Rough print

[kdb37]

I have had trouble printing and getting the ink to be smooth on the shirt more so on hoodies but just a rough finish on lots of prints. Any hints?

[Catspit Productions]

That sounds like it could be an ink shear issue. Meaning the ink is not shearing properly from the screen to the shirt. There are many things that can cause this:

- squeegee; needs to be straight, smooth and a proper durometer for the inks and mesh.

- screen mesh; this needs to be tight, very clean and free of haze or stains. Any hazing or staining in the mesh will produce problems with printing. Also if the mesh is very old it may be worn or frayed. This will cause ink flow issues on press.

- off contact; it may be too high allowing for too much ink to be deposited in an uncontrollable way.

- mesh count; using too open of a mesh count for a thinner ink will result in uncontrollable printing and ink deposits. If the ink is on the thinner side, use a higher mesh count.

Lastly you need to finesse your flood and stroke. Too much pressure on either one will cause issues. Make sure to use a smooth, even stroke without getting caught up on anything like parts of the stencil with the squeegee. And you must clear the screen of any ink before you lift it from the garment. If you leave streaks of ink behind the squeegee which cover the stencil area you just printed, that too will cause irregularities in your print finish.

It’s very difficult to trouble shoot such things without seeing what is going on. Feel free to upload a photo if the issue persists and we’ll have a closer look at your print results. You can use the “upload attachment” tab below the text box when you post. I hope this helps out some. Good luck!