# xpress screen



## art4wind (Jan 18, 2006)

Hi, newbie here.
While I am mulling over different choices for printing T-shirt, I came across xpress screen from the printwear magazine. I went to their site and saw Flash demonstration and I really like what I saw except for the price. Has anyone bought and used their equipment and screens? Their price is high but I can get away with clean up mass and stocking chemicals, etc. 
Their basic pakage is around $4700.00.
I would appriciate any input.


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## bluporcelain (May 13, 2006)

Hi;

I am thinking of getting this set up, but I have misplaced the website.
Can someone please hook me up?


In your opinion any reasons not to purchase this unit.. I am doing so for my daughter to start a small in home t-shirt business.

Thanks,
Blu


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## rmadlang (Jan 29, 2008)

I am also interested in this exposure unit. I want to start printing shirts at home using a manual press minus chemicals and wash booth if possible. I can't find any other company other than the one below.  

xpressscreen.com

Raf


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## rmadlang (Jan 29, 2008)

oops.

That's XpresScreen: Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies.

Sorry


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## bluporcelain (May 13, 2006)

lol Thank you very much.. yep on the opps.. I went there and well.. you know.
I did find the second post and went to that site.. Thankyou very much

I will certainly be willing to let you know how I like it. 

Blu


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## rmadlang (Jan 29, 2008)

blu,

i just saw this thread with negs and pros on the machine. check it out and let me know what you think..


http://www.t-shirtforums.com/screen-printing/t11549.html

Raf


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## bluporcelain (May 13, 2006)

Thanks for the thread and the comments.
Actually most of what you guys have mentioned, I sort of figured out. (as far as the commercial applications)

The price is killer for sure. 

I am still considering it though, maybe I can locate someone in my general area that wants to sell theirs. Basically wanted it to get my daughter stared in the screen printing and we are currently limited in space and don't have easy access to burn the screens the traditional way.

We have just about everything we need except a conveyor dryer and that will have to wait because of space and $. Right now it is not critical because we would be doing very small runs. 

Thanks to all


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## vonemb (Apr 23, 2007)

I have been using this system for almost a year. I love it. I dont have the room in my store for a washout room, and My daughter has asthma so I didnt want to mess with the chemicals. It is great we offer small runs as well as large runs. Also, with this system we can offer stamps.


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## rmadlang (Jan 29, 2008)

vone mb,

how do you find the screens? they look kind of flimsy. I've only seen them in the website's video. Any downside to the unit?

I'm still contemplating about buying it. I definitely don't have the room for the washbooth and besides i have 2 little boys running around so i won't even consider the traditional way of burning the screens at the apartment. Yet i really want to get some shirts printed to get started.

thanks.


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## vonemb (Apr 23, 2007)

I have actually started replacing the wood inserts with metal ones that I have had fabricated for me. The equipment works great for me. I offer a minimum of 6 pieces & up. Have you been to a show to see a demo??? I really enjoy this system because I also have 2 children I dont have to worry about a wash out booth or the chemicals. I started with a 4-color 1-station press, and now I have a 6-color 4-station press with micro registration. I guess it depends on what size orders you are looking to do. I just did an order this weekend on light gray shirts that was a 100 pieces. I dont plan on doing large orders like alot of screenprinters because I also do embroidery. If you have any concerns my contact at xpresscreen is Dave, give him a ring. He is very helpful. The staff is really great to work with. When you buy the system they give you a training session at their site. It is very imformative.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

vonemb said:


> I have actually started replacing the wood inserts with metal ones that I have had fabricated for me. The equipment works great for me. I offer a minimum of 6 pieces & up. Have you been to a show to see a demo??? I really enjoy this system because I also have 2 children I dont have to worry about a wash out booth or the chemicals. I started with a 4-color 1-station press, and now I have a 6-color 4-station press with micro registration. I guess it depends on what size orders you are looking to do. I just did an order this weekend on light gray shirts that was a 100 pieces. I dont plan on doing large orders like alot of screenprinters because I also do embroidery. If you have any concerns my contact at xpresscreen is Dave, give him a ring. He is very helpful. The staff is really great to work with. When you buy the system they give you a training session at their site. It is very imformative.


