# All You Ever Wanted to Know About Platens



## Bill Hood

The platen is most important part of the press as it ultimately affects the quality of the printed product. The purpose of this post is to point out the material choices available for platens and how these choices affect your printing, your quality and ultimately your very existence in business.

Without a smooth, flat platen, heat resistant platen you will not get quality printing. Yes, increasing the quality and gaining consistency in your printing should be your number one goal in achieving success. This will take you further than any amount of money spent on marketing, sales, advertising or a fancy logo and signage. It will take you closer to your goals than the old adage – Location! Location! Location!

Achieving quality relates to the best way to increase the return on your investment and become more successful! If you were still in high school and this was your first experience with screenprinting a lesser concept might suffice, but for most of us this is our livelihood. The livelihood of your family, as well as your employees and their families as well. With all this at stake, doesn’t it make sense to invest in equipment and components that will allow you to perform to your optimum?

The platen is also referred to in the industry as a pallet, shirtboard, print bed, printing table and any other number of terms. The terms are geographical and also relate to the substrates being printed, i.e. graphic printers generally use the term printing bed, while textile printers have used the term shirtboard at times. The term platen seems to be the most widely used term, however.

Platens can be made in a wide diversity of sizes, shapes and material dependent upon the production needs of the individual shop.

*Characteristics of a Platen*

- The platen must be flat
- Must be rigid and flex resistant
- Surface must be free of defects
- If a flash is used, the material must be able to withstand the heat

*Composition Wood Platens*

A great number of inexpensive presses are made with particle wood or medium density fiberboard (MDF) platens. These are actually sink cutouts from countertops purchased in bulk from a cabinet manufacturer who otherwise would discard the leftovers. This keeps the price of the press to a minimum on the original purchase. But it sends a message to some that it is okay to use these cheap platens to print on forever. This is not the case. Just like the cheap tires that come on all new cars that wear out quickly and must be replaced, you should consider replacing the platens after you get past the beginner stage. Think about it like a race car driver, they would not dare use the same tires on their race car as they would use on their car that they drove around the neighborhood. Of course not, the race track presents a completely different need. And just like that race car driver if you want to perform at your optimum, producing the highest quality possible, with the greatest amount of ease, you will do well to consider switching to the very best equipment and especially platens possible.

Composition wood platens will warp, bow and cup and thus are poor choice. The heat of a flash unit will cause more damage to the composition platens. The moisture and resultant steam will quicken this affect. As the wood ages, it has a tendency to cup or bow thus creating an uneven surface that will make printing difficult. 

When the wood cups, i.e. becomes lower in the middle and higher on the sides the subsequent ink deposit will be less on the outside edges and thicker in the middle of the print. If the wood bows, you will get the opposite affect. The ink deposit will not be able to cured evenly and may degrade on the printed shirt. Also detail will be lost from the uneven surface. You could continue to sand the wood as it degrades or you could begin with aluminum for the press surface.

*Formica or Melamine Covered Platen*

Some printing press manufacturers laminate a sheet of Formica or Melamine to the medium density fiberboard platen section of the press. This laminate produces a smoother surface that can be easily cleaned. 

However, these platens have their downside as the laminate does little to keep the wood platens from cupping and bowing. In fact, the laminate itself, being a form of plastic is susceptible to degradation as the surface will burn from the flash unit. This burn will cause a blistering, which must be sanded down before the platen can be used again. Also, as the plastic surface is glued to the wood with a non-heat resistant glue they will delaminate as heat builds up from the flash unit. Remember, these were only meant to be suffice as countertops in a home kitchen, and never to withstand the rigors of printing, heat, and abuse we throw at our platens.

*Aluminum Platens*

Aluminum platens are the most widely used platens by printers as their durability, longevity, and printing quality, offer a good return on investment. Aluminum platens warp less then wood. And solid aluminum can withstand the heat of a flash unit better than other materials. They can also be refinished as necessary should they become marred.

There are many different grades of aluminum. The differences between the grades is immense and the use of inexpensive grades should be avoided. Only the very best materials should be considered. If purchasing aluminum platens one should pay particular attention to the most durable grades, which will be very flat, on plane and able to withstand the strains imparted by the process. 

