# White print not smooth



## JewelWebdesign (Oct 23, 2014)

Hi Guys, I have a question about printing white on black tshirts. 

I bought the ryonet white plastisol ink which is super thick. I have several screen 110 and 220 and I believe a 175.

As the ink is so thick I used a curable (forgot what its called) liquid to make the ink more liquid. As it came it's like peanut butter... I dilute it with about 5% of the curable stuff.

Anyway, when I print my white, the print is not coming out smooth. How do you get the nice area coverage that is smooth. 
My print is kind of textured. Is my screen mesh too low?

I print on cotton shirts. Here's is what it looks like. This is on a cotton hoddie. 
http://mototdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/photo.jpg

Can anybody tell me what I'm doing wrong, please?


----------



## Mikey Designs (Sep 20, 2013)

It's called curable reducer.  What type of shirt is that? It kinda of looks like a ringspun cotton shirt, or along those lines. What is going on is called fibrillation. Even though ring spun cotton feels softer, it is actually hard to get a smooth print because the fibers stick up. Cotton tees, like the Gildan 5000, is knitted. Ink tends to lay down smoother.

If the shirts you are using are indeed 100% cotton, try Ryonet's Cotton White Ink called Meteyor white. I have had some great results with it and won't use anything else on cotton tees. For mixed tees, reduce the ink down 10-15%, like you did. Temperature also plays a roll in how the ink flows, or doesn't. If you live in a cold climate, try storing the ink inside where it's room temp.

Another way to combat this problem is to use a open mesh, 110 or 156, print, flash, print. You essential will lay down a thick layer of link, but sometimes that's just what it takes to get a smoother print. You'll never get something near as smooth as say heat transfer vinyl.

I hope this helps.


----------



## Mikey Designs (Sep 20, 2013)

Also, when printing, you want to lay think on top of the garment vs smashing it into the knit. If you're seeing white on your platens, then you're pressing too hard. The second print try using the minimal amount of pressure to lay the ink down and clearing the screen.


----------



## JewelWebdesign (Oct 23, 2014)

Hi Mikey, 
thanks for all your info. The photo is from a Fruit of the Loom Cotton hoddie but I have noticed it on some of the cotton tshirts I have printed as well.

My husband recently got a tshirt that have that pure white but I think it's probably what you mentioned about the vinyl print. That one looks so think it's raised.

I will try that Ryonet Ink for sure, since I don't think I have a choice for the shirts. 
I have a made-to-order website and I need to be able to buy the single tshirt locally when an order comes in to make it more cost effective.


----------



## customapparelpro (May 2, 2014)

Try print flash print. It looks like to me like your only giving it 1-2 pulls.


----------



## sgsellsit (Jul 31, 2008)

On sweat shirts you can use what is called a smoothing screen. For sweats use a 100-125 mesh. After your first clean white base layer and flash have a solid coated, exposed and taped screen with teflon attached to the backside and use your curable reducer and a squeegee. Print like you would any other print. Then print your white again. Smooth as silk. What the smoothing screen does is it pushes the fibers down flush with the hot, pliable ink layer. A little extra work but worth the outcome. Good Luck.


----------



## TownsendScreen (Jun 3, 2012)

Check screen tension and off contact. Improper tension will give you tiny mountains / valleys that you can see well with a magnification loupe. Ink probably isn't clearing the screen properly.


----------



## rwshirts (Dec 5, 2007)

I know it's time consuming, but I will sometimes heat press those troublesome shirts after printing. Coming from a cold weather area, were it's in the single digits all day and below zero at night, it's tough to warm up the shop and equipment and keep it warm. I'll print a black shirt order, white with an over color, and if it feels too rough or "thick", I'll heat press at about 320 for 5 seconds. Flattens the print right out. Could be tough on big orders, but it gets me the right feel during the cold printing months. I have a 3000 sf shop with 12 1/2 foot ceilings, so it's hard to keep the ambient air totally equal throughout the shop. Printing whites on black gets easier as the outside temps warm up. 

Just my take on this problem.


----------



## JewelWebdesign (Oct 23, 2014)

So, I have now received the meteor ink and I will try it today. 

When I was shopping for it I was reading about how this ink needed less preparation then other plastisol inks to be ready to use. 
"it's more stable in hot and cold printing conditions and doesn't need as much prep work or mixing as traditional plastisol white inks."

So, here is where maybe my problem comes from as well. I'm learning this by doing and have no education on how to really do it. Am I supposed to warm up the ink and mix it every time? 

I live in Vista, California and it's usually not too cold here but as I'm printing in my storage shed, temps can be around 60. Is there a temperature that is needed for good print? 

Sorry I'm pretty ignorant about all of this....


----------



## JewelWebdesign (Oct 23, 2014)

Hi Everett, I don't think I understand the teflon part. Is the teflon a blank screen that is used to flatten out the base layer? Kind if like the heat press somebody mentioned just without the heat?


----------



## wearfareco (Apr 7, 2015)

When laying down the second print, don't apply as much pressure as the 1st print.
Try 65 Duro squeegee


----------



## tommcana (Mar 24, 2015)

Which ink better on ti-shirt printing check it like cotton material etc etc.


----------