We looked at this system at the sgia show, have you done more than one color, wanted to know how the registration is on multiple colors.

Thanks for any info, like to hear what customers have to say rather than the company that sells it.

Teresa


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## vonemb (Apr 23, 2007)

I have done multi color setups. At first it was crazy, but I was doing it wrong. Now It is done in a snap. I have done 2-color, 3-color, and 4-color, tonight I have to do a 4-color


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

vonemb said:


> I have done multi color setups. At first it was crazy, but I was doing it wrong. Now It is done in a snap. I have done 2-color, 3-color, and 4-color, tonight I have to do a 4-color


 
Thanks for the info
Have you ever done a 4 color process like a photograph.

What is the biggest size print you can do with it.


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## rmadlang (Jan 29, 2008)

vonemb,

Where did you get the frames fabricated? I haven't seen the live demo as of yet. Are they the only company that makes this type of unit? Just wondering if there are any else out there to compare.

Thanks

Raf


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## vonemb (Apr 23, 2007)

I'm having a friend make them.


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## vonemb (Apr 23, 2007)

I have not done a photogragh yet. I mainly do the graphic prints. I purchased the 15x18 screens. They have different sizes, but these are the ones I like..


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## joekn34 (Mar 10, 2008)

Does anyone that has and xpress screen system know what type of light source is used? I saw a demo at the ISS show and it the screen was done in 1 second. Is it possible to make your own unit of this type?


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## vonemb (Apr 23, 2007)

I have the flash unit and it uses xenon lamps


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## joekn34 (Mar 10, 2008)

Any idea of the wattage, type and quantity?


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## coolkyle (Feb 9, 2008)

Saw the system at the Atlantic City show, it was really cool! Frames looked a little flimsy for me to bust out 150 prints an hour, but with that kind of setup time you don't need to print that fast. The screens won't break down with water based ink, right? I'm looking to start a tiny neighborhood print shop in half a room of my apartment, and this looks like a good option that won't mess/stink up my apartment or rack up the energy costs (air dry the shirts and use a heat gun for discharge).


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## vonemb (Apr 23, 2007)

1 color only takes me 5 - 10 minutes to setup. multi colors take a little bit more for the setup. I have a retail store so it really depends on how busy we are when i am trying to setup everything. I am currently working on replacing the wooden frames with aluminum ones or similiar.


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## kpWeb (Mar 23, 2008)

martinwoods said:


> Thanks for the info
> Have you ever done a 4 color process like a photograph.
> 
> What is the biggest size print you can do with it.



Hello. I recently purchased this unit and love it. I have no problem with 1 color 11x17 or 2-3 color 8x10 jobs but I'm having hard time to get a good registration for 11x17 multi color job. I use 18x21 frames on a Hopkins starting line 6 color 4 station. Do you have any idea that might help my problem? I've been talking to Dave from eXpresScreen and he's trying to figure out how I can improve the registration, but any idea from anybody is welcome.
Thank you in advance.


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

> I'm having hard time to get a good registration for 11x17 multi color job.


This is one of the limitations of this system IMO. I've been using it for almost 4 years. If you are doing multi-color prints with tight registration, you really have to keep the image in the "sweet spot" of the screens. It is impossible to get identical screen tension and stretch across multipe screens. And the further out toward the edges you get, the more the differences become apparent.

My solution has been to keep the image size at an appropriate level. If it isn't acceptable to the customer, I recomend an alternate aproach. This works for me because I really want to concentrate on the simple 1 color jobs. They are, by far, the most profitable for me due to the speed that a job can be completed.

As I have said before, this system isn't perfect or the answer to every printing need, but it works well for what I want it to do.