However, there are downsides to aluminum platens. the solid aluminum platens retain heat and while flashing time may be decreased it will vary during the press run as the platens heat up and retain additional heat. An additional factor is the weight of aluminum as compared to MDF clad Melamine.

Aluminum platens can be covered with a 1/8-inch, heat-resistant rubber covering. This offers an optimum printing surface. The use of rubber coverings will be explained further down in this text.

If you’d like to use an aluminum platen I suggest that you contact Action Engineering at Action Engineering-Home for manufacture. They have over 30 years of experience and use only the highest grades of aluminum to manufacture platens for any need. They have stock replacement platens for all popular manual and automatic presses. They also make specialty platens for printing across the shoulder or all over, sock platens, leg platens and well... you name it. Check them out.

*Aluminum Honeycomb Platens*

Aluminum honeycomb platens have been a huge advancement for the screenprinting industry. This specially designed material was originally developed for the aviation industry. The material is basically a three-layer sandwich in which a honeycombed core is laminated top and bottom with thin sheets of aluminum. It is the honeycomb core that presents the greatest advantage to these platens.

The resulting sandwich results in an exceptionally warp resistant, rigid, and lightweight material. The weight of a 1/2-inch aluminum honeycomb platen is 75-percent less than a 1/4-inch solid aluminum platen.

There are different types of honeycomb cores produced. A larger cell size will reduce the weight and dissipate the heat more rapidly, however will reduce the available amount of surface for gluing the aluminum laminates. This reduces their effectiveness and durability. Therefore, the cell size is an important specification in ordering aluminum honeycomb platens.

Other than weight, the aluminum honeycomb platens exhibit another advantages. They will stay flatter than any other type of platen thus offer a much improved printing surface.

However, aluminum honeycomb platens have their limitations, as well. All aluminum platens must be a minimum thickness of 3/8-inch in order to have the necessary stability and to be able to resist the heat of the flash unit. The very best aluminum honeycomb platens are at least 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch material would be a better choice. On another note, the aluminum honeycomb platens have a thinner surface and will be subject to surface denting and must be handled with great care.

Aluminum honeycomb platens are more commonly used for large format print, i.e. generally larger than 20-inch x 24-inch platen sizes. While it is true that for the larger platen sizes this product is an exception product, because of its attributes, it can be considered a viable product for all platen sizes.

The biggest disadvantage to aluminum honeycomb platens is their inability to hold up well to the heat of flashing. The material takes longer to cool down than solid aluminum. Because the aluminum surfaces are laminated to the core using heat degradable epoxy, excessive heat can cause delamination of the sandwich. The addition of rubber can result in a greater amount of heat retention and thus the susceptibility of delamination.

*Rubber Covered Platens*

The best platens on the market will be covered with rubber. The heat-resistant, 1/8-inch thick, rubber covering can be applied to any type of platen material. 

The better rubber platen coverings will be designed to withstand very high flash temperatures, but can be destroyed if allowed to sit under the flash unit.

Although rubber covering is a cost factor and it will require replacement from time to time, the advantages to this product are many. The rubber surfaces acts to reduce and may completely eliminate the slight surface irregularities in the surface of the platen. It also accepts and helps with slight differences in the plane of the platen. Another great reason for rubber-covered platens is that provide an improved ink deposit onto the surface of the substrate. On dark garments, you will find that the subsequent print will be more opaque and even.

Because the platen will retain heat, the addition of the rubber covering increases the thermal properties by holding the heat much longer and more evenly than a platen without rubber. This means that because the platens stay warmer longer your flash times will be reduced. The disadvantage will be the holding ability of the adhesive will be lessened.

*Waterbased Adhesive*

The use of waterbased adhesives is widespread in the textile industry. The cost savings is the biggest reason, as it is possible to print over 1,200 shirts before the adhesive must be replaced on the platen. This number is reduced when printing with textile items with an extreme amount of lint or when flashing, but still one will see an extreme cost savings over using spray adhesive.

Speaking of spray adhesive, its use has declined because of the overspray, which saturates the shop and the subsequent lint that adheres to every surface, imposing a fire risk. The use of spray adhesives also pose a health risk to anyone in the general area of these products.

*Platen Tape*

This product is a fairly recent innovation in the screenprinting industry. Platen tape is essentially a thin, wide masking tape that is available in various widths that match up to the common sizes of platens. It is available up to 24-inches in 25-, 50-, and 100-foot rolls.

