Q) Do I have to wait
for the ink to dry between prints?
A) Applying Screen Masking Tape [T36]
to the back of the screen helps stop any wet ink sticking and
generally removes the need to dry ink between prints.
On some materials, yes, you may need to give a quick blast with a
hair drier or heat gun to touch dry the ink [you are not heat setting at
this stage - just touch drying] - this generally occurs with opaque inks
onto fabrics with a high polyester content as the ink does not absorb/
dry as quick.
Q) Do I need to print
a white background on coloured fabrics when using a jig - if so do I
use the same screen or make a new one?
A) No you don't need a white background, use the opaque fabric
inks. Opaque inks have 4 times the colour concentrate as standard
inks and will eliminate the transparent look standard inks give on
dark fabrics.
Only 1 screen is required and print in the colour you would like.
A) Where ever possible when using a jig, as Table Adhesive [HTAH165] holds
the t-shirt, material/ item flat and will eliminate movement/
blurring when printing or lifting the screen.
When you print paper and similar items you can not use Table Adhesive
as this is too strong and will damage the item.
Q) What do I do when
the ink comes through the shirt onto the board in the jig?
A) This should not occur during normal printing. Some slight
colour is OK, but you should not be left with any wet ink on the
board after you remove the item. If this occurs there are 2 things
that may be going wrong:
1. The fabric you are using is poor quality and too absorbent
so the ink is just bleeding straight through. The quality of print
is going to be lower as any design you print is going to bleed.
2. The normal cause is you are either pressing too hard or
going across the screen too many times - there's too much ink
flowing through the design. You will need to adjust your technique
to reduce pressure and reduce the number of passes when printing.
See Screen Printing Technique -
click here . .
A) It is essential to clean the board if a build up of lint/
adhesive, creating a rough surface, occurs.
General ink marks etc. are not detrimental to the operation and are
just appearance only.
Q) The arms do not fit
tight in the tracks, is this a problem and will the jig move?
A) The arms should not be an ultra tight fit in the tracks or
any humidity/ swelling of the wood will render them useless. The jig
is designed with some movement in the arm slots.
When the knob on the arm of the jig is tightened, all movement will
cease.
Jig assembly
