# squeegee size



## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

What squeegee size would you use for a sceeen with inside dimension of 17"? I'm guessing you want an inch on each side, so 15"??? I'll get two sizes but the larger size should be long enough to cover the largest graphic the screen can handle. If I recall, the outer 1" of the screen is not printable because of screen tension. Is that correct? Thanks...Ross


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

we use 14 inch squeegee's for our manual press. Rarely go bigger than that manually. You do want a buffer on both sides of the design being printed and as you stated the edges for the screen/mesh are not tensioned as the "sweet spot" center of the mesh.


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## snarley (Feb 9, 2007)

Hi Ross, 

Depending on what your screening you need to consider the durometer (hardness) of the blade. 

Soft 50-55 durometers
Medium 60-65 durometers
Hard 70-75 durometers
Very Hard 80- 85 durometers

Soft blades are used with course screens when you want to lay down a lot of ink.
The average job a medium blade 60-65 works fine. 
Fine details work better with a hard blade 70-75.

Blades are available in rubber and polyurethane plastic, most everyone is using polyurethane now

Most blades have a square edge that is used to drive the ink into the fabric
Rounded blades are used to lay the ink on top of the fabric

A lot of printers like the triple durometer blades which have a hard center and a softer edge 70-90-70. They are stiff but have a soft enough edge to lay down a clean deposit of ink.

You will need a squeegee for each screen on multiple color jobs, if you have six screens up you will need six squeegees.

I hope this helps and Good Luck on your printing

Bill M


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## screenxpress (Jun 24, 2007)

I use a lot of printing on screens with about the same inside dimensions using 12 in. squeegies. For smaller designs, I go down in size. No sense in running a 12 or 14 in squeegie on a 6 inch crest print. For that, I'll go down to an 8.

It really comes down to what you're printing. 

And yes, I keep at least an inch to inch and a half from the edges.


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## jundogg (Jul 20, 2007)

my squeegee isn't flat. when placed on the table, little space (light) can be seen in the center part. it's partly concave. will that affect my printing though it will lay flat on the screen when i apply downward pressure when printing? 

thanks


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## Fluid (Jun 20, 2005)

Yes that can cause issues when printing. You will need to press harder which can cause issues on the outer sides of the squeegee areas of the print


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

rrc62 said:


> What squeegee size would you use for a sceeen with inside dimension of 17"? I'm guessing you want an inch on each side, so 15"??? I'll get two sizes but the larger size should be long enough to cover the largest graphic the screen can handle. If I recall, the outer 1" of the screen is not printable because of screen tension. Is that correct? Thanks...Ross


Your squeegee needs to be wider than your image. I add 1" to the images size so you have some tolerance. 

Your blade shouldn't be wider than your platen, or it will score the stencil and it will eventually break down and cause nasty leaks.










Mesh resistance is greater near the frame than it is in the center. 1" from the frame, the force needed to bring the mesh in contact with the shirt is 10 times the force needed to bring the center of the mesh in contact with the shirt. This is one of the reasons why we use flexible blades.

2" from the frame the force required is 5X
3" from the frame the force required is 2X
4" from the frame the force required is the same as the center.

Beware of soft blades. They may bend before the stencil touches the shirt (that may be what you want), but stiffer blades (where you do get to adjust the angle), will resist bending as you bring the mesh in momentary contact with the shirt.

Because mesh resistance varies, so will the blade angle at the ends of the blade as you stroke. Different angles means different deposit especially with soft blades.


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