# How do YOU get great smooth white prints on darks?



## tryplecrown (Jan 24, 2007)

I sent an email earlier to Screenanator, but thought I'd throw this out to to everyone here. I'm curious if all of you pros here can share your setup / technique for printing the perfect white print on a dark shirt. From what I've researched, it may be different for a cotton vs. 50/50. So what's your setup /technique for each? Some things I'm trying to understand are:


* Your preferred mesh count?

Your preferred ink brand / line (specifically)?

Any additives used?

Off Contact?

Any special emulsion coating techniques? (extra coats on print side?)

Squeegee technique, number of pulls, etc...?

Flash method (time / temp of flash)?

Cure time and temp?

Any other tips or tricks (ie. misting with water)?* 


The reason I'm asking is that I've searched this board and others and have found some info. I spent all of yesterday afternoon testing my Union Diamond White through 110 and 160 with a 70 dur squeegee... tried various combos of additives (reducer... even some soft hand)... different print techniques, flash times... Every time it came out rough. This is on 100% cotton (Gildan Metro Blue). My guess is that I need a different white, OR that my cure temp is way too high. I think it's hitting close to 350 to 370. The print just always feels rough to the touch and looks like it's sort of puffed up when it comes out of the dryer. When I printed on a black pellon, it was still always a thick deposit, but when cured just under my flash, it came out very smooth, almost glossy, very smooth to the touch. On a shirt though, my prints are always super thick and sort of rough.

WHITE PRINTS ARE MY NEMESIS!!!!!  Please help me become friends with the white print.


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## identityburn (Feb 24, 2006)

I know what you mean, sometimes my white prints are rough too. What I've found is if you thin down the ink it helps quite a bit because the screen doesn't stick to the shirt at all.

Also make sure when you're pulling the squeegee back (the print stroke) you clear the screen, meaning you don't leave any ink deposits in the stencil. I've found if you print slower you'll leave more ink behind.

When I worked at a t-shirt shop awhile back, the printers would heat press them after the cure and it would make them really smooth, almost rubbery in appearance.


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

The heat press trick does work....almost looks like vinyl


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## neato (Mar 21, 2006)

White prints can be tough in the beginning. But after a while, you just dont' even think about it. Here's what I do:

Your preferred mesh count? 158 - 230 

Your preferred ink brand / line (specifically)? WM Plastics Ultimate White or One Stroke EJ Special White

Any additives used? Usually, no. Sometimes I'll add a little (very little) reducer if I'm printing through 230 mesh for a soft hand.

Off Contact? 1/8 inch or a little more.

Any special emulsion coating techniques? (extra coats on print side?) Nope. I coat once each side and then scrape once each side (Always ending on the ink side)

Squeegee technique, number of pulls, etc...? I have found that pushing works a lot better. Normally, for the first print, I have to go about 3 times to clear the screen. After flashing, it will only take 2 pushes to clear it. And that is the key right there, you HAVE to clear the screen of ink. That's the secret to nice white prints. Look closely at your screen before you lift it. If there is still ink in it, you might need to do a slower pass or even a little more pressure and angle to get all of the ink onto this shirt.

Flash method (time / temp of flash)? Depends on the ink and your flash unit. Anywhere from 6-12 seconds. Just touch the ink with your finger. If any sticks, it's not flashed enough. But you also don't want to flash it too long. Just enough to gel the top.

Cure time and temp? Read the ink directions

Any other tips or tricks (ie. misting with water)? I would never mist plastisol with water.


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## mreicher (Aug 10, 2006)

I use 110 to 280 mesh, design dependent and not color dependent.
I use ALOT of soft hand with white. Probably 40-50% soft hand. I mix it up until I get the consistence I want. Not too runny, but smooth and creamy. 

I start with a heavy flood stroke followed by a fast, dry stroke to shear the ink and keep it from getting too thick. Like posted earlier the screen MUST be cleared of ink otherwise the residual will 'tear' off from the ink on the shirt and that will give a rough feel. The ink has been torn off and not sheared off by the squeegee.

I use whatever my local supplier has on sale at the time. I find the viscosity of the ink is the most critical for me so brand doesn't matter.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

neato said:


> tryplecrown said:
> 
> 
> > Any other tips or tricks (ie. misting with water)?
> ...


It's the shirts people sometimes mist (to tamp down the fibres) rather than the ink or screen.


