Registration best practices?

This section is for issues relating to setting up print jobs on automatic, manual rotary or fixed station printing presses. Topics like registration, off contact, micro registration and how to use a manual textile press with the flash cure on multiple color print jobs. Automatic press set up, usage and auto features may also be discussed here.

Moderators: Shamax, Leadfoot, ApeShirt, Catspit Productions

Ochtees
Senior Screen Printer
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:59 pm
Contact:

Registration best practices?

Post by Ochtees »

Do you have any videos or tips on Registration best practices? This is one thing I struggle with the most. I have tried using the cross hairs and what not but I seem to NEVER get it to line up perfectly. If you don't have a video I think I just kept you busy for the next few days ;) ahhahaha

Also thanks for the catspit promocode at silk screen supplies. We use it all the time!
Cody Ochsenbine
Custom & Blank T-Shirts
User avatar
Catspit Productions
Site Admin
Posts: 1995
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:47 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Re: Registration best practices?

Post by Catspit Productions »

Yes, we will be looking at this very soon as I am planning a 4 color “spot & dot” design in which we will go through the set up and then in a second video we will print the design. I am hoping to get to that soon but in the meantime here are some simple tips for registration.

1) Make sure your screens are rigid and have tight mesh.
2) Also check that there is no distortion in your film output especially with laser vellums or large designs.
3) Use the black printer as the “key” printer to line up all your other screens to. If you do not have a black printer, use the printer that has the most design information on it.
4) You can use the reg marks or cross hairs to generally line up the job but in the end you will have to tweak things with the micro reg looking at the entire design.
5) If you do a push stroke screens lined up to the key printer can be set very slightly above the horizontal cross hairs to compensate for stencil drag. If you do a pull stroke the stencil drag is less and may not require such compensation.
6) Use the least amount of pressure needed to get the coverage desired.
7) Make sure your off contact is set proper. Lower off contact is always better than higher.
8) Be sure your pallets are parallel to the screen during printing.
9) Don’t swing pallets by the pallet or swing screens aggressively when printing. Pallets and printing stations are best moved by using the print arm post as your contact point.
10) If when you set the job up you find one color slightly lower than it should be but lined up otherwise just reverse the stroke.

I hope that helps out a bit. I’ll be working on that new video soon so stay tuned! Thanks so much for using the forum and posting your questions her for everyone to benefit from. Thank you!! :D
Jonathan Monaco
Catspit Productions, LLC
Learn how to screen print tee shirts!

http://catspitscreenprintsupply.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/CatspitProductions
Ochtees
Senior Screen Printer
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:59 pm
Contact:

Re: Registration best practices?

Post by Ochtees »

Very good write up! Thanks bud. Looking forward to the video
Cody Ochsenbine
Custom & Blank T-Shirts
cowboyskunk
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 11:53 pm

Re: Registration best practices?

Post by cowboyskunk »

Was this video created? I am having trouble with registration on my 6x6 fixed head ( :-( would have bought a 4x4 micro for the same price if I did more research).

I will try the tips tonight and see if they help me out.

-Does the flooding need to be in the opposite direction of the stroke?
-Can too much flooding cause paint to go through the stencil and smear on the backside, causing smudges? I believe this has happened to me but not sure of the reasoning.
-Lastly on a relevant topic, could you offer a comparison regarding the viscosity of the ink? For example, if scooped up with a spatula, should it run like syrup or should it stay intact if I hold the spatula allowing it to drip?
I'm using reducer and I want to make sure I'm not thinning it too much or too little, out of the bucket it seems way to thick compared to what I see in most videos.

Cheers and many thanks!

Sam
User avatar
Catspit Productions
Site Admin
Posts: 1995
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:47 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Re: Registration best practices?

Post by Catspit Productions »

The video mentioned above is not yet made. It will be eventually please be patient. The screens are made I’m just waiting for some extra cash to buy some high quality shirts to print them on to give away as a freebie.

As for your questions:

-Does the flooding need to be in the opposite direction of the stroke?
Not necessarily.

-Can too much flooding cause paint to go through the stencil and smear on the backside, causing smudges? I believe this has happened to me but not sure of the reasoning.
Yes, too much pressure when you flood will push too much ink through the mesh prematurely and can easily cause bleeding and flooding or blurring of the print.

-Lastly on a relevant topic, could you offer a comparison regarding the viscosity of the ink? For example, if scooped up with a spatula, should it run like syrup or should it stay intact if I hold the spatula allowing it to drip? I'm using reducer and I want to make sure I'm not thinning it too much or too little, out of the bucket it seems way to thick compared to what I see in most videos.
Plastisol inks should be on the thicker side like toothpaste but not at all like wall repair plaster.

Some inks you may see in videos could be water based which tend to be thinner than plastisol. You have to be careful when adding reducer to plastisol inks. First make sure it is a curable reducer. Second know that when you add too much reducer to any ink you change the designed characteristics of the ink you paid for. Like adding a reducer to white ink when printing on black tee shirts is counterproductive. If the ink is not creamy and workable, it’s too thick for a plastisol and is not right. You shouldn’t have to add a “thinner” to plastisol inks as they should be easy to work with once you work them in. You can pre-mix them to cream them up as they are thixotropic in nature.






Good luck! :D
Jonathan Monaco
Catspit Productions, LLC
Learn how to screen print tee shirts!

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