Let's talk about setups and microing.

[inkbrigade]

Specifically microing. Is anyone doing anything other than putting on a test pellon, tester shirt etc doing a hit, looking at how it's off, making an adjustment and then starting the whole process over again?

The only other process i know of is printing the underbase or black plate, putting clear tape over it and printing on top of that. Then wiping off the tape after a micro adjustment is made.

Anyone doing anything better or faster?

[ebscreen]

Clear tape. The only way to fly.

[Scobey Peterman]

We lay down the artwork and tape it to the board and then start lining up the screens.

No printing until all of the screens are set.

Do a test print on a t-shirt, then adjust.

Good luck.

[ZooCity]

We do what Scoby does. 

Check off contact on each head and adjust as needed.

Pin-lock all the screens. 

Print color one.  Flash.  Check/line up the rest.  Tape off if needed. Strike off a tester.  Approve it and go.  (run x # of testers if WOW buildup is needed)

I use very thin reg marks to line up the films on the pin lock carriers but they do not typically develop and are blocked out or taped if they do.

*off contact going out of adjustment (the "camber" adjust on manuals) is the #1 cause of mis-registration for us.  If you ensure it is set before loading screens we are dead on the money 9 times out of 10.  If not, that goes down to 5 out of 10 or less.  Your press holding still and keeping in parallel is huge part of fast setups.

[ZooCity]

That's hilarious.  I wrote "asdfx testers" and it got censored.  haha. 

[ZooCity]

Why are you guys using clear tape?  I just run testers.  Load 'em all up and go.  It's super quick and not tape needed.  I guess that wouldn't work if you didn't have cases of screw ups on hand.....

[Dottonedan]

I believe in using very thin registration marks. Thinner than what Adobe provides as a standard.  I provide registration marks with most all of my seps unless someone request not to add them. The thing is, most want them thick so the don't have a hard time exposing them.


Part of holding good detail is reaching for goals of and making adjustments to hold those thin lines. When you can hold those thin lines, it's a tell tail sign that your doing good on your halftones also.


Then, you have the "tight registration" factor. The fact that registering thinner line registration marks tells you that you are more "on point".  Fat reggies make it much harder to determine. You could be off and not realize it but think it's the best you can get.


I say, shoot for the stars. If you can't get to the stars, at least you are passing the moon. Much better than never getting off the ground.

[tpitman]

Slapping one of the films with marks down on a shirt board seems to work best for me, although I'll usually then print the first screen then clear tape and test the rest. I found when I work on that old Gauntlet in Daytona, out of 7 screens, I usually have 5 spot on just registering to the film alone. I don't to the tape trick over there, though, unless I pull a screen that's effed up and everything else is inked, when I'll print the first screen and line the new one up to that.

[Homer]

clear tape? any reason you don't flash it? with our wonderful reg on the gauntlet, we have to off register the screens  from one to the next due to squeeg pressure......pita. then test print, micro, flash and repeat until they are all set....and that's number 152 why I can not wait for a new press. we use old shirts as pellons seem to give us a false reading on pressures and speeds.

[Lizard]

Tri-loc, test print one color at a time while keeping a mental note of what is out, don't move anything until we make it all the way around. Many times only the base needs to be moved. Often times nothing need to move.

[tpitman]

clear tape? any reason you don't flash it? with our wonderful reg on the gauntlet, we have to off register the screens  from one to the next due to squeeg pressure......pita. then test print, micro, flash and repeat until they are all set....and that's number 152 why I can not wait for a new press. we use old shirts as pellons seem to give us a false reading on pressures and speeds.

If you're referring to my comment, I use the tape when setting up to print manually. On the Gauntlet, I've only used it when replacing a bad screen after setup and proof before starting the run when all of the screens have ink in them. Pull the underbase or any screen that has tight registration to the new screen and use that alone to register. And I do flash even before laying the tape down.
The Gauntlet is the only auto I've ever printed on, so old as it is (and old as I am) I'm still happy it sets up as quickly as it does and pounds out shirts a lot faster than I can. It ain't mine, but it's clean, and I've got use of it if I need it.
If you're not referring to my comment, ignore the above.

[Homer]

 I am just curious how the tape method works, if it's faster/better then flashing...knowing my luck, I'll go through 6 rolls of tape on one design or tape myself to the platen and someone will jamn me up under the flash...

[prozyan]

I am just curious how the tape method works, if it's faster/better then flashing...knowing my luck, I'll go through 6 rolls of tape on one design or tape myself to the platen and someone will jamn me up under the flash...

Print one color.  Flash it.  Place clear packing tape over the design + registration marks.  Print the next color.   Wipe that color off the tape after checking alignment, adjusting, etc.  Rinse and repeat.

[inkbrigade]

I believe in using very thin registration marks. Thinner than what Adobe provides as a standard.  I provide registration marks with most all of my seps unless someone request not to add them. The thing is, most want them thick so the don't have a hard time exposing them.


Part of holding good detail is reaching for goals of and making adjustments to hold those thin lines. When you can hold those thin lines, it's a tell tail sign that your doing good on your halftones also.


Then, you have the "tight registration" factor. The fact that registering thinner line registration marks tells you that you are more "on point".  Fat reggies make it much harder to determine. You could be off and not realize it but think it's the best you can get.


I say, shoot for the stars. If you can't get to the stars, at least you are passing the moon. Much better than never getting off the ground.

We're using a .5 thickness line for reg marks in Illustrator. They are about 1/2 X 1/2 inch. Maybe i should make them longer.

[Screened Gear]

I print the key color on a shirt on my auto and then just check the other screens to that print. On a MHM your screens are registered when you put them in the press (if you lined them up right on the FPU) I only check them. Sometimes I need to give the screen a little bump with the micros. Nothing bigger than a hair off most of the time. After that I run a shirt and then fine tune if needed. I do a ton of 2-4 color jobs and I can't remember a job taking more than 5 to 10 mins to get dead on. (one person doing all the adjusting if I had help maybe less) I have done the tape thing when I didn't have the FPU. It was a huge pain in my opinion. I can't imagine having to do that for every job. I have only ran a MHM press and don't know what its like otherwise.

As for the thickness of your reg marks and being able to get your press tighter with finer reg marks. I don't agree with that at all. You can not tell me that having a fine line will make it easier or more accurate. Its kind of hard to explain but if you view the photo attached you can see what I am talking about. The thickness of the lines is irreverent to the registration. Its the amount off the registration is. Both examples will show the same amount off if the reg marks are thick or thin. I honestly think thicker lines makes it faster to register. I use a one point reg mark on all my films. I have used as small as .25 point and it didn't make any difference to me. Just my 2 cents.