The tape is applied to the platen in order to save the time and expense of cleaning. Waterbased adhesives are applied to the tape and as lint builds up, the platen can be easily cleaned with a moistened open-celled sponge. The dampness can be quickly dissipated with the flash unit and printing can be continued.

Hope this helps. I'd certainly like to hear comments on this post.
__________________
Bill Hood, Screenprint Consultant
http://screenprintstore.com and http://solutionsjournal.com


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## Uncle John

Nice post Bill, Thanks


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## Rodney

Thanks for the great article, Bill!


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## Bill Hood

Thanks for the response. Isn't it amazing how little attention we pay to the most obvious things in our shops. Be sure to view my Video Tutorial on printing white ink on black t-shirts with a single stroke and no flash. It is full of little things that will make a vast improvement in your success in the screenprinting industry.

Bill Hood


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## tripleogsmalls

If I were using a platen say 30" x 42" and was planning on laying the t shirt on top of platens to do my all over designs how should I secure the top ply of the shirt considering the bottom ply is adhered to the platens with mist adhesive? I was thinking a low tack quilitng type adhesive like 202. Do you have any tried and ture methods of eliminating the shirts from moving on top of each other? Thanks for your help


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## Bill Hood

In an all-over print, the top part of the shirt is usually not "glued" to the bottom part of the shirt. It really isn't necessary. I refer to the once popular "belt printers" that printed the all-over designs. They did not adhere the two sides of the shirt. The shirt was placed on a belt that was moved from head to head of the printer and printed.

Try it for yourself. Glue is simply insurance against movement of the shirt. I have printed many T-shirts without the use of glue and did not have a problem. During the printing process when the squeegee is passing over the image in the stencil, it is pushing the shirt down to the platen as it moves to the rear of the screen. The tension of the mesh pulls the mesh up directly behind the squeegee blade, but because the squeegee is still pushing down onto the stencil and the shirt, the shirt does not lift up.

The key here is to have good tension on the mesh. Without the proper tension, you will never be able to achieve a high success rate. Success being a relative term.

Yes, I know this statement will have it's dissenters that will argue against my statements. I don't worry about those who will argue against something without having done the necessary research. 

Experience is nothing without the knowledge necessary to do a thing right. One can print for 30 years and make a living, but to be truly successful, one must possess a great amount of knowledge to assure that he isn't leaving money on the table.

A case in point, I recently posted a video on my site at the School of Screenprinting, in which I showed how to print white ink on a black T-shirt with a single stroke and no flash. I had one dissenter write to say that he has been printing for 27 years and would not change his technique now. So, he will just keep on making multiple passes and using a print/flash/print technique (or worse) to pay his bills.

What a shame that people can't be progressive and innovative in their approach to learning all that they can about their livelihood. But, I digress!


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## BroJames

Nice article.

For a shirt, laid on top of a platen and adhered to the platen only at the back, shouldn't ink viscosity and mesh count also be "perfect" so the ink won't pull shirt up even just enough to move it off registration? By perfect, I am thinking of how precise must all the variables be to do this. 

If an all-over print can be laid on the platen this way, only the back adhered to the platen, why can't smaller prints be done this way? How about printing on pockets?

Thanks


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## Bill Hood

When printing all over designs the inside of the shirt is usually (not always) sprayed with a corn starch solution to keep the two sections from parting. In this way, the entire shirt is "glued" down and can be printed quite easily without the top part of the shirt lifting up.

Those printers who don't use a binder, usually have higher tension levels, the correct off contact, and yes, as you state, the correct viscosity to create the perfect interface pressure that causes the ink to be placed directly on top of the garment and the screen lifted away without "pulling" on the shirt. It takes knowledge to create this atmosphere, but that knowledge is what separates the very best printers from the rest.


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## BroJames

So the corn starch solution can be applied to pockets as well. Is this a commercial product?


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## Bill Hood

I have been to the Philippines and know that while starching laundry is not normal, it is available. We use corn starch as it is less likely to cause a reaction to most people. You should be able to purchase starch at pretty much any large grocery store in the home laundry products section.


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## stacey28

Found this very helpful! Thanks


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## digiantiques

very informative post! THANKS


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## JAF

Very educational. Thanks


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## selanac

Once again, awesome Bill.


