# Keeping stretch garments stuck on pallet/platen while printing



## potatrick (Jul 15, 2012)

Hello all, I have had a few orders now for decent size print (7in x 9in) on sheer rib racerback tanks, Bella 8770L, 98% cotton / 2% spandex.

Despite trying different adhesives, I still can't get more than 3 printed before the tanks start to stick to my screens while printing. I have plenty of off-contact and plenty of adhesive on there. I've found the water based adhesive to be the tackiest thus far, but even that isn't enough. Is there a special technique for extra stretchy garments or do you just re-apply tack that often?

I'm worried because a customer just placed an order for very pricey tech running shirts that have a fair amount of spandex in them. I really can't afford much spoilage with these. Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks!


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## Omni (Mar 28, 2012)

Not sure what your printing specs are.....Are you doing multi-color prints with flashing between prints?....How thick of a print are you doing and what colors are you printing?.....What is the nature of the screen sticking?.....Is it sticking to the printed ink?......Are you printing wet on wet?......If any of the above is the case: try pre-flashing your garment, letting it cool down.....Then begin with your 1st color and flash.....You will then need the flashed print to cool down, so be prepared to spend extra time on this portion of the gig......As a flashed print cools down, its' tackiness goes away.....And try not to flash too long, as it will require even more time to cool down before printing the next color.....In addition.....if your platens get too hot over time, the prints after flash will take much more time to cool down.....Fan might help this also.....It does not sound like a problem with your board adhesive......Also too long of a flash time can shift your garment, which could cause registration problems of the other colors printed, which is another reason I like to pre-flash when working with stretchable garments.....But 2% spandex shouldn't be that much of a problem.....Sometimes certain print jobs just have to be treated with patience and allowing extra time is quite often the secret.....Not all jobs are slammmers........So hopefully you charged more for these than a regular T-shirt job.....Hope this helps............


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## potatrick (Jul 15, 2012)

Thanks for taking the time to respond. They are four color prints, registration is not a problem. I am flashing in between colors. I think the issue is that I'm doing a full size white underbase, obviously the white is very tacky. The garment on top of being stretchy has that light fuzz to it so just doesn't stick well. The center tends to lift when pulling the white screen back up after a print. So I end up getting a 3 sq in area that comes loose after the underbase. My off contact is plenty high too. : /


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## Omni (Mar 28, 2012)

potatrick said:


> Thanks for taking the time to respond. They are four color prints, registration is not a problem. I am flashing in between colors. I think the issue is that I'm doing a full size white underbase, obviously the white is very tacky. The garment on top of being stretchy has that light fuzz to it so just doesn't stick well. The center tends to lift when pulling the white screen back up after a print. So I end up getting a 3 sq in area that comes loose after the underbase. My off contact is plenty high too. : /


OK.....white underbase is certainly an issue.....Are you making an extremely opaque underbase?........What mesh count screen for the white?.....What ink brand of white are you using, and how stiff or thick is it?..Print cadence, ie are you doing a print/flash/print for an opaque underbase? If this is the case then, as I suspected earlier, it is gonna be a time/patience thing for you......depending on the color of shirt, for an opaque underbase, I will use anything from a 110 to 156 mesh count screen......flood/print/print/flash/flood/print/flash.....let cool....may require a little more time to cool......and also try to keep platens cool during the process.....The amount of cotton 98% is good because you will not have dye migration or bleeding problems from the shirt to the white ink......which may also allow you to use a slightly higher mesh count to reduce ink thickness and still be opaque....What kind of white ink are you using?......This job is easily done, with the main idea of taking your time and being patient to minimize heat buildup, especially on your plattens......Then I will use 156 or higher for my overlay colors with flashes in between, AND also allowing sufficient cooling down time before going into my next colors......This whole deal is ALL about being patient and allowing for MORE cool down time.......When your subsequent colors screens snap off the printed image cleanly, you will then realize the virtue of patience, and even though it will take longer to accomplish......your reject rate will be way down and you will save time and money in the long-run......Try explaining this to an impatient production manager or boss who is only concerned with getting jobs printed out as FAST as possible........


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## StarDesigns (Aug 4, 2013)

One thing to try. Go to a hardware store and buy a can of silicone spray. Spray the shirt side of the problem screens. You may have to reapply adequate times during the run depending upon the number of shirts.


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## miktoxic (Feb 21, 2008)

StarDesigns said:


> One thing to try. Go to a hardware store and buy a can of silicone spray. Spray the shirt side of the problem screens. You may have to reapply adequate times during the run depending upon the number of shirts.


wouldn't the silicone spray leave an oily residue on the shirt that would be visible after curing?

just wondering....


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## Omni (Mar 28, 2012)

No....Silicone spray can alleviate the kind of problem that Star Designs mentioned without problems of oily residue. But it is not a substitute for proper flash curing and cool down timing.... You spray in on lightly on screens that print the colors after the undercolor, generally the 3rd and 4th color. Those are the screens that tend to stick to the 2nd color print and beyond.....You can also spray it onto a rag, then gently buff it onto screen print sides....However, potatricks' problem has more to do with the shirt lifting during the printing process of the 1st color down ( white underbase ).....Silicone spray will not be of use for this particular problem.....You can also use an unscented dusting spray like Endust......Combined with proper flashing and cool down, silicone can be an excellent addition to the process.


