# 4 color 1 station help!!!!



## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

Is it worth it to buy a 4 color 1 station screen printing station, rather than have a "ghetto" 1 color table rig at home? Are the prints more likely to come out looking better? Is it worth the $300.? Is it faster, more efficient, and more consistant for wanting to start a shirt business? Does anybody know the pros of these stations? Please fill me in on what you guys think about this?


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

it depends. do you anly do one color, and if you do two think how much easier it would be to to both at the same time instead of setting it up twice. IMO


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## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

I'm only doing one color right now, but I plan to do more. I'm just looking for something that is more consistant, prints better, and will work awesome as long as my technique is sound.


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

WELL THAN i think getting a four color will be good for you because wiyh one color you limit your self. i am in the same situation except deciding if i need a 6 color instead of a four. but it seems a lot of people do just fine with 1 to 3 color jobs


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## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

Awesome. My biggest concern really is not how many colors it does, maybe that will be later. What I'm worried about, is whetheror not one of these stations will help make the process more reliable and with more consistant prints. Basically I'm wondering if the setup you have or the technique you have is more important? If your setup is very solid, holds the shirt in place, screen is above the shirt at the right height, will all you need to get down is your squeegee inking and swiping technique? I'd like to be at a point where almost every print is perfect instead of the opposite. My table setup is pretty "ghetto" right now, and I think that's whats making the prints mess up, not my technique. I'm wondering if anybody has gone from like a table top setup to a real screenprinting station and had drastic result differences?


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

try to fing one that has micro registration on it that will help your prints to be cocistant. is there any certain press you are looking at


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## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

Yeah, it's from www.*logos*sp.com/ and it's the $350. one. It's not very expensive, but I don't have a lot to spend. I'm buying it because I got frustrated with my "ghetto" rig. Can you look at it and tell me what you think?


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

with these kinds i noticed they dont have adjustments f to make registration moves. you pretty much have to loosen up the screen and wiggle it around until you get it registered but it should hold once it is set up. the reason why i havent bought mine yet because everyone was telling me to get one with the micro registration but if you dont have the money, you got to start somewhere. by the why i looked at several sites and this were i probably going to get mine from. 

Screen Printing Manual Press, Screen Printing Table Top Press, Bench Printing Press, 4 Color Printing Press, 1 Color Printing Press


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## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

Wow, that looks really nice! Thanks! How many prints have you done? How long have you been doing this?


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

im still a newbe i havnt been doing that much i use the equipment at the college were i take classes. i got my money together so know im just deciding on which one i accually want to buy. im pretty sure some more people will chime in later and give there advise.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Kwelp,

It sounds like you are more concerned about quality printing than whether it is a 1 or 4 station setup?

If that is the case, even a 1 station press will probably help you out. They are certainly much cheaper. It just depends how soon you plan on getting into more than 1 color. If it's soon, then it makes sense to purchase the 4 station. But if it is just a future dream to do multi-color, you would probably do better than your ghetto setup even with a 1 station.


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## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

Great advice. Thanks. I'm getting the 4 color just in case for down the road, but I really just want to be able to make consistant prints without wasting shirts from messups.


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## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

Hey 2 strong, does using proffesional equipment help make better prints, being a newbie like me?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Kwelp68 said:


> Hey 2 strong, does using proffesional equipment help make better prints, being a newbie like me?


I'll add my two cents. With professional equipment, my mess up rate on silkscreening is probably 1 out of 1,000 items, if that.

What's yours


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## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

Kwelp68 said:


> Yeah, it's from www.*logos*sp.com/ and it's the $350. one. It's not very expensive, but I don't have a lot to spend. I'm buying it because I got frustrated with my "ghetto" rig. Can you look at it and tell me what you think?


I have the same press you're looking at. It works just fine. Registration is tight and consistent. Micro registration would be nice, but the same results can be achieved on this press, it just takes a little longer. You have to check your registration marks, tighten, recheck...and repeat if it's not dead nuts. If you're printing one color, registration shouldn't be an issue anyway.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Kwelp68 said:


> Basically I'm wondering if the setup you have or the technique you have is more important?


Technique, hands down. But that doesn't mean the right equipment won't help you lift your game. Because it will.


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

As someone who got started printing with less than professional equipment, I'd say take your time and look for a used tabletop unit from a better manufacturer such as Vastex, AWT, or Odyssey. It'll cost you more, but you might actually get some use out of it, and I can tell you that if you get a press without micros that are halfway decent, set-ups are a hit and miss proposition. I spent 4 hours once setting up a 3-color job on a press with sh!!ty micros. The press held registration good, and the art was good, but I was about ready to throw in the towel. The frustration of dealing with the many and sundry hurdles to getting good results is what drives most people out of this business before they ever really start. The hard-headed ones amongst us who like to work in a hot garage then get a slight reprieve when we get to scoop up those barely-used presses at a good price, and our job becomes just a little easier. You're probably gonna have to spend 2 - 3 times $350 to get something used that's usable, but better to save your pennies now than to wind up with something that's not much above ghetto, and about as frustrating. You should be able to get your technique down pretty well with a homemade 1-color press, and hopefully by then have the scratch to buy something decent. Take your time, don't let the urge to "buy something" push you into something that isn't going to help you improve.


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## Kwelp68 (Oct 25, 2007)

Thank you for all your guy's input. These answers are just what I needed. I'm a very stubborn, obsessive, and hard headed individual, so I'll work work work untill I figure this out.


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## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

If money is tight, I would spend it on a good exposure unit before a high dollar press. If you can't expose a decent screen, the best press in the world won't help you. A good exposure unit DOES make a difference.


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## Ujudgnme2 (Mar 28, 2006)

what' is consider a good exposure unit. I hope to spend around $200 - $500 for one.


