Screen Printing Issues

[funkwitness]

Hello Forum,
I am a first time screen printer looking for help.
I am using plastisol ink, on a 110 mesh and flash drying. The shirts I am printing on are tri-blends. I have about an 1/8th inch off contact.
My first several attempts at this I would describe as epic fails. My problem is that it appears as if the ink is clogging the screen, and parts of the stencil are not transferring to the shirt.
Also, the ink that does make it through the screen is coming through very thick.
So what I am left with is a thick, spongy, partially transferred, cratered looking print.
Too much ink? Wrong type of Ink? Improper off contact?
Thanks for any advice.

[Catspit Productions]

This could be caused by various reasons including but not limited to a warped pallet or squeegee, off contact is too high, ink is too thin for the mesh count, or perhaps your flood and stroke is a bit off. Take a look at those factors and experiment. Let us know what you find out.

I would try lowering the off contact first. 1/16th of an inch is best but always remember lower is better than higher. You will never be able to make it too low and still have off contact. Follow? Set this up while a garment is loaded on the pallet for best results.

[ApeShirt]

Are you flashing between print? If so, make sure the ink cools some before hitting it again with ink. Printing on hot ink can cause the ink to semi-cure in the screen and the printed ink will be sticky. That can cause your screen to stick to the print, resulting in poor quality.

[nekkron99]

I think I'm having similar results. I didn't want to start a whole new thread, so I'm posting my pics here. I bought a cheap single color single station press while I wait for my custom Catspit Ranar press to arrive (because I'm impatient lol). These are the results I'm getting. The coverage isn't even. I suspect my off contact may be too high. That press seems to be a bit finicky with the off contact adjustments. Is there any other reason why you would get the results I'm getting? Thanks in advance.

[nekkron99]

I think it may just be the ink not being really opaque. I could be wrong though because I'm really green. But I fixed the off contact to the best of my knowledge lol. Had to file down the sides of the opening the bolts went into so I could get better movement in the press head. The color still looks uneven on dark color, but looks much better on white. So I am guessing it's the ink. Would you agree? Or are there any other things I could be missing?

[Dip.Schlitz]

Agreed. Try flashing and hitting again on the dark.

[nekkron99]

Cool. Will do. Thanks!

[Catspit Productions]

Yes, it looks like the ink is not opaque. When you print color directly onto black or dark garments try to make sure to use a high opacity ink. Even with the HO ink you may have to double hit. With an ink that is NOT HO you may need to do that several times and build up a very thick print.

I think it's simply a matter of an HO ink.

[nekkron99]

Agreed. I can't wait to get my 4 color press so I can do white bases with less hassle.

[Catspit Productions]

Sweet !