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## potatrick (Jul 15, 2012)

Never heard of using silicone before. As mentioned it's not really ink sticking to ink; it's the first pass of ink to a very stretchy/lightweight garment.

I'm using IC white plastisol with about 5% reducer through a 200 mesh screen, print/flash/print. Followed by my 3 overlay colors all using 200 mesh with a single print/flash. No wet on wet. So far the best way I've avoided issues is to do about 10 pulls on the first print so I get the ink completely flattened down on the garment. If there is the slightest hint of fibrillation on these shirts, they come right up. I guess the plus side is that the expensive stretchy athletic jerseys I'll be printing this week won't have the fibrillation issue.

I understand letting the pallet cool down a bit so the inks aren't sticking, but doesn't that render the adhesive a little less effective?


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## debbbbsy (Jan 11, 2011)

Hi

I print a large design onto the bella vests, its a pink onto black vests so i do a print flash print in the pink, and i totally understand the problem you are having.

Some tacks work better than others. I use metal platons, and I find once the platon is warm the tack works better.

I also have added a touch of expanding base to the ink. Bella vests are quite stretchy, some plastisol inks will adhere to the fabric, but will not stretch with it, so your print will crack. Add a touch of expanding base, the ink stretches with the fabric. Don't add too much.

It is all about patience, you will have to give about 2/3 hard pushes of the squeegee on your base print because of the coursness of the weave and lift the screen slowly to prevent the shirt lifting. Spot dry, and when cool ( I speed base so its cool by the time it comes round), your top print is one quick pull across with pressure.

Debbie


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## Omni (Mar 28, 2012)

potatrick said:


> Never heard of using silicone before. As mentioned it's not really ink sticking to ink; it's the first pass of ink to a very stretchy/lightweight garment.
> 
> I'm using IC white plastisol with about 5% reducer through a 200 mesh screen, print/flash/print. Followed by my 3 overlay colors all using 200 mesh with a single print/flash. No wet on wet. So far the best way I've avoided issues is to do about 10 pulls on the first print so I get the ink completely flattened down on the garment. If there is the slightest hint of fibrillation on these shirts, they come right up. I guess the plus side is that the expensive stretchy athletic jerseys I'll be printing this week won't have the fibrillation issue.
> 
> I understand letting the pallet cool down a bit so the inks aren't sticking, but doesn't that render the adhesive a little less effective?


OK......Sounds like you are looking for an opaque white underbase, yet still want to maintain a softer hand on that underbase than a bulletproof underbase that would result from a 110 or courser mesh.....200 is way too high to get a clean ink shear through the screen, hence the multiple strokes......I would drop that 200 mesh for your underbase white to a 137 to 156 at the highest. The 200 mesh is not allowing a clean release of the ink and that is why your shirt is pulling off the pallet....Ink still left in the screen is sticking to some of the ink that did transfer to the shirt, thereby pulling the shirt up......Also, the 137-156 will lay down a better layer of ink, shear through your screen more effectively and cleanly, and give you a better chance at reducing your fibrillation issue.....In addition, you will experience a smoother underbase print with less squeegee pressure.....Use a 70 durometer squeegee blade. Those ten strokes through a 200 mesh that you speak of are gonna cause you nothing but problems and a fairly poor print, with bleeding edges and uneven looking ink laydown in the long run......I know of the IC white that you speak of and it is a fairly stringy formulation, ie, not a short bodied ink with good shearing properties....This is another good reason to lower your mesh counts that will better enable you to get the smooth print you desire in order to print your other colors onto.....Any pock marks or divots in your white underbase will translate into glitches or white spots showing through your top colors, so you do need as smooth of a white print as you can get......Another problem with a 200 for your underbase is that you probably do not have a very thick stencil, which also limits the effectiveness in getting a smooth print for your top colors to print onto......With the 137-156s try coating the shirt side of your screens with emulsion again x2 after first coat dries......Set them to dry, print side up....Increase you exposure time by about 20%.......This will build your stencils' thickness and allow for a better print layer.....And do a print/flash/print......For the top colors I would use 156-175 mesh count, depending on the amount of detail.....Halftones may require 195s or higher, but I am not sure what your design consists of.....One last thing: your arms and wrists will be a hell of a lot less sore after the job than they would be with 10 strokes through those 200s......Experimentation and experience is the key here, and given enough time, you will figure it out.....I hope this helps....Edit.....No to your question on allowing your boards to cool having an adverse effect on your spray adhesive....The gumminess created by excessive heat buildup is part of the problem.....Actually, hot, gummy spray tack sets the stage MORE for the shirt to be pulled up and can also allow the shirt to move while under the flash cure unit, which could result in out of register prints. In addition, you may find later in the run, with excessive heat, overheated spray adhesive quite often will stick to the shirts inside when you remove it from your pallet......Then you will need baby powder to emeliorate that problem.....


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