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## kpWeb (Mar 23, 2008)

perrolocodesigns said:


> If you are doing multi-color prints with tight registration, you really have to keep the image in the "sweet spot" of the screens. It is impossible to get identical screen tension and stretch across multipe screens. And the further out toward the edges you get, the more the differences become apparent.


Thank you perrolocodesigns. You answered all of my questions. Do you think a bigger frame, 24x30, might help my situation?


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

Possibly. But I just looked at my price list and didn't see 24X30 wooden frames listed. Maybe they just forgot to put them in because they do list the metal frames. Also, that 135 mesh in 24w is expensive.


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## kpWeb (Mar 23, 2008)

perrolocodesigns said:


> Maybe they just forgot to put them in because they do list the metal frames.


Thank you for your quick response. I will call them up later. 

Since it seems like you have lots of experience with this system, please allow me to ask another question.

Do you know if I can use water base ink with this mesh? I really want to try discharge and water base print.


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## ob (May 23, 2008)

I saw it at Charlotte and I am thinking about it myself


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

I have used W/B inks with no problem. I have not tried discharge inks, so I don't know if there are isues with it or not.


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## kpWeb (Mar 23, 2008)

perrolocodesigns said:


> I have used W/B inks with no problem. I have not tried discharge inks, so I don't know if there are isues with it or not.


Hi, Thank you for very helpful info again. I will try it later then.

I heard that it requires much high power dryer; is that right?
I use a flash dryer for final cure.


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## pmarikelly (May 10, 2007)

We started with the traditional set up and then bought xpress screen. I use the xpress screen the most because we typically get small jobs. If I need 4-color, I use a t-jet. We love the xpress screen.


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## Colorfast (Sep 2, 2006)

This system sounds great for somebody like me who wants to start at home and grow. It seems like short run (100 or less) and 1 or 2 color are the target market for this equipment. 
The up front costs are higher than traditional but it seems the on going costs of chemicals, cleaners, making screens etc would justify the extra dollars up front.

What type of jobs/customers do you sell to with this equipment? I have read some negative comments on print quality.


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## priceless prints (May 22, 2008)

Our experience, this machine is garbage. We purchased it at the ISS show a few months ago. Never-the-less we were requesting an RMA# the following day to send this back to them. They are not a friendly company. Their sales rep Dave, is rude and lies. The owner of the company is very rude. He should be ashamed of himself for the way he speaks to customers. We are traditional screen printers and thought this would be a better and faster than the traditional way. We figured no more chemicals. This was pure garbage!!


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## pmarikelly (May 10, 2007)

Hi Chip,

It's not meant for 4-color process. I did a 3 color bag job yesterday for 6 bags. Most of the jobs we get are under 50 pieces.

We bought a refurb xpress screen unit from the manufacturer and I found a 4 color press on eBay. We did not buy the entire package from xpress screen. I did negotiate some extra frames and sort of built my own package. They also pass out coupons at shows if you're near one. 

Definitely ask the about refurbs, though. We got ours and it quit working after 10 minutes. They had a replacement part out in 2 days. So they stand behind their equipment.

The problem I've found is that the screens break down faster than they say. But this could be that I'm not "exposing" them properly and get pinholes. It took me a bit to get the exposure right, but it's pretty easy now. Of course tape works wonders. 

We have a highend laser printer and a lower end laser printer. The pages printed from the lower end printer work much, much better in exposing the screens.

One of the things I really like about them is that you can see through the screens because they are clearish. It's hard to see through regular emulsion for lining things up on press. Or realigning when you forgot something.

Also, the magnets on a standard press are a little heavy for pulling down xpress screens. We just taped some paper between the magnet and the metal and it works great.

I love that I can be printing one-color jobs in 10-15 minutes. And if the screen fails, I just peel the mesh off and make a new one. In fact, I've been known to run out and print a shirt to wear to an event or meeting as little as 30 minutes before I have to leave.

It cures the same as every other screen print job. We use a flash as well, but did buy a tunnel dryer. I can usually cure it faster with the flash dryer than I can pull it off and put it through the conveyer dryer. 

