# Table system of screen printing??



## Rizzo (Nov 22, 2006)

Hiee,

is anybody familiar with the table system of printing panels ins screen printing. this is usually done before making t-shirts. the panels are printed and then put together. I am a maufacturer of T-shirts too. I need to know if there are anybody who is using this method for bulk printing. pls give your sugessions on building a table system for bulk. this is the cheapest method of printing I heard and not limited to the amount of prints as the 6/8/10 head presses. can lay alot of panels on the table (limited to the size of the table). I need help on the technical aspects of buiding one.

Rizzo


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

I haven't built my own, but there doesn't seem to be a lot to it.

A table wide and long enough to accomodate the fabric you will be printing, at a comfortable printing height, a firm but padded surface [that's the unknown I've been meaning to find out about myself actually], a guide rail, adjustable stops for said guide rail... that's about it really.

If you were setting it up for an automatic I imagine it would be pretty damn complex, but for manual printing there's not much to it (unless I'm just not paying enough attention and taking the equipment for granted ).


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## Rizzo (Nov 22, 2006)

There surely must be a reason for padding the table top (Firm) unlike the presses where the base is wooden or not paded. the secret is the railing system...... that I am not quite sure of achieving for registration yet. and if there are any sites just fill me in pls. I already make a table that would accomodate 24 panels......need to confirm on the other aspects.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Rizzo said:


> There surely must be a reason for padding the table top (Firm) unlike the presses where the base is wooden or not paded.


I know one reason is so that you can staple down the fabric.

It's one of those things I've been wanting to know more about too though (I just haven't bothered pursueing it because I don't have the space to set one up anyway).



Rizzo said:


> the secret is the railing system...... that I am not quite sure of achieving for registration yet.


The system I've used just has a simple wall you butt the screen up against, and small clamps you can screw down wherever you want on the rail to indicate where to line your screen up to (i.e. it's all manual). Kind of hard to explain unfortunately.



Rizzo said:


> and if there are any sites just fill me in pls.


Unfortunately I don't know of any. Hopefully someone will.


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## Rizzo (Nov 22, 2006)

Any new suggesions on this table system..........???


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## Rizzo (Nov 22, 2006)

its true that the table system is not used so much around I guess. being a manufaturer it will be very helpful.........but I guess I will have to do with trial and error huh?


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## mikel (Apr 20, 2006)

i've seen a crude version of this being employed locally. a combination of what all of you have described. from what i can vaguely remember - the head of the table has a long 2 X 4, they used nails on this board and the top of the screen frames for registration. my guess would be the nails go the board first, then register the frames and nailed it. so the board will have a nail going straight up or vertical while the frames have their nail flat or horizontal. each frame has 2 nails. then a worker will print the first color with the first frame, moving along the panels while the second worker lays down the second color and so forth. i didn't stick around to see the rest of the process.

the fabric has been pre-cut and goes to each panel. they will then dried and sent to the sewing dept. crude, but they got the job done.


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## Mrs Roper (Jan 26, 2007)

Hello everybody! I am a screen printing enthusiast of the flat fabric on table variety and happened upon your query and would just like to share the following info:
At my former college they have the type of printing tables that I think you are discussing.Our tables were older models but they were covered with old school neoprene like the kind scuba people used to wear I do not know if new neoprene would work but if you have ever seen an old scuba suit they get very glossy over time. Neoprene works well because it keeps the moisture off, I believe it is impermeable to some chemicals-we used burn out paste- and it can be scrubbed with a soapy foam/net mophead and squeegeed dry-which is what we used to clean the tables afterwards.They dry super quick. The neoprene was wrapped around the edge of the tables and staples and fabric twill tape were placed over that edge for reinforcement-think of stretching a paint canvas.
As for the metal railings, those can get tricky, since long printing tables are really hard to find, if I had to make my own printing table, what I would do is create and wrap some sort coping around lengthy piece of wood and run it down the length of the table about 3-5" away from the edges. Stops are hard to find but some sort of blocks that could wrap around the coping length of wood would work we had metal ones, but they were just screwed tight to the top of the rails with a hexgon bolt and screw-it helps if they can slide easily when movingi rather than taking on & off. The stops are just tightened along the rail in increments that coincide with the edge to edge repeat of the design-_however_ the screens need to have an L-bracket fastened to the back side topedge in the middle of the screen -the long top edge of the L-bracket is placed during printing on one side of the stops going down the length of the railing, so you do one color pass every other stop-let that dry than go back to the beginning and do the ones inbetween u skipped etcetc. The tricky part is really determining how far the railing is from the table because the top edge of the screen's frame will be firmly butted against the railing and the fabric when it is placed down needs to be close to the edge of the screens design for maximum coverage of the fabric and so you either design the railing to coincide with the space of the gutters on your silkscreens, or when you are shooting your screens bear in mind that the design needs to be a certain distance away from where the edge of your screens will be resting against the railings. 
Now,with that said these tables were 54" wide which normally accomodates the large automatic squeegee flat bed screen method, if you are being totally old school and are doing tandem squeegee passes with a partner across the width and then down the length of the table you should really consider the appropriate height that will allow enough force to be put downwards on the table across such a wide spanand to allow for comfortable ergonomics ---If I remember correctly the top of the table was a comfortable 32-35" high.
Dig It?
I am such a screenprinting geek I frighten myself!LOL
Hope this will help, if you really want picures i can go there and take a picture of the set up.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Hey Mrs Roper, welcome to the T-Shirt Forums!

