# Help screen printing six panel hats!!!



## c10kidd (Sep 22, 2010)

I have a one color design to put on a structured six panel hat and it is driving me nuts!! Never did hats before and I am having trouble with the front of the hat laying flat and an even ink deposit. It is streaked and looks like poop. my pad im putting them on is 2.75x 5 inches. any Ideas would help greatly!!!


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## sandhopper2 (Apr 26, 2010)

c10kidd said:


> I have a one color design to put on a structured six panel hat and it is driving me nuts!! Never did hats before and I am having trouble with the front of the hat laying flat and an even ink deposit. It is streaked and looks like poop. my pad im putting them on is 2.75x 5 inches. any Ideas would help greatly!!!


I have always done a transfer and the used heat press to do hats.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

c10kidd said:


> Never did hats before and I am having trouble with the front of the hat laying flat and an even ink deposit. It is streaked and looks like poop. my pad im putting them on is 2.75x 5 inches. any Ideas would help greatly!!!


Contact Roger Jennings. 

www.rjennings.com

And he just started posting here.


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## Just Teesing (Dec 12, 2011)

Transfers are the way to go! Good luck


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

Just Teesing said:


> Transfers are the way to go! Good luck


 
Great assuming you have a heat press. There's lots of flexibility with what's available too. 

But if you want to do puff, high density (which works very with over the seam), suede, gels etc., you should have facility to direct print.

With the right know how, supplies and equipment one process is as easy as the other.


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## Dkenzie1 (Sep 22, 2011)

We do direct printing. We have a attachment that goes on the press that holds the hat to a CURVED platen the screen is also curved. I will tell you right now it's a HUGE learning curve.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

Dkenzie1 said:


> We do direct printing. We have a attachment that goes on the press that holds the hat to a CURVED platen the screen is also curved. I will tell you right now it's a HUGE learning curve.


LOL! I feel you! When a flat static frame is curved to fit the holder, the mesh/image distorts and the tension changes making it difficult to get a consistent print stroke/pressure/angle. Makes multicolor even more of a task.

Printing flat with standard hat style screen (static or retensionable) is a considerably less daunting task but still requires proper equipment and technique for optimum results. Interchangeable platens for low profile, structured, six panel, visors is recommended. 

And I find attachments that allow the bill out of the way (like the Livingston Hat Champ) even more convenient because you can use standard size screens.


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## Ribcage (Nov 4, 2010)

I made a little jig for printing 6-panel caps a while back. It's not much to look at, but the caps printed just fine. I posted pictures and a description on this thread... http://www.t-shirtforums.com/screen-printing-equipment/t157052.html

I hope that helps.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

Ha-haaa-haaa!!!

I remember that post. LOVED it then, LOVE it now...LOL!


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## Dkenzie1 (Sep 22, 2011)

Tygeron, only have a one color setup for right now. the additional arms are 120 each I think. Bought it off of e-bay for $100. made that back with the first order. at the time I looked it up and they were retailing for over $1000. this is not a press but a add on for a regular one. I remember thinking its just a hat, can't be that hard. Now I have to wear one just to cover the bald spot from ripping the hair out of my head just trying to get past the curve on a single color. On the other hand when a customer asks if I can "do better" on a price for my hats I take mine off and ask them if they can replace the hair I lost while I was learning how to make them.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

*LOL!!!*

Here's one for the archives: 

Anybody remember the 

HIX PST air pressure cap printer?

Someone recently had one for sale. 

I had loooong forgotten about that one!


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

Pad printers work great for caps....


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## Dkenzie1 (Sep 22, 2011)

Ribcage, Have you tried any structured hats on that. It looks great.


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## ScreenFoo (Aug 9, 2011)

@Ribcage: It looks great for a DIY jig, and it looks more functional than the "pro" jig that I used years back. Excellent idea having the board all around it--a little more support for the free area of the mesh so you're not hitting so much of a speedbump when you hit the hat... great job!


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## Ribcage (Nov 4, 2010)

Tyson, Tygeron, thanks for the kind words! Necessity was definitely the mother of this little invention.

Dan, I have tried it on structured caps, but it was a bit of a pain and I wouldn't recommend them for printing. If you have to use structured six-panel caps for a job, you should be able to get the kind that the buckram can be pulled back. This way, you can print it as an unstructured cap. I recently had to print some structured six-panel caps with fused buckram. I ended up doing them on my cap heat press and they came out great.


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