We have not tried half tones on it, but I understand you can do them if you have the right mesh. Honestly, I've never successfully printed halftones with anything but the t-jet. But then I haven't really tried.

----------------------------------

Priceless posted while I was writing. Guess we don't all have the same experience and one size doesn't fit all. 

We started with Press a Print equipment and then went to a carousel. Press a Print got us started, but the carousel is much easier. Both have their pros and cons just like xpress screens.


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## bluporcelain (May 13, 2006)

Hi all. 

I got one of the refurbished units and it seems to be working fine. Even have printed a couple of test prints ( We are really new to all this printing stuff). 

I could use some advice from you seasoned folks. 

Is there anyway to reduce the amount of pin holes? We have a new cannon laser and we are preflashing the images but still getting quite a few pin holes. Before we burn the screen we are checking the image and the glass top, but still seem to get more than a few pinholes. 
Besides taping up the pins is there any tips to reducing them in the first place or plugging them up ?

Have any of you attempted to clean the screens and save them or do you go ahead and toss them out and keep the paper images only?

I have not tried to get the answer from the company yet, came here first. 

Thanks in advance for your help.
Cher


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

bluporcelain said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I got one of the refurbished units and it seems to be working fine. Even have printed a couple of test prints ( We are really new to all this printing stuff).
> 
> ...


I would ike to know what the company says. I too am very interested in this equipment. I want to know also, your training experience. I wonder if it was good or bad and if anything was lacking. I would like to know if they taught you how to print more than 1 coloe. ..... Thanks .... JB


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

> Besides taping up the pins is there any tips to reducing them in the first place or plugging them up


Cher, 
As far as I know there aren't any tricks to avoiding pinholes. I have found that if you lower the exposure setting you will have fewer pin holes. If you go too low, you won't get a good burn of the image. I use settings anywhere between 0 and 4 depending on the job.

If the image has large areas that need to be burned out, I go higher. If it is a large run of shirts, I go higher (the time taping is well spent to make the actual printing easier on large runs). If I'm only printing a few, I use a low setting so I can avoid taping.


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

Colorfast said:


> This system sounds great for somebody like me who wants to start at home and grow. It seems like short run (100 or less) and 1 or 2 color are the target market for this equipment.
> The up front costs are higher than traditional but it seems the on going costs of chemicals, cleaners, making screens etc would justify the extra dollars up front.
> 
> What type of jobs/customers do you sell to with this equipment? I have read some negative comments on print quality.


Chip,

I have printed as many as 700 pieces with dark ink with no screen degradation. With white ink & heat from flashing, that number does go down. That's OK for me, because I sub out really large runs of white ink anyway because of the time it takes to print them on my manual press.

As with any screen printing, it is the person doing the printing that affects the finished product. We've been using this system for 14 years and have never had a complaint about the printing that was not the fault of the person doing the printing.

It does have limitations, but there are distinct advantages too. 

We sell to schools, businesses, groups, organizations, individuals etc. We don't really do any "fashion" printing, but that relates as much to our business model as it does to our equipment.


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## bluporcelain (May 13, 2006)

Well, wanted to tell you all that I had contacted the company by email. I had to work all morning so remembering to make phone calls sometimes falls by the wayside. 

I did receive a call back this afternoon and Dave was most understanding and talked with me for over 25 min. We discussed options to try and see where we stood. I am convinced that it is operator error rather than the machine itself. After our conversation I am going to get a little different paper (better quality) what I am using may be the issue. Also going to change the settings slightly. The copier I am sort of stuck with (new but over period to be able to return it) so I hope that it is not the problem . I will run another image and do another test screen using the tips he gave me about the settings etc. and see what happens. 

With the exception of the pinholes I don't have any problem with the machine or the screens. As I said we are totally new to this printing stuff, but my daughter did a two color image her first time out. I have plans for this baby, so I need to get it figured out and get to making shirts. Running two businesses sometimes makes it hard to spend the needed time to figure stuff out on ones own. Which is why these forums and you guys and gals are so appreicated. 

