers in the orange opening and slide to the end and beginning of the substrate.
How should someone wash out a screen that is freshly burned in order to be ready to print?
Spray squeegee side with water for 10 seconds. Spray the print side until your design clearly shows through. Check edges for lingering emulsion!
Looking at your registration marks, you notice that both center marks are to the right of the line on the pallet. What micro-adjustment needs to be used?
Lateral / side-to-side
When a red and light blue design is going to be printed on a black shirt, what must be take into consideration?
2 color design becomes 3 colors since you'll need a white underbase
Screen mesh count refers to the number of threads in... Provide 2 examples of mesh counts and what ink you might use each for.
1 square inch
40=glitter ink, speciality
80 or 110= white ink
160= general all-purpose ink colors
225= intricate details or really watery ink so it doesn't overflood
What is the chemical in the Dip Tank? Name and description!
Supra, highly concentrated ink and emulsion stripper
The film should be placed _______________ on the screen before burning. This makes sure the design is right side up on the shirt.
Read-wrong (face-down)
List the steps to reclaim a screen
1.) Clean up all of the ink on the screen and take off tape (throw-away) 2.) Use the cleaning spray and rub the screen 3.) Put into the dip tank for about 2 minutes on each side 4.) Spray the screen with water until there is nothing on it 5.) Degrease/dehaze 6.) Spray with water top to bottom until it's super clean 7.) Place in drying cabinet