Thanks for the great post


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## macumazahn (Jan 11, 2007)

How much would one of us have to beg to get pictures of this set up? just let me know and I will get started!!!!


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## Mrs Roper (Jan 26, 2007)

Hello everybody, 
I will be going to school this week so I will try to get pictures of the setup and see how they turn out and then I will attempt to post them.
DIg?
mrs Roper


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## Rizzo (Nov 22, 2006)

Hi Mrs. Roper,

Thank you so much for all that detailed explanation. It would greatly assist if you could get us some pictures. Specially some close-ups of those railings and stoppers and how the screen is placed, and the table top.

Its been a while since I posted this thread, but it surely is great to get some sort of helpful hints after this while.

Kind regards,
Rizzo


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## f to the soong (Nov 22, 2005)

Hello, 

Im not sure what you guys are talking about exactly, but here is a link of someones home built screen printing table (i call it that cause its just a table with some hinge clamps on it) No Media Kings » How to Silkscreen Posters and Shirts. Is this what you guys are talking about but in multi-color form? I have been thinking about a way to get 4 colors on a table using a rail system like what i think is being discussed here. Any tips or anyone wanna get together and try to think of a inexpensive way to do it?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

f to the soong said:


> Is this what you guys are talking about but in multi-color form?


Nope. We're talking about (long) tables used for printing fabric lengths and bulk panels.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

To be honest I can't see this being all that useful, but people wanted pictures of rail systems and it might help sate curiosity.

Photo 1: Registration stop
Photo 2: Rail, outside view
Photo 3: Rail, inside view
Photo 4: Rail, top view

As I said above, there's not much to it. You just need something to butt your screen against really. You don't even need registration stops if you're not using guides on the screens, you can just use tape (although it would be preferable to use stops and a bracket on the screen to catch on them).


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## bebo (Aug 11, 2008)

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4padB7JVmzQ[/media] the screen they use on the railing has a guide just like this video


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## thedeadpress (Mar 12, 2009)

Do you not need any off contact with this method then?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

vuego100 said:


> Do you not need any off contact with this method then?


There's been a few different setups talked about in this thread, but the one I posted doesn't use off-contact, and I don't _think_ the others do either.


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## chard (Oct 14, 2008)

how do you burn the image with that kind of setup?it looks like theres no room for error..


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

chard said:


> how do you burn the image with that kind of setup?


You can register the screen to the artwork on table before coating the screen.



chard said:


> it looks like theres no room for error..


Not much.


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## egcruz06 (Nov 8, 2011)

hi rizzo! Im from the philippines and we print bulk. as in bulk. We print for big garments. local and export. we have five 30 yard table with a width of 72"


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Just wondering. At 72" or 6ft, how do you push or pull the squeegee?


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## egcruz06 (Nov 8, 2011)

2 person per screen. saluhan ng squuege. may setting sa baba and taas mg screen


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## signgeezer (Jan 7, 2011)

Hi Rizzo,
They use a long table to screen print in south america, I saw some videos on you tube.
Here are three different videos that might help.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_FbV2iXztU[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUg60Kh9y14[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4hi2c0KoIo&feature=related[/media]

signgeezer


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

The first video is from a colleague in the Philippines. That;s pretty much how many of us print here Stan.


