# how to clean water base inks out of screen



## InkedApparel (Mar 18, 2009)

ok ..... whats the trick to getting water based inks out of the screen ...this stuff dries in like 2 minutes...... i have 4 screens I cant get clean.....any help for the screens or do I have to throw them away....?

Inked


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## TshirtGuru (Jul 9, 2008)

InkedApparel said:


> ok ..... whats the trick to getting water based inks out of the screen ...this stuff dries in like 2 minutes...... i have 4 screens I cant get clean.....any help for the screens or do I have to throw them away....?
> 
> Inked


Water and pressure washer is all you need.


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## InkedApparel (Mar 18, 2009)

I will try it tomorrow morning at the car wash

Thanks

Inked


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## Unkle Samo (Feb 27, 2008)

I use a 1500 psi pressure cleaner ($100 @ Home Depot) and Simple Green... but, I use it on site at my warehouse. I don't know about days later and taking it to a car wash.


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## dk8100 (Nov 20, 2008)

They need to be washed out of the screen pretty quickly. I have found that the longer I wait the more work it is to get them out and also the more of a haze they leave in the screen. One of the first screens I picked up has terrible haze because I left the ink in the screen too long repeatedly. Multiple applications of haze remover won't even take it out. Pressure helps a lot though the important thing is to get the screens washed out quickly. Another option is to make sure they stay wet. When I do larger runs of WB inks I keep a spray bottle handy with water in it and hit each screen with a fine mist every few prints after the backflood stroke. This needs to be done more frequently with opaque white ink from my experience. You have to strike a balance between spraying too much(i.e. making the ink too runny and having blotchy prints) and having too much water evaporate and the screen drying. I have done runs of 30 or more with opaque white WB ink and my prints came out fine. When you are taking the screens off of the press if you are not going to wash them out immediatly I would spray them with water on both sides.


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## frankiko (Jun 13, 2008)

have you try ordinary laundry detergent (powder)?
a cup of it and mix it with water... and then use soft sponge.
works for me.


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## dk8100 (Nov 20, 2008)

frankiko said:


> have you try ordinary laundry detergent (powder)?
> a cup of it and mix it with water... and then use soft sponge.
> works for me.



I think I'll try that out. I have used a rag for on press ink changes to get old ink out of the open mesh. I ran into a problem with the emulsion tearing away after too many scrubbings so I like to try a sponge to see if it is more gentle. Probably a good idea to be prepared to try frankikos method out when you run by the car wash Inked. That and the pressure should take care of it.


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## ImpressionzPrint (Sep 11, 2008)

You want to wash away the ink as fast as possible once done printing. If so, a small amount of water pressure should clear the screen without a problem. 

The screen breaking down is a totally different animal. You will want to use an emulsion that is made for WB inks. We have a great emulsion that works great for us; the only negative is we cannot hold lines higher than 55pli. The strong screen is worth the loss in resolution and we can run a few thousand shirts without the screen breaking down. 

Experimenting is key here......


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## johnmurphyd (Jan 30, 2020)

First, you can try applying rubbing alcohol onto the ink stain, with a cotton swab, if you're working with a fabric. After firmly pressing, be sure to rinse the garment to remove the alcohol. If this ink removal technique isn't working, try repeating the same process using nail polish remover or acetone. 

You should checkout this article if you need more info. Hope this helps.


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