Squeegee Angles

[3Deep]

What is the most used squeegee angle you use on your auto...I took a tip from Blue moon and started using a 20 to 30 degree angle on my press and it prints halftones and solid colors very good wet on wet with no problem without dot gain and getting mudded up.  The squeegee blades were 70 single durometer, any tips on getting better prints I,m all for it.

Darryl

[Gabe]

try getting triple durometer squeegees if you print bunchs of halftones
i enjoy them when printing i alot of detail

[Dottonedan]

I would concur. Tripple. 70/90/70 is best. Not that you can't do well with others.  Pierre mentioned before to me that he does well with 20-30 degrees, but I've always told him to shoot for a 10 degree with a hard squeegee.  However you do it and with whatever squeegee, the goal is to slice that ink onto the shirt with as little drag or footprint of squeegee blade as possible.  Think or it as slicing pepperoni slices and letting them fall on top or rest on top if the pizza. Don't push your pepperoni into the sause and dough.

[bimmridder]

I would also suggest that a sharp blade makes a hell of a difference in printing, especially half tones.

[3Deep]

thats on my list for next year is to get all new blades 70/90/70 Hmmm  I think I might have a couple I can tell anymore, I didn't mark them might be 80/90/80 not sure.

Darryl

[Printficient]

no angle double bevel.

[Socalfmf]

i will FINALLY agree with Sonny...but we only use double bevel on our white inks...and MAN do they make a difference....we have not seen any real change on other colors...well except athletic gold...

sam

[tancehughes]

I would concur. Tripple. 70/90/70 is best. Not that you can't do well with others.  Pierre mentioned before to me that he does well with 20-30 degrees, but I've always told him to shoot for a 10 degree with a hard squeegee.  However you do it and with whatever squeegee, the goal is to slice that ink onto the shirt with as little drag or footprint of squeegee blade as possible.  Think or it as slicing pepperoni slices and letting them fall on top or rest on top if the pizza. Don't push your pepperoni into the sause and dough.

Dan this is a perfect way to put it.. I may have to steal that analogy!

[Homer]

double bevels are sweet.... We recently went to all 60/90/60 on everything, works very well for whites and colors, angles are around 20-30, slower pass on thicker inks. We were loosing to much detail with the DB, but we have since went to all roller frames so I need to trace my steps backwards on everything I tried and go over it again. Those are on my list to mess with, I just need more squeegie holders.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

Does all of this squeeze talk refer to autos only?

[Dottonedan]

Does all of this squeeze talk refer to autos only?

NO.  We sampled our prints on a manual using the same blades we would on the auto. The image quality always comes out cleaner on the auto, but very close. Close enough to get retail approvals.

[Fluid]

Angles will be determined by multiple factors. Squeegee type, ink type and the art itself.   Technically you can find a happy medium and run with every design yet in honesty, all prints will warrant a different angle for optimum performance.

[Printficient]

i will FINALLY agree with Sonny...but we only use double bevel on our white inks...and MAN do they make a difference....we have not seen any real change on other colors...well except athletic gold...

sam

Finally.
Happy New Year to all the great people at Palomar Printing.  You too Sam.

[Dottonedan]

It seems that some great printers have different opinions on what you should use. I'm always open to new ways but I researched those new ways way back when. For me, the same methods still apply. Maybe it's due to the way I do things but it does work well for me. I'll mention tho, I'm basing this question strictly on sim process printing on dark or multiple garment colors.

[Parker 1]

We use 10-15 degree angles on everything 60/90/60 non beveled squeeges.  Use minimal pressures with a slower flood stroke and relatively quick print stroke in order to get a good peal less than .5" from back of Squeege.