When you work on custom apparel printing, you want your output to look great in all aspects — the feel, vibrance, durability, etc. Various factors affect your print's quality, and some of these factors are avoidable. Here are some top screen printing tips — things to consider and others to avoid.

Do

These tips will assist you during the screen printing procedure.

Properly Prepare the Ink

An ink's quality is one of the determinant factors for the quality of your screen printing output. You'll find it difficult to regulate the image quality if your ink is too thin or too thick. On the other hand, if your ink doesn't enhance consistency, you could add products to thin or thicken the ink.

To minimize thickness, use a soft and clear reducer. On the flip side, store thin ink at room temperature and wait for a day or two before printing. Once you get the appropriate temperature, stir the ink before you start screen printing.

Understand color-based limitations

One-color designs are more suitable for screen printing items quickly. When you can print multiple colors, the complexity of your design increases. Top care is paramount when you use many colors. For example, you must change the screen or thoroughly rinse between ink applications. Otherwise, you could compromise your image's quality.

Use only experienced printers for complex color combinations. You could also employ specialized color techniques, especially halftones. With halftones, you use a few colors to get your desired appearance.

Don't

Avoid these acts when screen printing:

Don't Print Over Seams, Zippers, or Pockets.

Your surface between your pallet and the screen must be very flat to get high-quality output. For example, the front and back of many T-shirts are smooth and have the same thickness. So, you get the consistency required for a perfect print. But, seams, zippers, or pockets are thick and inconsistent.

If you print over inconsistent surfaces, the seam creates a gap or ridge that doesn't allow the ink to touch the garment. An exception is selected hooded sweatshirts, where you can use a special pallet with indentations for pocket seams and zippers.

Don't Print on Ribbed Garments

Ribbed garments stretch to meet the wearer's size, which is great for the consumers. However, the ability to pull makes it hard to print on the material. In addition, a ribbed garment doesn't stretch onto the press, so the ink goes onto the ribs.

When you print on ribbed garments, the ink falls apart during wear and exposes the gaps between the unprinted parts. Also, if you apply pressure to force the ink into the gaps, you limit the level of detail on the garment.

Conclusion

You need excellent screen printing services for a custom-perfect design. So, monitor all minute details to enhance consistency and high quality. So, consider the above do's and don'ts every time you are ready to start screen printing.

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