Problem with two-color print "bleeding"

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reactiongfx
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Problem with two-color print "bleeding"

Post by reactiongfx »

Hello...new to the forum, so a little background. My father has been running his own small sign and screen printing business since the 70s. I've been in the sign industry for the past 15 years, and a few years ago I started up my own sign/graphics/screen printing business. My father mostly does simple, single color printing...doesn't do much mutil-color work, but my customers are younger and expect a bit more, so more complex multi-color work is going to make up a lot of my business. We have a four color manual carousel and a small Ranar belt dryer. We only print with plastisol.

I'm currently doing a two-color job on 100% polyester shirts (Badger 4120 Core performance shirts). It is a white base with a black top color, flashed in between. I printed all of the backs just fine, but I'm having problems with the front heart print. It seems like the top color is "bleeding" on the edges and just not producing a crisp print. The white prints great and the black prints great by itself, but as soon as the black goes on top of the flashed white, it looks awful! My inks came from Catspit, but we also tried using my father's Union Ink with the same results. We also tried a print on a 50/50 shirt, again with the same results. We're both completely stumped. He says he's never seen anything like this in his almost 35 years printing shirts. We are using 110 mesh wood framed screens with Ulano EZ50 sheet emulsion stencils. One thing to note, the screen for the black is ever-so-slightly warped...not sure if that would make a difference. Any input anyone can share would be much appreciated. Mesh too coarse? Is the emulsion too thick? Too much or too little off-contact? ????

Here are photos of the black alone, then the black on top of the white. (Don't mind the poor registration...I know how to fix that!)
Attachments
Black on white underbase, showing "bleeding" edges
Black on white underbase, showing "bleeding" edges
Black only print on 100% poly shirt
Black only print on 100% poly shirt
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Catspit Productions
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Re: Problem with two-color print "bleeding"

Post by Catspit Productions »

This should be pretty simple to fix. Since your using some Catspit ink I can tell you it's a bit thinner than most others so for the white under base you can use a 110 or 156 screen mesh and try to produce a smooth print surface. The 156 mesh will help do that even though you may have to print it twice to get the coverage you want. Then put the black in on a higher mesh count as well like 156/160 and use an 80 durometer squeegee for the black printing on top of the white.

Here's what's happening:

The white ink under base is NOT absorbing any of the ink so it is flooding out either due to too much pressure on the flood and stroke or simply the mesh count is too open. Since we are printing black ink on white we do not need to print as much ink as if we were to go down directly onto the fabric. Trying the suggestions above should solve this but in the end the flood and stroke on the black screen will make or break you. It's simply flooding out from too much ink being printed with too much print stroke pressure.

You can also wipe down the black screen every so often so as to keep it printing crisp and clear. I hope this helps some. Let me know.
Jonathan Monaco
Catspit Productions, LLC
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Dip.Schlitz
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Re: Problem with two-color print "bleeding"

Post by Dip.Schlitz »

Pertaining to the Union ink; Ultrasoft inks aren't intended to print over top of other inks, but rather directly on the garment. They are "looser" and tend to bleed when printed over top with excess pressure or on hot underbases. Being black you don't have to worry about sublimation. You could rework your art and "spot" the black. This way you're printing less white, less flash time, and carrying less heat. Maybe print white/black/white. Or black/white/white. I agree with John, higher mesh, stiffer squeegee, along with lighter flood and stroke.
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Catspit Productions
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Re: Problem with two-color print "bleeding"

Post by Catspit Productions »

Great point. Those inks are way thinner.

Yeah so you're right Dip.Schlitz, we could "knock out" the black and print it right on the fabric since it's black and won't show any dye migration. Remember reactiongfx, black is like all the colors together, sort of, so adding a color hue to black makes it richer actually. So the art could be butt/butt and print right on the fabric for both colors.

Unless of course there is a reason why it is set up this way.
Jonathan Monaco
Catspit Productions, LLC
Learn how to screen print tee shirts!

http://catspitscreenprintsupply.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/CatspitProductions
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