Oh and before I forget yes they offer a free two day class on using the machine and printing, but I can't fly to their location to do it, so I have to do it over the phone.


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## bluporcelain (May 13, 2006)

perrolocodesigns said:


> Cher,
> As far as I know there aren't any tricks to avoiding pinholes. I have found that if you lower the exposure setting you will have fewer pin holes. If you go too low, you won't get a good burn of the image. I use settings anywhere between 0 and 4 depending on the job.
> 
> If the image has large areas that need to be burned out, I go higher. If it is a large run of shirts, I go higher (the time taping is well spent to make the actual printing easier on large runs). If I'm only printing a few, I use a low setting so I can avoid taping.


Thank you
Saw your answer after I spoke to Dave from Xpress screen. I may have been trying to flash and expose them improperly to begin with. So I will try it the way you and he stated and see what happens. 

Thanks so much.
Cher


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## Colorfast (Sep 2, 2006)

pmarikelly- Thanks for the tip on the refurb units. I have their brochure from the Printwear Charlotte Show. The show special coupons have been misplaced but I'm sure they will do what they need to to close a sale.
I have been following this equipment and technology for a while now. Opted to buy a heat transfer press for doing plastisol and inkjet/laser prints. It works great but I am limited to white/very light color shirts. Plastisol transfer are very good but can't compete with direct screen print pricing in a lot of cases.

I'll have to play with the numbers to see if Xpress can make me more money than plastisol. It sure would open up some opportunities.

Ken- You seem to have a lot of experience with this equipment and I appreciate your feed back.

I assume the largest image size is limited to the paper used. In my case that would be 8.5 x 14. Can you cut away the images and burn the screen to enlarge the print are. I can do this with heat transfer so don't see why not for this system


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

> After watching the 6 step explanation of the process, what puzzles me is the print stroke shown in the presentation. The print stroke looks like a flood coat. What's the deal with that???


Ummm... that would be that person's printing technique. Not related to the system to my knowledge.


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

> I assume the largest image size is limited to the paper used. In my case that would be 8.5 x 14. Can you cut away the images and burn the screen to enlarge the print are. I can do this with heat transfer so don't see why not for this system


Not sure if this is what you mean, but I have printed a large image on 2 sheets of paper and combined them to burn the screen. I have an 11X17 printer, so I don't have to do it often.


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## Colorfast (Sep 2, 2006)

That's exactly what I meant...thanks for reading my mind. Sorry about the vague post. I was concerned about being limited to 8.5 x 11 or 8.5 x 14. With that size paper I have to separate the text and images and spread out on the shirt to get the larger image area. If I'm not very careful the lines or graphics get out of whack. I could always go to the local Kinkos and use their copier for the 11 x 17.

Thanks


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

> Technique? It looks like they are spreading peanut butter on white bread, not printing a shirt.


Perhaps you could post the link to your video demonstrating your superior technique that is applicable to all printing conditions.

There's more than one way to skin a cat. All that matters is the end result.


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## Little Bit (Jan 17, 2009)

I also have the XpressScreen machine and love it. We very seldom do more than one color but could you post what you were doing incorrectly when working with more than one color?
We may be making the same mistakes.

Thanks for your help.


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## mrblfx (Feb 18, 2009)

hello everyone
i know this a old post but i just found it
this systems sounds like it might be what i need
i embroider from home so all the chemicals and wash out
is a problem..can anyone who has this system still using
and are you doing ok with it

thanks for reading

jim


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## Little Bit (Jan 17, 2009)

Yes, I use this machine. I have never had any trouble with it. The company gives excellent customer support. I have both the regular screen making equipment and the XpressScreen Model 913. My XpressScreen is the only one I use. The other equipment sits in the corner.
Our main orders are all one color items. Occasionally we will have two colors. This XpressScreen equipment is excellent for small shops and limited space.

Hope this helps you. If you have further questions you may email me at [email protected]. I will be happy to visit with you. I have been using this machine about 3 years.