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## BroJames

When were you here Bill? Is it for vacation or business?

Corn starch is abundant. I just thought that there is a commercial product based on cornstarch . Like the plastisol cleaner based on soya bean.

I have used a platen with a 1/8 felt cloth on top and covered with canvass. Got the idea from a colleague here JSF. I am only guessing that this felt cloth is firmer than the rubber used in aluminum platens. And they're definitely not soft foam used by some old time printers. However, they do show their resilience when printing thin coats of ink. Without it, the minor unevenness of the platen will show through the ink.

Some people have started using fiber cement board platens here. Warp less but it also depends on the wood it rest on top on. The cement board is covered with either a laminate or canvass.

Has anyone ever tried glass or ceramic tile platens? 

This shop uses what seems to be a glass platen


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## Bill Hood

I first visited the Philippines in the early 1960s and have been there many times, although never as a tourist, but only for work. It is a wonderful place that I enjoyed immensely - especially the people - that I found truly friendly and outgoing. Fond memories all around.

As for the platen coverings, the reason for the coverings is to counteract the interface pressure formed by the mesh as it presses against the fabric during the printing process. In order to best transfer the ink, there needs to be a slight (very slight) resiliency. The rubber that covers many of the finest textile platens is in fact very dense and unforgiving for the most part. It is only 1/8-inch thick and solid versus a foam-like rubber.

In many countries, they do use cloth covered platens to create the proper interface. They layer cloth until they have just the right resiliency to create the correct ink transfer. Too little or too much give and the image suffers. I would suggest that you start with a solid platen and making subsequent prints, begin adding layers of cloth. You will note that at some point the ink transfer begins improving with less pressure and force needed on the squeegee. The printing process becomes almost effortless. If you exceed the correct resiliency, the image will begin to deteriorate and you will know that you have gone too far.

I wonder about the photo that you included and how you came to the conclusion that they were printing on glass. If it is due to the reflection that you saw in the photo, could this not be caused by the lights reflecting on a formica surface used for it's ability to be cleaned? Many of the table printers that I visit will also cover their wood tables with plastic, which also aids in cleaning of misplaced waterbased inks.

However, as for glass platens, the only instance that I have seen these glass platens used is in the printing of transfers and numbering of uniforms, where there is a light placed underneath the platen to make alignment easier.

Good conversation!


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## BroJames

Bill Hood said:


> I first visited the Philippines in the early 1960s and have been there many times, although never as a tourist, but only for work. It is a wonderful place that I enjoyed immensely - especially the people - that I found truly friendly and outgoing. Fond memories all around.
> ...
> 
> I wonder about the photo that you included and how you came to the conclusion that they were printing on glass. If it is due to the reflection that you saw in the photo, could this not be caused by the lights reflecting on a formica surface used for it's ability to be cleaned? Many of the table printers that I visit will also cover their wood tables with plastic, which also aids in cleaning of misplaced waterbased inks.
> 
> However, as for glass platens, the only instance that I have seen these glass platens used is in the printing of transfers and numbering of uniforms, where there is a light placed underneath the platen to make alignment easier.
> 
> Good conversation!



Yes, many foreigners do like the Philippines and its people in general but others are concerned about the security problems. 

As to the platens in the picture, the reason why I posted "what seems to be a glass platen" is not to be definitive about it hoping to solicit other opinion as well.

I do "think" they're glass or at least not formica because the reflection of the ceiling fluorescent is too sharp or too clear to be formica. An image reflected on formica or other laminates would also appear a little "wavy" at some point. And in areas where there is no reflection, the surface of the platen seems to be clear with something underneath and not white.

Anyway, that is just a guess and no real relevance. I am curious about "*the only instance that I have seen these glass platens used is in the printing of transfers and numbering of uniforms, where there is a light placed underneath the platen to make alignment easier*" though. We use a line table system and it seems an alternative for people with a few platens wanting a means of ensuring that the alignment/registration of each screen is on target.


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## Bill Hood

Hard to say about the tables, but melamine is extremely smooth when mounted to a flat surface, comes in a variety of colors including clear and can be gloss or not. Glass would be a very expensive alternative for table printing, would not be flat, easily broken as it is fragile. It could also be covered with plastic sheeting as you will note the edges appear to be taped in place. 
The glass platens on transfer presses comes in handy after the keystone color is printed directly on the glass and then taped over with clear tape. The subsequent substrates can be readily aligned with the use of the light shining through. This works well on the thin transfer papers and other thin items. I see no reason for this on table printing.