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## hawaiianphatboy (Apr 28, 2008)

The heat press trick does work....almost looks like vinyl
__________________How exactly due you heat press the design. I have tried this using a teflon sheet only to have the design ruined due to sticking to the teflon. I have heard about this, but have not yet been able to get it to work. Mahalo for the advice.


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## jezhangun (May 31, 2008)

*Your preferred mesh count?...*
*110-230 depends on what I'm doing*

*Your preferred ink brand / line (specifically)? *
*I use wilflex "Extreme White" or union ink "Poly White" but there are other good inks*

*Any additives used?*
*sometimes curable reducer for light colored shirts grey etc..absolutely never when I need opacity...NEVER EVER ...scientist make the ink perfectly don't mess with it*

*Off Contact?*
*1/16 to 1/4" depends on facrors...the rule "just barely enough to snap the screen out of the ink deposit after the squigee goes by" *

*Any special emulsion coating techniques? (extra coats on print side?) *
*I always coat every screen the same 2 coats per side with the dull edge no scrapes..KIWO POLY PLUS "S" dyed ..a very high solids content emulsion ( I'm trying to duplicate a 50 micron capillary film )*

*Squeegee technique, number of pulls, etc...? *
*typical first print cycle... 2 strokes flood if needed ...second print cycle ...1-2 strokes depends on things*
*(ALWAYS clear the mesh everytime before proceeding) *

*Flash method (time / temp of flash)? *
*whatever it takes to get the ink in the 190* range *

*Cure time and temp?*
*whatever it takes to get the ink into the 330-350 range for as long as it takes to fully cure the ink film...dryers and fabrics and inks all vary...do not be fooled into a one size fits all dryer setting*

*Any other tips or tricks (ie. misting with water)?* I like to stand on my head and say the pledge of alligiance if that doesn't work a voodoo priestess is helpful....

Here are some things every shop should have but generally don't

heat temperature gun...75.00 at the hardware store
heat tapes ( stick em on the shirt and run em thru the dryer)
magnifying loupe ( so you can see whats really going on )

all of these things are available from your supplier, use them and take the voodoo out of production....its mechanics not magic


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

perrolocodesigns said:


> The heat press trick does work....almost looks like vinyl


What time / temp do you use?

I've run into trouble before having to add vinyl to a screenprinted shirt and melting the ink on my teflon sheet.


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## easyrider1340 (Jan 16, 2007)

I, too, was having trouble initially. ...so much that I tried to talk some clients out of white on xxx color (but I'm small time, anyway).

I tried spraying water on the shirt - really, no effect.

I tried ironing the shirt after I had it lined up on the pallet - that seemed to make a slight improvement, however it took too much time and effort.

Last night, I paid more attention to my off-contact. I had always eyeballed it in the past, but I realized that I wasn't completely clearing the screen. ...I thought I was, but due to lack of experience I wasn't. So I raised off-contact a little more, and voila - much better white to the touch.

You noobs (like me) need to REALLY confirm that you are clearing the screen and the off-contact is where the experts here have suggested.

It does make a difference.

Terry (been printing for about 1 year)


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## Tj Ryonet Tech (Jul 28, 2008)

Let's talk about making a screen for optimal coverage on a dark shirt. There are two main factors that come into play, those are mesh count and stencil (emulsion) thickness. For optimal coverage on dark you'll want to use a 110-156 mesh (156 mesh for more detailed designs). If you would like to print an extremely thick coat of ink (on a jersey for instance) you may consider using an 86 or even a 60 mesh. For most prints, a 110 mesh will work great! One of the main tricks to get great in coverage on a garment is stencil thickness. The thickness of your emulsion directly dictates the thickness of ink laid onto the garment. Picture your screen stencil as a well, it only holds as much ink as the well is deep. With one pass, the maximum ink coverage you will achieve will be the thickness of your emulsion. Coating the screen multiple times on the shirt side or outside of the screen will create a thicker stencil and thus yield more ink and better coverage. You must buildup your emulsion on the outside of the screen, if you coat the inside of the screen, then you'll have to push through the stencil and work against yourself. To make an optimal screen for white, coat the screen once on the outside and once on the inside, let dry, coat again on the outside, let dry, and coat one final time on the outside. Also it is best if you use the round end of your scoop coater to lay more emulsion down. Keep in mind that since you are using a thicker emulsion, you'll have to increase your exposure time in order to thoroughly expose the screen. We recommend using a dual cure emulsion for the easiest results and post hardening the screen after washout.


