Special boards for plackets?

[Frog]

Especially you guys with autos, how do you deal with placket shirts?

On a manual press, I use a board with a cutout in the center top, and a small squeegee.

Do you have a special board? Do you use a cut down squeegee? Do you reinforce the screen with tape at wear points?

[Mr Tees!!]

...most of the time a placket shirt is going to let a left-chest design. I have a set of sleeve pallets, so what i do is burn the image in the center of the screen, put the sleeve pallets on the press and load the shirt so the placket is off of the right hand side of the board. If the print size is causing problems, I also have a set of 8" boards in which case I will just burn the image about 2" from the right hand side of the board, and load the wearer's left edge of the placket to the right hand side of the board, so again the placket hangs off.

[ebscreen]

Sleeve pallets or a buildup.

[MrBreeze]

Sleeve pallets.

[tpitman]

I use the same buildup I use to print over a pocket.

[bimmridder]

Sleeve pallet

[inkman996]

Sleeve palette.

[jsheridan]

Regular pallet with a cut squeegee to ride over the buttons. I don't change boards unless I really have to .

[tonypep]

Especially you guys with autos, how do you deal with placket shirts?

On a manual press, I use a board with a cutout in the center top, and a small squeegee.

Do you have a special board? Do you use a cut down squeegee? Do you reinforce the screen with tape at wear points?

I have 24 pieces of pallet rubber cut to spec that we keep especially for this. One piece on each side of placket; lightly tacked. Off contact raised.
tp

[Action1]

There are multiple solutions available to this challenge. If the print is only a left chest than it's as easy as just using the approach referenced first by Inkman. The challenge with this approach is lining the garment up consistently.

Special Pallets are available to allow the button hem assembly to drop below the print surface and can be made to allow a print over these areas. A Split Squeegee is a useful approach but doesn't address the mesh and button interference.  Often we hear from people that want to simply make a squeegee with an off-center blade to just print over the left chest. This is not a good plan on an automatic because it put's torque force on the arms and heads which will always lead to mechanical issues.

The best solution is to either add something to the pallet surface as Mr. Pepitone suggested or use a special pallet with this already done. The special pallet is the most efficient and functional - but not the least expensive solution.

http://www.actionengineering.com/Cat-24-1-520/Placket_Printing_Pallet.htm


Another solution is to use a much softer rubber that the button hem assembly can be pushed into. We have such a material. It's called Super Soft Top Rubber and is available as pre-cut sizes that are easily put on and off existing pallets. The material can also be ordered by the linear foot.

http://www.actionengineering.com/Cat-187-1-1090/Super_Soft_Top_Rubber.htm

Erik Naftal
www.actionengineering.com

[Frog]

There are multiple solutions available to this challenge. If the print is only a left chest than it's as easy as just using the approach referenced first by Inkman. The challenge with this approach is lining the garment up consistently.

Actually, doesn't that honor go to MrTees!! in the very first response?

Thanks Erik

[ebscreen]

I've found lining up left chests on a sleeve pallet to be really easy and accurate.
For both polo's and zips, you've got a line to square from.

[Mr Tees!!]

...yeah, dont go stealin my thunder!!!

[Action1]

There are multiple solutions available to this challenge. If the print is only a left chest than it's as easy as just using the approach referenced first by Inkman. The challenge with this approach is lining the garment up consistently.

Actually, doesn't that honor go to MrTees!! in the very first response?

Thanks Erik

I see that you are correct.  MrTees mentioned this first.

We haven't posted very often and will make a better effort to read more carefully before replying.

I am especially thankful that these forums have been developed which have more control over postings than others. Watching the greatest leaders of our industry get publicly trashed for someones personal gain has kept us from participating much. For fear of being dragged into the mud, we have restrained ourselves from public comment. Please know that our silence has been difficult. We don't wish to stir the pot with these comments, but want to clear the air as to our companies principles. Thanks again to everyone responsible for developing and moderating these forums.

Erik Naftal

[Mr Tees!!]

...no worries Erik, just givin ya a hard time!

...I was talkin to a buudy here in town that owns another printshop. We got into the discussion about how your website is the screenprinters equivalent of getting the Sears Christmas catalog when we were kids! Yknow, we just look at it all and drool, and put all the cool stuff on our little wish lists. Its like screenprinters porn.

...we are a sick bunch, arent we??