Wow, Screen Tape Costs!!!

[Prosperi-Tees]

Al, do you guys use tape on ALL screens or just wb? we only tape on wb screens. wider scoop coater on the plastisol screens = no tape....I can justify spending a bit more on tape for wb if we don't go through a yard on every screen we make. we use 3" wide paper tape here too.

Will a 20" coater coat a 23" screen? I need to get a new coater and your post made me think I should get a 20" vs the 19"

[alan802]

We had a local tape supplier a year ago but their prices went up just like I'm seeing with J&J.  But from what I'm reading here there is still either a lag with some tape suppliers that might still have tape supply from the cheap days or it's the classic case of cat and mouse with suppliers.  Every time I've ordered over the past 2 years the price has increased, from both of the suppliers I've bought from.  We buy stuff from Uline but up until now, I've gotten decent pricing from others so I didn't bother with them. 

I don't want to speculate but I'm really starting to wonder how J&J could sell me tape for 4.15/roll a year ago and now for that same tape they want $7.99/roll when it looks like all the other suppliers haven't gone up on their prices all that much.  I think I might just send this case of tape back, it doesn't look good from what I'm reading here.

Yeah Homer, we tape all screens but you guys know I'm open to try any and all things then settle on a winner.  I haven't liked the 2" since my guys tend to get a lot of ink on the inside half of the rollers so the wider tape keeps cleanup quick and easy. 

Homer, do you have permanent tape on your screens?  What bridges that gap between emulsion and the frame?

I've always wondered how the paper masking tape worked for other printers and maybe we haven't used the right kind but we did use it when I first started.  It left a terrible residue in the summer and if you didn't de-tape directly after use then it would stick to the frame as well as leave residue.  But like I said earlier, it doesn't cost much to try different rolls and the search for the "best" in everything in production has always been fun for me.

I think I'm going to try every single suggestion besides the 2", no offense to you 2" guys .  I do appreciate the suggestions as well as others who are looking for tape.

[mimosatexas]

We ordered a few dozen types of tape from uline last year and got a whole box of samples from tape solutions in South Austin.  With one exception (i don't remember the product code, but it was from uline, and I'll update this thread with the code tomorrow) they all sucked for one reason or another.  A whole lot of them left residue, maybe just because of the central texas heat and humidity, and lots had issues with adhesion or ink getting mixed with the adhesive and bleeding under, etc.  None of the masking and paper tapes held up on longer runs.  A few of the ones that worked fine for the most part would shred apart when pulling them off the screen, making it take forever to clean up.

Honestly, the split tape from PMI has been the first no mess, no fuss, works as intended tape we have used.  It's expensive, but it just works.  This next week I am trying out a few kinds of permanent blockout though since that seems to be an even better option in a lot of ways.

[shurloc]

No idea if this would work or not for what you need, but Uline has some really good rubber adhesive CST's at decent pricing. The case of 3" (24 rolls) is $5.60 a roll. Looks to be really similar to the Interape 510...

http://www.uline.com/BL_3073/Natural-Rubber-Adhesive-Tape-Polypropylene?keywords=rubber tape

[Nation03]

I use the Uline rubber adhesive tape and have had zero issues. I use the 2" so it's only like $2 per roll for the 55 yard and I think $3.70 for the 110 yard.

[Nation03]

I remember someone mentioning that they use a permanent blockout for the edges of the frame and then use a scoop coater that overlaps the blocked out area. I wanted to try something like that to avoid tape all together.

[gtmfg]

PMI 310  3"x110yds per roll. $6.45/Roll free shipping on 2 cases or more.   

[tonypep]

I remember someone mentioning that they use a permanent blockout for the edges of the frame and then use a scoop coater that overlaps the blocked out area. I wanted to try something like that to avoid tape all together.

I penned an article on the tapeless screen describing the method above probably 10 ys ago. I don't necessarily recommend this for every one however. It was for static frames and over time, if not applied correctly, the frame glue can interfere with the coating process which will eventually render the screen useless. One of those ideas which turned out to be unviable for us in the end. Over taping DC screens can actually cause problems so in the end, our solution to the tape issue is to use as little as possible.

[TCT]

So to bring up this thread again....

We had PMI split tape send us a sample pack two weeks ago with their 3 lines. We used them up right away and got a few more to test, I have to say I like their stuff. It is without a doubt more expensive, but it is real nice stuff. It seems like it is easier and quicker to work with, but is it worth the extra $$$? Seems like it holds up better with discharge and when cleaning screens to change colors.

Are a lot of people using it? Or have people found that it really isn't worth the extra coin in the long run? It just seems to me like the ease and small amount of time saved may justify the cost.

Thoughts?

[IntegrityShirts]

So to bring up this thread again....

We had PMI split tape send us a sample pack two weeks ago with their 3 lines. We used them up right away and got a few more to test, I have to say I like their stuff. It is without a doubt more expensive, but it is real nice stuff. It seems like it is easier and quicker to work with, but is it worth the extra $$$? Seems like it holds up better with discharge and when cleaning screens to change colors.

Are a lot of people using it? Or have people found that it really isn't worth the extra coin in the long run? It just seems to me like the ease and small amount of time saved may justify the cost.

Thoughts?

I'm still using this for split-taping screens. Works great for me:



Here's the thread about it: http://www.theshirtboard.com/index.php/topic,6212.0.html

Alan convinced me that clear tape is just as good or better than white tape which I used to get from T&J Printing.  My last box of tape came from Staples and it has gone up $8 since my last purchase but free shipping ($4.08 each for 110yd roll):
http://www.staples.com/Tape-Logic-3-W-x-110-ydsL-x-17-mil-Natural-Rubber/product_191551

Only 1.7mil but works just as good as my thicker stuff and peels cleaner than the T&J tape.

[screenxpress]

Where'd you get the dispenser?

[IntegrityShirts]

Where'd you get the dispenser?

http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-836/Tape-Dispensers-Desktop/3-Deluxe-Multi-Roll-Tape-Dispenser

[screenxpress]

Thanks.  Real ingenuity.

[Socalfmf]

wait a second..you are worried about tape?  really who worries about tape costs?  oh that's right people running the F**KING BUSINESS. 

[inkman996]

wait a second..you are worried about tape?  really who worries about tape costs?  oh that's right people running the F**KING BUSINESS.

Sam their is a vast difference between costs when comparing scotch tape for films and screen tape for screens. No need for the obnoxiousness