Table printing is still viable in those areas where labor costs are still low, but with labor cost rising throughout the world, it seems that table printing may soon be a way of the past. During a recent trip to India, I noted that many of the table printers I visited three years ago have shifted to carousel presses and most are now using automatic presses - carousel, oval and inline.

My friend Mark Gervais, who is the production manager for what is likely the largest textile shop in the world had 32,800-feet (10,000 meters) or a little over 6-miles of long tables until recently at the 800,000-square foot (74,300-square meters) shop in Ningbo, China. 

Last year, he purchased 8 M&R Alpha-8 presses with 48 stations each, which are some of the largest every built to compliment the existing automatic printing line. Most of the Alpha-8’s have platens of 31.5-inch x 43-inch (80cm X 110cm) and a few have smaller platens of 23-inch x 31.5-inch (60cm X 80cm). The presses are 127-feet long (39 meters). They also have 14 MHM and 2 M&R Challenger III carousel textile presses and several 4-post semi-automatics flat sheet printers for printing transfers. This gives them a total of 50 automatics that twirl 24/7 every day of the week.

They are producing piece goods with a +/- 0.3mm loading tolerance. Yes, that is correct - +/- 0.3mm loading tolerance. They have a total staff of 20,000+ employees for all departments with continuous operations around the clock.

This configuration means that they blow through 4,500 pounds (2 metric tons) of ink in a day. For those who still buy their ink by the gallon in lieu of the more accurate weight-based measurement that’s about 400 gallons of ink a day.

They have recently began construction on a new 200,000-square foot (18,500 square meter) addition. The screenroom alone for this new addition is approximately 9,000 square feet (836 square meters) in size. 

The world is quickly moving to automation. Even in the third world countries that I visit, I see an increase in automatic textile presses. The advent of all electric presses without the need for compressors and chillers has put the cost well within almost anyone’s budget. 

I am constantly amazed that I will visit a textile shop in a remote area of India, where they have an all electric automatic busily cranking out revenue. The cost of importation charges, shipping, installation alone is more than what a similar shop in the United States would pay for the press and installation. And, then the average manual shop in the U.S. complains that they cannot afford to buy an automatic.


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## BroJames

Large multiple long table setups are indeed more labor intensive but more than the rising labor cost: 
1) It is more difficult to get good staff. More and more employees are abusing(not exercising) labor rights. Absences, tardiness, leaves, etc, are inherent with human labor; 
2) Automation = more consistency. In the long run, depending on region, it is cheaper, more reliable, and more productive than labor.
3) Higher lease expenses, especially if you are near major thoroughfares, with the corresponding cost of additional lighting, etc.

The line and long table system should survive if not only for its low cost. It should have its place amongst backyard, garage printers or other smaller scale printers. Otherwise, there won't be any market for youtees, knight manufacturing, bob mongiello, etc. I am just not sure where the drawing line is or should be. Cheaper cost is its greatest strength especially for smaller scale printers saving on capital cost who can instead build 6, 8, 10 or 12 line-platen systems (or a single line table with 10 or 12 platens) like this, if one does not mind "rotating" around the table. 

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW0YW4_l7dE[/media]

Frames are also(usually) easier to align and level specially for people doing smaller print jobs. 

One justification for the popularity of line/long tables is its ability to print multiple colors using waterbase inks. Inks that would clog rotary presses with limited platens. But positive developments in longer drying inks is slowly taking away this advantage. 

I used to use a modular press similar to a 1 color press but with 12 modular platens and about to add another 12. Actually the platens I can use is limited only by where I can stand them up awaiting the next print. However, with longer drying inks, I now print with only 3(+1) platens on a line table setup. Not a commercial scale but I print only for limited customers including my own shop. 

I know the pros of long tables but 6 miles? Does the rental cost, labor, and lighting bills, and the HRD nightmare still justify it? Just thinking about it makes me dizzy. For that scale, I am surprised the owner(s) haven't gone automatic much earlier. 