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## mrblfx (Feb 18, 2009)

thanks
will be in touch I'am interested in finding out before the
next show. might work for me 
again thanks
jim


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## Fleury266 (Jan 18, 2008)

I have this system and it works great. Unfortunately I need to sell the exposure unit. You'll love it for small to medium sized runs. The cleanup is simple and the prep is extremely fast. 


mrblfx said:


> thanks
> will be in touch I'am interested in finding out before the
> next show. might work for me
> again thanks
> jim


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## deb7019 (Aug 4, 2006)

Fleury, do you have the xpress screen 913 that you want to sell? If so, please contact me [email protected].
Thanks
Deb



Fleury266 said:


> I have this system and it works great. Unfortunately I need to sell the exposure unit. You'll love it for small to medium sized runs. The cleanup is simple and the prep is extremely fast.


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## pmarikelly (May 10, 2007)

I have an express screen exposure unit and frames I am interested in selling. We are getting out of the business.

[email protected]


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## macfick (Jan 17, 2010)

Have you sold your unit and screens yet?


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## Fleury266 (Jan 18, 2008)

We still have them and are still willing to sell.


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## ctawards (Apr 1, 2011)

We LOVED ours the brief time we were able to use it! Most of our customers were shorter runs that we needed to kick out QUICK! We did about 150 shirts per screen, but that was the largest order in the short time we used it. 


With that being said, obviously one wouldn't say bad things if they were trying to sell one, and we do have one! lol If you are close by and decide you would like to buy one for 1/2 the cost and want more details and photos, feel free to email me.  We had to close suddenly due to a family emergency, and have our 9x13 for sale (the large one). We are 2nd owner but only used it about 20 times TOPS before having to close. The original owner had his for a short time but partnered up with an existing business that was set in the traditional method, so it sat on the table for a while before we purchased it. 

Works GREAT! I do not know where you are located but we would prefer to not ship as it's VERY heavy and has bulbs and glass in it - you can probably tell we don't sell/ship often.  

We are in Texas. [email protected]


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## mtothe (Sep 4, 2012)

I purchased the xpress screen making system in 2009. I have the SM1000 screen maker. I will say that this system is for the hobbyist. If you are looking at doing simple one color prints it may work for you.

Problems I have had.
1) Pinholes, a nightmare of a problem that is still present with many, many trials and errors and reported fixes from the Xpress gang.
2) Registration of artwork for multicolored jobs.
When doing two or more colors it is almost impossible to correctly get art lined up. Additional problems have occured into a large print run of a multicolored design using a light ink on a dark shirt and then have the screen break down because the ink is having to be pulled to hard to try and get an even look on the shirt
3) You cannot use glitter ink with their mesh
4) when using a light ink on a dark shirt in a large print run I often times had to prepare an additional screen because it would break down.
5) Sharpness and crisp lines, letters and logos are hard to achieve because of their mesh. (traditional gives you better quality of screens and a better detail as to what ink comes out)
6) half tones are hard to achieve if you have to pull your squeegee across the shirt more than once (with traditional you can pull 2 or 3 times, if needed)
7) Trade in values - the screen maker is absolete when purchased, they sale it to you for $4400 and it isnt worth $1000 a short while later. I know this because I have switched from their method into the traditional method and they offered me $1000 for a screen maker that was two years old and very little used.

Yes you may be able to make a screen in 5 minutes, yes clean up may be easier, but may also be re-burning screens to finish your print run and what happens if your customer wants a one color image on white shirts with 25 red ink, 25 blue ink, 25 green ink....well you would have to make a screen for each of the colors but the traditional way you would simply have to clean the screen and print on.

I have the screen maker SM1000 and 3 large metal frames and two small metal frames and several wood frames for this system for sale. I have went traditional to fit my needs. If interested in this exposure unit email me at [email protected]


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## tsquirter (Oct 27, 2007)

I have one for sale cheap..contact me at 9196106966. Or [email protected]


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