Printing Hoodies

[larryk]

Can someone "Please" give me the secret code to printing on black hoodies..... plastisol is what we use and are aware of all the usuall off contact, proper screen tension, mesh count and the other usual stuff that goes along with it. My problem is getting that white underbase, that we hit twice to eliminate the hi-lite white, to lay down flat for the other colors on top. The second hit is where it goes to hell and looks like you just threw sand all over the print. School me please!

[ffokazak]

Smesh, 135 or 150 for base. I even use old school T mesh at 110 for white on black hoods sometimes. I prefer 135 S mesh as it is a really easy mesh to print through, and you can have lower pressure at the squeegee

Invest in a roller. at the very least. we use a Hot Head, and it is like printing on paper after that thing. Smooth. Roller, with teflon sheet right after you print will help matte down the fibres.

You want the screen to pop off the garment after printing, very quickly after the squeegee passes. Not all at once, ( Like if the off contact was too low) Think of the screen peeling away and the ink being left behind. This means good tension. ( S mesh will be 20-24 newtons for a 135)

Good ink. We use QCM XOLB 158 . Its not cheap.  its the most constant we have found and is very very short bodied. ( Meaning it isn't runny)  No matter what the guys tell you here if you're using a shitty ink, it is going to fibrillate and you wont have a nice smooth ink. ( in two screens, double stroke)  You get what you pay for and cheap out on a chrome yellow, not your white ink.

Making sure the hoody is securely fastened to the platten is key too

And about a billion other things, but you gotta start somewhere.

[ffokazak]

Also if doing wet on wet spot colours you dont want a thick underbase. We single stroke the underbase so the spot colours dont pick up as much.

Still achievable, is the bright smooth colours you want.

The underbase must not be very thick to achieve this.  Do a top white with all the colours flashed print to hitting it for a perfectly smooth white.

[Frog]

Also if doing wet on wet spot colours you dont want a thick underbase. We single stroke the underbase so the spot colours dont pick up as much.

Still achievable, is the bright smooth colours you want.

The underbase must not be very thick to achieve this.  Do a top white with all the colours flashed print to hitting it for a perfectly smooth white.

One of his problems is cheaping out and trying to eliminate the top white.
Bottom line, use the extra screen, charge for it.

[Homer]

smoothing screen...end of story.

[farmboygraphics]

I use a double blade squeegee we picked up from action a few years ago. Love it for printing underbases.
https://actionengineering.com/double-blade-squeegees/

[CBCB]

smoothing screen...end of story.

For those of you using a roller/smoothing screen is it going before the base, or are you printing base, flash, roller?
Just curious if that makes a difference.


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[Homer]

Print, flash, smooth while hot.

[blue moon]

Also if doing wet on wet spot colours you dont want a thick underbase. We single stroke the underbase so the spot colours dont pick up as much.

Still achievable, is the bright smooth colours you want.

The underbase must not be very thick to achieve this.  Do a top white with all the colours flashed print to hitting it for a perfectly smooth white.

huh? how does the thickness of the underbase impact the top colors?

pierre

[larryk]

OK.... so a lot of good food for thought here. What I got out of it is this - Try the ink that Flo recommends, use a smoothing screen after flash and in the words of Frog... quit "Cheaping Out" and use a hilite white screen instead of the dbl hit base. Thank you all for taking the time to help me out. LarryK

[Frog]

OK.... so a lot of good food for thought here. What I got out of it is this - Try the ink that Flo recommends, use a smoothing screen after flash and in the words of Frog... quit "Cheaping Out" and use a hilite white screen instead of the dbl hit base. Thank you all for taking the time to help me out. LarryK

Just a note that my suggestion doesn't generally address the smoothing problem, it just usually makes for a better finished product. (of course, in this instance, that's where the roughness demon reared its head)

[Northland]

OK.... so a lot of good food for thought here. What I got out of it is this - Try the ink that Flo recommends, use a smoothing screen after flash and in the words of Frog... quit "Cheaping Out" and use a hilite white screen instead of the dbl hit base. Thank you all for taking the time to help me out. LarryK

I'd add using S-mesh screens to the list:
It has more open area and the thin thread doesn't lift the ink as much, when the screen is lifted.
Plus, you can use a higher mesh count.

Also, a quick hit with the heat press can save a rough print.

[CBCB]

I’m right in the middle of the learning curve on auto for fleece but here’s what I’ll add:

- flashing! Turn it downnnn. They flash super quick which caused reg problems for us. And it could be leading to the roughness and fibrillation you’re seeing.

- all the comments about off-contact are spot on. Hoodies are way thicker and softer so adjustment is needed.

Once we figured out the flash and off-contact we were cruising on fleece. Too bad I bought a Roq and can’t do the damn sleeves next though.


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[Tracer275]

Also if doing wet on wet spot colours you dont want a thick underbase. We single stroke the underbase so the spot colours dont pick up as much.

Still achievable, is the bright smooth colours you want.

The underbase must not be very thick to achieve this.  Do a top white with all the colours flashed print to hitting it for a perfectly smooth white.

huh? how does the thickness of the underbase impact the top colors?

pierre

too much base and you can easily be scraping top color ink off the surface instead of depositing, more evident with translucent colors than colors containing high percentages of white.   Fleece is far more dense than jersey so ub will sit up on the surface more easily, get the white down smooth with proper rubber in one hit, S mesh yes makes it easier

[Biverson]

I’m right in the middle of the learning curve on auto for fleece but here’s what I’ll add:

- flashing! Turn it downnnn. They flash super quick which caused reg problems for us. And it could be leading to the roughness and fibrillation you’re seeing.

- all the comments about off-contact are spot on. Hoodies are way thicker and softer so adjustment is needed.

Once we figured out the flash and off-contact we were cruising on fleece. Too bad I bought a Roq and can’t do the damn sleeves next though.


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This. Low and slow on the flash. If I am flashing t-shirts and 100% for 3 seconds I being it down to 70% at 5-6 seconds on my Rapid Wave (quartz). If you use too much heat you can shrink the garment and cause registration issues. Also, if you have a roller and the hoodie is too hot it can still pick up ink or shift the shirt. I have a roller and that helps tremendously.

Don't be afraid to increase the off contact more than you "think" you need too. I'm at 0.25" now and I used to think 0.15" was high enough. The ink is sheering and clearing the screen much easier than before. I also use S Mesh when I can.



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