With 1 mile having 5,280 feet and each table 8 feet long, we get 660 tables or 6,660 platens per mile. For 6 miles that's 3960 tables or 39,600 platens or equivalent. If 10 tables are laid out end to end, that would still required 40 rail-based flash cure units. There must be a dozen dryers or so. I would sure love to sell them those rubber top platens.

Back to rubber top platens. Would the rubber be softer or harder than mousepads or heat transfer silicone sheets?


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## Recover Clothing

Wow this is nice


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## Geraldine64

I didn't know about water based adhesive onlly heat activated adhesive so I learned something new. Thanks for all the info.


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## The Professor

Does anyone have a good source for heat resistant rubber to cover an aluminum palette?


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## Bill Hood

The Professor said:


> Does anyone have a good source for heat resistant rubber to cover an aluminum palette?


The leading supplier of platen tops in the United States is Cherokee Rubber Company. However, they do not sell to the end user. These would need to be ordered from a distributor. Most distributors in the U.S. sell them, on an as ordered basis.


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## Bill Hood

BroJames said:


> I know the pros of long tables but 6 miles? Does the rental cost, labor, and lighting bills, and the HRD nightmare still justify it? Just thinking about it makes me dizzy. For that scale, I am surprised the owner(s) haven't gone automatic much earlier.





BroJames said:


> With 1 mile having 5,280 feet and each table 8 feet long, we get 660 tables or 6,660 platens per mile. For 6 miles that's 3960 tables or 39,600 platens or equivalent. If 10 tables are laid out end to end, that would still required 40 rail-based flash cure units. There must be a dozen dryers or so. I would sure love to sell them those rubber top platens.
> 
> Back to rubber top platens. Would the rubber be softer or harder than mousepads or heat transfer silicone sheets?


 

The company has been automated for many years, however there are items, which lend themselves to being printed on long tables. You are assuming the sizes of the substrates that are being printed, however, most of the very large scale printers are also engaged in cut-and-sew operations - printing large pieces which are then stacked and cut in volume. Often, what is being printed are substrates that measure in meters.

A wetsuit manufacturer that I consulted with printed materials that were 60 x 96-inches (152 x 244-cm). These were printed on very large presses and then transferred to the cutting department where they were stacked 12-inches (30-cm) high and cut in mass into many smaller pieces before being assembled.

Likewise, a canvas tote bag manufacturer performed an almost exact production procedure that had the advantage of lowering the printing production time to only 10-percent of printing the substrates one-up.

Also, very few large printers uses flash units to gel or set the inks. Many print wet-on-wet with carefully engineered screens, stencils, and presses that eliminate the need for flashing.

The consistency of the rubber platen covers are certainly not as soft as wetsuit material, rather they are much closer to perhaps 90-durometer or more. They are solid, versus the wetsuit material open cell construction.

All that said, there are distributors who now offer a material that can be placed on the top of the rubber platen material this is perhaps no more than 10- or 20-durometer. This allows the seams to be pressed down into the soft material in order for printing to be accomplished across the seams with very little loss in image detail. I have tried TAS-Mattic Memory Foam that is being offered by TAS of Australia and found it to work quite well.

The TAS-Mattic Memory Foam gives you a softer print surface, to enhance ink coverage across seams and ribs, creating a smooth, flat surface to print over. This helps to eliminate excessive ink build up. It is sold by the foot or the roll.


TAS Screen Printing Machines Pty Ltd
143 Woodlands Drive
Braeside 3195 Victoria Australia
Phone: (03) 9587 2600
Fax: (03) 9587 2789
International Phone: +61 3 9587 2600
International Fax: +61 3 9587 2789​

​TAS America
818 Allen Avenue
Glendale CA 91201 USA
Phone: +818 246 9330
Cell: +661 877 5696
Fax: +818 246 9333


Email info[USER=9834]@TAS[/USER]america.com​URL: Screen Printing Machinery by TAS​


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## BroJames

Bill Hood said:


> ...the very large scale printers are also engaged in cut-and-sew operations - printing large pieces which are then stacked and cut in volume. Often, what is being printed are substrates that measure in meters.
> 
> ...printed materials that were 60 x 96-inches (152 x 244-cm). These were printed on very large presses and then transferred to the cutting department where they were stacked 12-inches (30-cm) high and cut in mass into many smaller pieces before being assembled.​




Would these large presses be belt-driven where large rolls of fabrics are printed?