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## egcruz06 (Nov 8, 2011)

BroJames said:


> The first video is from a colleague in the Philippines. That;s pretty much how many of us print here Stan.



thats the problem james. ang dami daming printer sa PHL pero ang kokonti ng garments. lahat ng buyers and garments naglilipatan na sa china. kaya ang nangyayari ung mga garments na ang kumokontrol ng presyo sa printing. hindi na tulad date. sa 100k mo na gross 90k ang net mo. Cause of labor palang umaabot na ng 50 percent minsan. dapat 25 percent max lang ang cost of labor.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Cost of labor and labor related problems. Sa ibang bansa kung kulang ang sahod ang isang option ay maghanap ng sidelines. Sa atin, ayon sa ilang dayuhan, wage increase agad ang unang solution then strike.

Tapos cost of electricity. Also I heard na pang 5 tayo sa buong daigdig na pinakamahirap mag invest in due to inconsistent policies and legal uncertainties. Yung parang hindi stable ang legal system natin so hindi lang lang government policies ang nagbabago pati ang decision ng korte nagbabago from admin to admin.

Ang talagang nakakalungkot sa atin sobrang hina ang local manufacturing industry natin. Hindi tayo self reliant. Hindi lang business ang nawawala sa atin but also talent and skilled labor.


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## egcruz06 (Nov 8, 2011)

BroJames said:


> Cost of labor and labor related problems. Sa ibang bansa kung kulang ang sahod ang isang option ay maghanap ng sidelines. Sa atin, ayon sa ilang dayuhan, wage increase agad ang unang solution then strike.
> 
> Tapos cost of electricity. Also I heard na pang 5 tayo sa buong daigdig na pinakamahirap mag invest in due to inconsistent policies and legal uncertainties. Yung parang hindi stable ang legal system natin so hindi lang lang government policies ang nagbabago pati ang decision ng korte nagbabago from admin to admin.
> 
> Ang talagang nakakalungkot sa atin sobrang hina ang local manufacturing industry natin. Hindi tayo self reliant. Hindi lang business ang nawawala sa atin but also talent and skilled labor.


yeah, strike. hindi nila naiisip na gutom na sila hindi pa gutom ung mga amo nila. paraang sa printing ng lolo ko nuon. Nag reklamao ung Union sa DOLE. what he did was close the company and pay them. what happened? ubos na pera nila, kami hindi pa. Now,my father has his own yardage printing.

Pati sa PHL dami daming printers pero karamihan mga backyard printing lang. 700-1500pcs lang ang prinoproduction nila sa loob ng 24 hours, shifting.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

wala ka sa Pinas?

malungkot nga yung mga naniniwala na strike ang solusyon sa problema. Hindi din naman kasalan ng mga manggagawa kasi gutom sila. Pero madalas mga union leaders at iilan ang nagsusulsol. Madami din problems mga businessmen like sa panahon ngayon na tagtumal. 

At naiincrease ang feeling nila na naapi sila kasi sa gov't polcies na rin. Free market sa pagtaas ng presyo ng langis pero bawal magtaas ng pasahe ang mga tsuper kahit na directly relatedf sa kita nila ang pagtaas ng krudo. At napakataas ang presyo ng abon dito sa atin.

Although medyo OT na tayo ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit kokonti ang nagkakainterest na magtayo ng malalaking garment printing factory dito sa atin.

NOTE: Essentially, I am just commenting on how strikes or labor problems are discouraging businessmen from putting up large printing factories here in the Philippines.


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## egcruz06 (Nov 8, 2011)

BroJames said:


> wala ka sa Pinas?
> 
> malungkot nga yung mga naniniwala na strike ang solusyon sa problema. Hindi din naman kasalan ng mga manggagawa kasi gutom sila. Pero madalas mga union leaders at iilan ang nagsusulsol. Madami din problems mga businessmen like sa panahon ngayon na tagtumal.
> 
> ...



No. nasa pinas ako, taga marikina ko. useless ang pagtatayo ng malaking textile ngayon. malulugi lang. konti nln ang garments sa pilipinas. ang dami na ngang mga pioneer din sa textile printing na nagsasara dahil sa baba ng presyo at taas ng puhunan. para din tayong jeepney drivers. d din natin kayang taasan ang presyo sa textile printing.


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