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## Sheepsalt (Sep 12, 2007)

A better quality press WILL give better, more consistent prints. 

That said, the presses from Logos really aren't bad, as long as you're not trying to do multi-color half-tones and jobs requiring micro registration. You need to be a little mechanical - there are a few simple modification that can be made to make them even better.

However, you can often find some great deals on used equipment - watch Craigslist, ebay, etc. I saw a 4-color 4-station Rototex press, which is one of the best quality presses you can get, go for $450 on ebay this past summer. That press costs many thousands new, so there are definitely deals to be had if you are patient.

If you're not doing multi-color half-tones (like 4-color process or simulated process color stuff) the exposure unit is allot less critical.


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## Divinitee (May 5, 2007)

2STRONG said:


> try to fing one that has micro registration on it that will help your prints to be cocistant. is there any certain press you are looking at


 
I am a newbie...What exactly is micro registration?


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

splathead said:


> I'll add my two cents. With professional equipment, my mess up rate on silkscreening is probably 1 out of 1,000 items, if that.
> 
> What's yours


Wow, you're like a human machine! Or even better than the automatics. Or just not very picky .

I've been printing for a couple years and I'll admit I still mess up a LOT more than 1 out of 1000 shirts. Of course my "mess-ups" might be acceptable to others.

But at any rate, for you newbies, don't expect to print every shirt perfect. You will have messups. Many printers plan on a waste factor of something like 2-3%, some higher, some lower.


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Divinitee said:


> I am a newbie...What exactly is micro registration?


Micro-registration is used for doing multi-color prints. Without micro, you have to print the first color, and then try to line up the 2nd screen by hand to print in right registration with the 1st color. Then you tighten the screen down. Inevitably, after eyeballing and tightening, it will not be in perfect registration, unless you get really lucky. Micro-registration, has dials or knobs that allow you to make fine adjustments to your screen registration to get them into "perfect" registration.

Does that make sense?


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## scottlanes (Sep 23, 2007)

i was looking at the Jennings tabletop unit because you can buy it with 2 colors now and add 2 more colors later. You can also add micro registration later if i read it right. They also have a buyback policy that says they will give you 75% of the purchase price twords a better machine. 

All that sounds good to me. I'm shopping for my first press too . I posted a few weeks ago asking about jenning stuff but i think it got deleted for some reason, maybe i broke a posting rule

i love this site....


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

scottlanes said:


> i was looking at the Jennings tabletop unit because you can buy it with 2 colors now and add 2 more colors later. You can also add micro registration later if i read it right. They also have a buyback policy that says they will give you 75% of the purchase price twords a better machine.
> 
> All that sounds good to me. I'm shopping for my first press too . I posted a few weeks ago asking about jenning stuff but i think it got deleted for some reason, maybe i broke a posting rule
> 
> i love this site....


The buyback policy is a very good thing. Just be sure to read the details to make sure you qualify and how long of a period it lasts. Because if you get into printing, you will want to upgrade.


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## jlcanterbury (Jul 26, 2007)

my first one color press was from the same manufacturer as the one you are looking at on logos... my experiences weren't great. It was only a one color press so i didn't have to deal with registration, but even one color jobs would "off print" many time on the second stroke.

The printing arm wasn't sturdy enough, and it moved very slightly with each pass, thus ruining my chance of a crisp print unless I nailed it on the first stroke (so yes, technique is also important)

The press I have now is a Riley Hopkins 4 color one station, so it is just what you are looking for and it is much higher in quality than the one offered at logos. Trust me, because i have used both. The Hopkins ais more expensive, but it is money well spent, and will be very worth it in terms of product results. I placed a link below if you would like to see the press at silkscreeningsupplies.com. (if you are near southern california check craigslist there is one listed) Riley Hopkins Econo Series 4 Color 1 Station Table Top Press

Hope this helps, I did a lot of looking to find the best combination of value and quality, and I believe the Riley Hopkins is just that...


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

jlcanterbury said:


> I did a lot of looking to find the best combination of value and quality, and I believe the Riley Hopkins is just that...


Agreed. The Riley Hopkins is a very good press for the money, and great for a beginner. I have a RH Win 6/4 now and it does a good job for me. There are a lot of better presses out there, but you will pay a lot more for them.


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## stunn (Sep 6, 2006)

jlcanterbury said:


> Riley Hopkins Econo Series 4 Color 1 Station Table Top Press
> 
> any way to add micro registration to that press? whats the chepes press with micro registration?
> 
> quote]


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## doskalata (May 16, 2010)

the ryonet silver press is the only table top press iv seen with miro registration as an option, they come in variations of 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, 4:2, and 6:2. and micros for about $100 a color. im a beginner who just about killed himself trying to learn with a yudu, and i anxiously await the day i get my 6 color 2 station from ryonet.


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## 13Graphics (Jul 20, 2009)

scottlanes said:


> i was looking at the Jennings tabletop unit because you can buy it with 2 colors now and add 2 more colors later. You can also add micro registration later if i read it right. They also have a buyback policy that says they will give you 75% of the purchase price twords a better machine.
> 
> All that sounds good to me. I'm shopping for my first press too . I posted a few weeks ago asking about jenning stuff but i think it got deleted for some reason, maybe i broke a posting rule
> 
> i love this site....


I have a jennings 4/1 press. It's an older one, but no real difference from the newer ones. The good thing about it is that it's built like a boat anchor. It's solid as hell, and will last forever. The bad side is it doesn't have micros. It does hold registration pretty well, and I rarely have to adjust during a run.

I wouldn't pay what jennings charges though. $1600+ for a 4 color 1 station press? Used for $500 maybe, but not new. Their buyback has no time limit, but still.


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