Printing on shirt pockets can be a bit of a pain for those new to screen printing. Here are some easy tips to help.
As a screen printer we always try and find ways to make our lives easier when it comes to printing t-shirts. Any shortcut that we can use that will speed up the screen printing process always helps. In my opinion the number one thing on everyone’s wish list would be to find screen printing ink that you only have to print once when printing on dark garments and being able to avoid a ‘print - flash - print’ process. Well, this is the real world and the reality is that it’s not going to happen (at least not any time soon).
However, there are some tricks and
tips that screen printers have learned throughout the years to help with this
issue, and today ill share one of mine. In the correct application my tip will
allow you to be able to print white ink on a black garment with just one
stroke, no flash and your print coverage will be great. Although, I have found
that this only works with left chest prints, pocket prints, small linear
designs or small-bodied designs.
adding Puff Additive can help you with whit-on-black prints
My tip is, Puff Additive! Just add a small
percentage (5% or less) of Puff Additive to your white ink, print it once and
your shirt will be ready for the dryer. By adding the puff additive it causes
your design to rise slightly (and I mean very slightly) off the shirt giving
your design a good ‘pop’ and vibrant look to it. Whereas before, printing
normally without the puff additive and with printing one stroke you loose the
nice bright white and your design looks dull. By using this tip you eliminate having
to flash cure your design after your first squeegee pull as well as skipping
the second stroke, thus allowing you to save a lot of time and money. It is
very important though to make a couple test prints or strike-offs FIRST before
printing an entire job! This is key for getting the correct percentage of Puff
Additive added to your ink and for your finished product to look perfect. No
one likes having to eat a hundred shirts after the customer refuses to take
them. This handy tip can help!