How to get a softer hand?

[Appstro]

I have noticed that on some shirts I am doing the ink is thick and has a rough hand. Other shirts have a soft hand and feel great. I know that ink color can determine the consistency of the ink. I am wondering if I should use curable reducer and if so how much or if I am just over thinking this....How can I get a consistently soft hand that looks great? As always any advice is greatly appreciated!

[jvanick]

you might be confusing the difference between soft hand (where you can't feel the ink because it's IN the shirt... ie discharge or waterbase printing) and rough prints.

while Rough Prints can be caused by the ink, for us, many times it comes down to poor squeegee technique, and/or overflashing.

I've always found that a faster push stroke with a more 'vertical' squeegee angle... you shouldn't need a lot of pressure either... you want enough pressure to clear the screen, and be on the surface of the shirt, and not driven into the fibers.

a good way to 'fix' rough shirts is to use a heat press with baking or parchment paper for a few seconds after the shirts come off your dryer...

[Underbase37]

Curable reducer will work but you will need to play with ratio % as you can lose some opacity on darks & get more fiber fabulation. WB/DC will be softer though.

Murphy37

[Frog]

Most ink brands also sell a soft hand base

[screenprintguy]

use some lotion!

Sorry man, had to do it, April fools and all!

Check with Sonny printcificient, he has a product called Xenbase from Xenon, it's really awesome stuff to use in place of reducer, softens the hand big time without affecting the opacity as much and makes a super opaque ink, say like Union maxopaque, actually able to print wet on wet and still have deep opacity!

[kirkage]

higher mesh counts and printing on top of the shirt instead of into the shirt. My white on dark body is 140m twice.

[Denis Kolar]

I have a manual press too and have an occasional shirt that has a rough print.
Rough print can vary from shirt to shirt, it depends on a offcontact, pressure, angle, speed of an squeegee. Also, it depends on the mesh too, if it has enough tension.

If you push or pull you squeegee differently from shirt to shirt, you could have an issue with a rough print.
My white ink to use if Rutland Streetfigter and I like how it prints.

If you get a lot of the rough prints, i would suggest you to use Newman roller frames and invest in a heat press.
Right now, if I get some with a rough print, I just press them with a heat press for a few seconds and that will smooth all the wrinkles and bumps in the ink.

I also almost wanted to say "Use lotion" Title just begged for it

[screenprintguy]

Dk------"I also almost wanted to say "Use lotion"  Title just begged for it"

 

[Appstro]

"I also almost wanted to say "Use lotion"  Title just begged for it"

 

HAHA!!! yes I guess so

[screenprintguy]

Higher mesh counts as well, sorry for skipping that hint, but a nice base added into the ink could help. Halftone base from Wilflex is great, Chino base from Rutland is great, or Xen base. Xen is the lower cost of the 3.

[Printficient]

use some lotion!

Sorry man, had to do it, April fools and all!

Check with Sonny printcificient, he has a product called Xenbase from Xenon, it's really awesome stuff to use in place of reducer, softens the hand big time without affecting the opacity as much and makes a super opaque ink, say like Union maxopaque, actually able to print wet on wet and still have deep opacity!

Thanks Mike.  Yep Xenbase is great.  $32 per gallon

[screenxpress]

use some lotion!

Sorry man, had to do it, April fools and all!

My thought was meat tenderizer.................. 

[ScreenPrinter123]

use some lotion!

Sorry man, had to do it, April fools and all!

Check with Sonny printcificient, he has a product called Xenbase from Xenon, it's really awesome stuff to use in place of reducer, softens the hand big time without affecting the opacity as much and makes a super opaque ink, say like Union maxopaque, actually able to print wet on wet and still have deep opacity!

Mike would/could you use this in white ink (base and highlight) for a 6-8 color sim process job - especially for lighter color shirts where opacity isn't super necessary but if I'm reading you right it wouldn't affect the opacity but still provide a softer hand.

[gtmfg]

I read somewhere on here gasoline works awesome

[ScreenPrinter123]

I tried that, but the opacity did, in fact, drop considerably.