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## spankthafunk (Apr 9, 2007)

I've tried what you are talking about but I just end up with real thick prints of nice ink, or thin prints of rough ink. How do people get thin, soft hand layers of white ink on black shirts? Is it just laying down a thin layer, curing, and then laying down another thin layer?


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## jezhangun (May 31, 2008)

spankthafunk said:


> I've tried what you are talking about but I just end up with real thick prints of nice ink, or thin prints of rough ink. How do people get thin, soft hand layers of white ink on black shirts? Is it just laying down a thin layer, curing, and then laying down another thin layer?


that is one way, but it will never be "soft and opaque" at the same time because plastisol ink is a plastic....for a true softhand white on black most people nowadays are using discharge ink ...wich is a ink formula that "bleaches" the dye from the garment returning it to white fabric and then replacing the color with the pigment color of the ink red, yellow,whatever color etc...


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## spankthafunk (Apr 9, 2007)

Thanks Dave!


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## neato (Mar 21, 2006)

spankthafunk said:


> I've tried what you are talking about but I just end up with real thick prints of nice ink, or thin prints of rough ink. How do people get thin, soft hand layers of white ink on black shirts? Is it just laying down a thin layer, curing, and then laying down another thin layer?


Waterbased!


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## adriatic (May 5, 2011)

jezhangun said:


> that is one way, but it will never be "soft and opaque" at the same time because plastisol ink is a plastic....for a true softhand white on black most people nowadays are using discharge ink ...wich is a ink formula that "bleaches" the dye from the garment returning it to white fabric and then replacing the color with the pigment color of the ink red, yellow,whatever color etc...


Not necessarily

Here is one result of soft hand on dark silk. Transfer from inkjet


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## LoneWolf2 (Aug 10, 2007)

You do realize you just responded to a thread where the last reply was from 2008, right?
That transfer looks like poop too.


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## adriatic (May 5, 2011)

LoneWolf2 said:


> You do realize you just responded to a thread where the last reply was from 2008, right?
> That transfer looks like poop too.


I am talking about soft hand on silk on dark effect Can you give me your result for comparison. 

Just scratch it that we can see how much it is soft hand.

About image quality we will talk later. So you would be able to compare it to this quality. And see advancement and difference with a different inkjet ink. One is off shelf and the other would be optimized for this application.

Right?


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## williekid (Apr 22, 2009)

whip up your white ink really really good, possibly add some soft hand, brand new screen 150-160 mesh count. flood/print/flash/print (no second flood is necessary). Everyone has their own preference. What works best for you. Also a good squeegee blade helps, with the correct pressure of the stoke. And id say about an eight of an inch off contact.


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## bpfohler (Jun 7, 2009)

110-180
Performance Avalanche White
3-5% curable reducer
Ergo-Force 64 euro squeegee (purple blade)
Pull to load-2 strokes- flash- repeat
Off contact 1/4"+. All this talk about 1/32" IMHO is BS


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## Siux (Jun 20, 2011)

hawaiianphatboy said:


> The heat press trick does work....almost looks like vinyl
> __________________How exactly due you heat press the design. I have tried this using a teflon sheet only to have the design ruined due to sticking to the teflon. I have heard about this, but have not yet been able to get it to work. Mahalo for the advice.



if the plastisol stick on the teflon its because you have a poor precure

precure more
more press presure
and wait a few second before take off a teflon paper
if you wish can probe with a transfer plastisol transfer paper to uncoated finish


im use 300f / 150c of temp


sorry for my english


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## ceganjr (Feb 24, 2020)

Heat Press at 330 for 3-5 sec and be sure to use teflon sheet over the print...any longer than 5 sec and you run the potential for ruining your print....this is a good idea for minimal amount of shirts, but if you're doing 100+ shirts could get old fast....take the time to figure out your print on press before adding more work to yourself.


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## sublial (Mar 24, 2011)

WHITE TONER & Image Clip paper for dark cotton.
I use white toner with a cheap Oki mono printer to print onto Neenah inage clip paper for dark cotton. 
It is fast and has a soft hand when pressed.
no screens or weeding required.
More expensive then screen printing but great for small runs.
AL


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