# To flood or Not to flood



## DigitalInkArts (Jul 20, 2011)

I have been screen printing for a couple years now and have watched tons of videos and read many topics of what you should and should not do.

I have read many comments from you tube videos that are just rude to disrespectful. I dont know why everything is always a pissing match.

I have seen some printers push I have seen some pull. I went to a push method and find it much easier for me. I also flood. 

I have seen people flip out in comments about this when using plastisol and I dont know why? I find that when I flood and then push I do get a better print. And if I am not using a color like red or Royal blue I can usually get away with not flashing and printing again.

I have never had a customer complain about one single job since I started ( knock Knock ) 

What do you do when printing? And if it is so wrong to flood with plastisol why is it wrong and what problems could occur? I haven't had any yet.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

You know what? 10 people will give you 10 different answers all with very sound explanations. My motto has always been that the only absolute is that there are no absolutes. Read, watch videos and expose yourself to as much information as possible. Then try different methods and techniques to see what works best for you and don't take anyone's rudeness, insults or arrogance personally. I pulled for a number of years. It was what was recommended and what a lot of people did. Started to have wrist/forearm/elbow issues. Found tips on how to deal with it. Came across pushing (which can also cause issues). I rarely pull any more. Nothing definitively wrong with flooding. There are folk who will adamantly argue to the contrary. Don't get caught up in back-and-forth battles over who is right and what is "best".


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## bcornwell (Jun 12, 2014)

I always flood...


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## DigitalInkArts (Jul 20, 2011)

I have moved to the push method for carpal tunnel and finger lock. 6 operations, 2 hands and they will never be perfect but pushing gives me no issues. 

I have been wanting to try water based inks for awhile now. If anything I am hoping my flooding tendency will come in handy when I start using them!

I love to watch videos and I do not care who they are by. I don't care if they are in another language! I can get something from almost anything. There is much to learn..


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## TLK (Jan 15, 2013)

It depends a lot on what inks and or screen mesh I'm printing with. When you're printing 500+ tees with an opaque white under base and 2 top colours, pulling the squeegee knackers the arms! Its more of a fill stroke than a flood with white anyway.

When I'm printing top colours over the under base I sometimes don't bother flooding. It's what ever gets the best result for a particular job. I don't think there's a right or a wrong way.

Discharge and water based inks, you have to flood to stop the screen clogging up but then you don't need as much pressure on the print stroke.


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## chrisf116 (Jul 26, 2007)

I always flood and push.


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## ShirlandDesign (Nov 29, 2009)

I push and pull, unless the registration is tight, throws it off a point or two. I always flood, unless I'm printing with unreduced white, then a lot of the time enough ink comes off with the squeegee to just slap it down and angle the squeegee sharply forward to have enough in the well to print.


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## DigitalInkArts (Jul 20, 2011)

I have seen some videos where someone will push one print and pull the next. How the heck are they not messing up their prints? Maybe they are, just cant see it. It must ghost the image..


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## phatdaddy (Oct 25, 2012)

I always flood, with all inks. I also push. 

I will do a "dry pull" if the detail is super fine(flat stock) or if I'm trying to print out a bleed buildup on the screen.

Anyone getting all worked up over flooding is an idiot. If it seems like flooding is causing a problem then there's something else wrong...

If my registration between colours is a bit off and I can push one and pull the other to get them to register, I'll do that rather than re-register (if the run is short...) you do get about a 2 point difference. (down for push, up for pull)

I have done a push, then a pull on the same colour only if the colour won't register, ie if the designer did not properly trap the colours. You can get away with this "hobo-trapping" for a while, but it will result in ink buildup on your screen which you will have to deal with at some point unless it's a small run.

There's just no way I would pull, I worked as a commercial printer in my youth and I learned very quickly it is much easier to push 1200 shirts a day than pull...


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## uncletee (Feb 25, 2007)

do what works for you! after a few 1000's shirts you'll know what works. ps that why I sublimate now. good luck uncletee.


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## porkchopharry (Mar 4, 2012)

I do a "soft" flood, unless it's a very detailed design, then I do an almost hard fill flood. Works for me.

I also 99% push. BUT I have a couple designs that almost take up the entire 17" platen height-wise. THOSE, I will push the first stroke and then pull the second. To make sure I've got complete coverage. 

Waterbased I'm starting to learn of course you need to flood to prevent drying, but a very light flood. Unless you have a few clogs. The I do a hard flood and a very hard print to clear out the screen. 

Like somebody said earlier - we all do things differently and in this game, what works today...there's a good chance it won't tomorrow. So it's always best to try to eliminate as many variables as you can and learn to adjust on the fly.

I also agree about the pissing match aspect. Gets real old, real quick.


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## phatdaddy (Oct 25, 2012)

Yea, I learned how to screen print with water based ink on paper with paper stencil...

Back then we used amberlith stencils, paper stencils or photocopies soaked in varsol then exposed with emulsion. The emulsion was new technology... hahahaha

Water based, along with vinyl, enamel, or coroplast ink need to be flooded unless you're working fast on an automatic flat-bed press that uses a flood bar.

I was taught that when flooding you simply use the cohesion of the ink to "roll" it over the stencil. The time it takes you in between prints effects the amount of ink drop through the screen. 

Higher mesh counts are necessary for low viscosity inks like H2O and Vinyl.

I've taken too long to register and had ink actually run through the screen, but as big a mess as that makes it's better than not flooding and having your ink dry in the screen... cleaning ink out of the screen with lacquer thinner too many times can compromise your stencil...


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## porkchopharry (Mar 4, 2012)

I want to mess with some solvent inks and print my own custom mailer bags. But to be honest...I'm afraid.  No joke.


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## phatdaddy (Oct 25, 2012)

Yea, vinyl can be nerve-racking and when it goes bad it goes horribly bad... But once you start printing flat, the possibilities are endless... Business cards printed on styrene are amazing... You can print on decal stock, lexan, all sorts of things... 

A shirt press is not really the thing to use though.

I built a 24X24 manual vacuum table and have an M&M 912. There's way more money in flat...


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