> Also, very few large printers uses flash units to gel or set the inks. Many print wet-on-wet with carefully engineered screens, stencils, and presses that eliminate the need for flashing.





> The consistency of the rubber platen covers are ...much closer to perhaps 90-durometer or more....
> 
> All that said, there are distributors who now offer a material that can be placed on the top of the rubber platen material this is perhaps no more than 10- or 20-durometer. This allows the seams to be pressed down ...I have tried TAS-Mattic Memory Foam...and found it to work quite well.
> 
> The TAS-Mattic Memory Foam gives you a softer print surface, to enhance ink coverage across seams and ribs, creating a smooth, flat surface to print over. This helps to eliminate excessive ink build up. It is sold by the foot or the roll....


 
I am a little mixed up here. Is the trend of the rubber/foam towards 10-20 durometer hardness? If the seams can be pressed down wouldn't that be about the softness of a mouse pad?

I just spent the better part of the entire day yesterday looking for a good substitute. I found out that an old friend engaged in milling supplies has retired so I just ask around. The materials that seems like good substitute to me (as described to me by another member here) are quite expensive. Some cost the equivalent of $35 a foot(a meter wide). $105 should be good for 6 19x16" platens or $17.50 per platen.

Lastly, is the TAS-matic memory foam in the 10-20 durometer range?

Thank you very much for the information. I guess I have to drop by our local TAS distributor. Currently, my padded platen is just a felt cloth roughly 1/16" thick(which is hard) covered by an outdoor canvas(as used by another member here).


Edit: Why are there holes underneath a metal platen?


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## BroJames

BroJames said:


> When were you here Bill? Is it for vacation or business?
> 
> Corn starch is abundant. I just thought that there is a commercial product based on cornstarch . Like the plastisol cleaner based on soya bean.
> 
> I have used a platen with a 1/8 felt cloth on top and covered with canvass. Got the idea from a colleague here JSF. I am only guessing that this felt cloth is firmer than the rubber used in aluminum platens. And they're definitely not soft foam used by some old time printers. However, they do show their resilience when printing thin coats of ink. Without it, the minor unevenness of the platen will show through the ink.
> 
> Some people have started using fiber cement board platens here. Warp less but it also depends on the wood it rest on top on. The cement board is covered with either a laminate or canvass.
> 
> Has anyone ever tried glass or ceramic tile platens?
> 
> This shop uses what seems to be a glass platen





Bill Hood said:


> Hard to say about the tables, but melamine is extremely smooth when mounted to a flat surface, comes in a variety of colors including clear and can be gloss or not. Glass would be a very expensive alternative for table printing, would not be flat, easily broken as it is fragile. It could also be covered with plastic sheeting as you will note the edges appear to be taped in place. ....



Just an update. I think the link below confirms the above printing table as a glass platen setup.



> *Brief Description:*
> 
> 1 table printer 2 Be made of toughened glass 3 imported conductor rail 4 galvanized location notch


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## selanac

Wow, do they get breaks?


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## BroJames

It shouldn't break with proper care. Note the video in *step 8* here Video Tutorials on Screen Printing (Keenworth) - T-Shirt Forums

A long table is shown but *1min 45sec* into the video you will see a setup with individual platens for each shirt. you can also see that the glass platen is not very thick. I would guess only 1/4" thick.


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## JAIMEWILHITE6

I used to have melamine platens. They were very easy to clean as far as adhesive, lint, and permanent marker lines for putting shirts on. Now that I moved to rubber covered aluminum, the lint and adhesives comes off easily, but I'm having trouble getting the pen marks off. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
J


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## Bill Hood

JAIMEWILHITE6 said:


> I used to have melamine platens. They were very easy to clean as far as adhesive, lint, and permanent marker lines for putting shirts on. Now that I moved to rubber covered aluminum, the lint and adhesives comes off easily, but I'm having trouble getting the pen marks off. Any suggestions?
> 
> Thanks,
> J


The chemical to remove the pen marks from rubber would depend on the chemical makeup of the ink in the pen. However, I would advise that many chemicals could potentially harm the rubber in that the chemical may harden the rubber. 

I would suggest a layer of platen tape be placed over a platen before attempting to use any markings in the future. The tape protects the platen and can be easily removed unless left of for an inordinate amount of time.

BH


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## racinlm

Great Post


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