Best Supplier of Tight Statics

[scott316]

So do you actually restretch our screens or just use them as trade in?

We will use your screens.

[scott316]

What do Spot Color and Xenon use?

We use both glues at Spot Color Supply. We also offer the 2 inch boarder block out for an extra charge.

[scott316]

This is what the 2 inch boarder looks like.

[jsheridan]

We have a L2 Roller Master and a bunch of M3 frames but we're just too busy and have too much employee turnover to keep all the Newman's stretched and ready.

 Any ideas?

are you really to busy or are you just saying that

You already have something great and you are choosing to take the easier path that costs twice as much to get a sub par product.

What is the best choice you can make for your business in this situation.

[tonypep]

I'd say that the majority of the shops I visit skip the re-ten step of retens which sort of defeats the purpose. At any rate I've always preferred static metals for water-based decoration. So much easier.

[SteveS]

We have a L2 Roller Master and a bunch of M3 frames but we're just too busy and have too much employee turnover to keep all the Newman's stretched and ready.

 Any ideas?

are you really to busy or are you just saying that

You already have something great and you are choosing to take the easier path that costs twice as much to get a sub par product.

What is the best choice you can make for your business in this situation.

Yes, we're just too busy. I bought all that stuff back about 4 years ago and Bill Hood came out and trained us on using bulk mesh. It worked for a while. We had time to spend doing it. We never had the ability to dedicate someone to doing the process. I own the business and the guy that was trained to do it lasted another couple of years before he was dismissed for other reasons unrelated but we just jumped back into statics and never looked back. No problems at all with statics but I don't have the time or patience to regurgitate the lessons of tensioning bulk mesh that I learned back then. We tried to use panels and that went OK for a while but we don't make money if the guys are spending time during the day trying to figure it out.

I won't go into too much more detail but we're not a huge shop and many of us wear different hats. We've had no trouble with statics but I also understand the benefits of tight screens. That's why I am asking the folks here if there is another way without doing it myself.

By the way, the L2 is for sale along with 38 pieces of 23x31 M3s in pristine condition. I have a bunch of panels and bulk mesh as well. Make me an offer. Don't lowball me though, I know better but I am willing to make someone a deal much better than new.

[jsheridan]

Then why have YOU not taken on the role..

all I'm reading are excuses to not do something, it's someone else's fault were not using it.

In the time you took to come here, post the question, then keep checking back for answers you could have made a new screen, or three maybe 5

I can make a screen from bolt mesh in 10 minutes.. from a panel it takes me 3 minutes..

If the guys in back can't do that, then who is responsible for training them?

[SteveS]

Then why have YOU not taken on the role..

all I'm reading are excuses to not do something, it's someone else's fault were not using it.

In the time you took to come here, post the question, then keep checking back for answers you could have made a new screen, or three maybe 5

I can make a screen from bolt mesh in 10 minutes.. from a panel it takes me 3 minutes..

If the guys in back can't do that, then who is responsible for training them?

Tone it down a bit fella. You don't know me and I don't know you. I'm glad you are versed with stretching screens. I'm in the business of making money and running a business. I don't owe you any excuse for what I do and how I do it. Your arrogance abounds. Perhaps you didn't mean for it to come across that way, but it did.

I've got several things for sale and I am monitoring and replying and watching these threads.

And if you sit and have time to flame posters on this board all morning and call yourself a production manager, who's managing your production?

Lay off. I'm here for information, not to be hassled.

[jsheridan]

so when you're faced with real business questions and topics that have a direct reflection on your ability to make money and run your business..

you take a defensive stance and call me being an arrogant ass who is flaming you.. ok

Have a wonderful day brother!

[scott316]

Hey man I wouldn't stress about not having time for your Newman's. I have a ton of customers that have bought $1000's of dollars worth of newman and they just sit in a corner or they sell them. Some people just don't have the time or think its worth the time. We can get you your high tensions with out the stress involved in the newmans. We also stretch newman here as well for a fee.

[SteveS]

Hey man I wouldn't stress about not having time for your Newman's. I have a ton of customers that have bought $1000's of dollars worth of newman and they just sit in a corner or they sell them. Some people just don't have the time or think its worth the time. We can get you your high tensions with out the stress involved in the newmans. We also stretch newman here as well for a fee.

Thanks for that Scott. I think I might just do that with my next 12-18 frames and see how the high tension S-Mesh work out for us.

[scott316]

Hey man I wouldn't stress about not having time for your Newman's. I have a ton of customers that have bought $1000's of dollars worth of newman and they just sit in a corner or they sell them. Some people just don't have the time or think its worth the time. We can get you your high tensions with out the stress involved in the newmans. We also stretch newman here as well for a fee.

Thanks for that Scott. I think I might just do that with my next 12-18 frames and see how the high tension S-Mesh work out for us.

To hit the real high tension we will se standard mesh. IF you want the s-mesh we can get good tension on them just not as high as our standard mesh. S- mesh is not recommended to hit that high of tension.

[ABuffington]

There is nothing wrong with either Newman's or statics with Smartmesh.  The mesh in both cases is key.  Why have Newman's if you don't need to retension?  Most large contract print companies with Newman's don't retension and I have visited most shops from here to Argentina.  The reason?  It takes time, time is money even in countries where the wage is 200 per week. If I was printing a golden squeegee award, sure give me brand new Smartmesh 225/40 with 350/30's with a wax imager on Newmans, but most printers print simple prints.  I would say that of over a 100 shops with 8 autos or more that I visit, none re-tension until it is re-meshed.  Newmans become expensive statics in these companies.

Back to statics, the subject of this conversation.  Why spend $90 for a blank screen when you can get 3 pre-stretched screens with Smartmesh? Most statics don't hold tension, Murakami does hold excellent work tensions that require no re-tension labor.  I'd rather have that guy coating and shooting screens or helping on a press.

Consider this John: (you and I just need to have lunch in Oceanside someday and show you something worth trying.) Newmans, I love em too, but see no difference in the print.  Opacity, check, try a 150/48.  Clarity?  22n gives you all you need really and without having to keep your pallets in perfecft level, speed? As fast as the stock white can shear, Registration?, dot on dot.  Labor? far less.

I can set up a sim process print as follows on statics.
(1) 180S Smartmesh Baseplate at 22 newtons
(6) 300HD Smartmesh over prints at 30 newtons

On Newmans
(1) Smartmesh 160T at 35 newtons
(6) Smartmesh 300HD at 30 newtons

Both will look flawless, both will yield identical hourly totals.  Both shops will make money,
But the 150/48 may have better opacity, and a softer hand than the 160T by a little bit, but enough for a merchandiser from a major apparel company to notice.

The difference?
Statics: $248.31 for brand new frames with Smartmesh
No Stretch Labor
No Retension Labor

Newmans: 7 new frames x 80.00 approx (they are more quite often) = 560.00
SmartMesh from mesh callouts above: 95.67
Stretch Labor: 30.00
Total: 685.67

Thats a $437.46 Dollar difference to do the same exact job, with brand new screens. I can set up another press with a brand new screens for this savings.  This doesn't even take into account that before the Newmans finish stretching the statics can be coated and drying.

The reason head to head print comparison here is equal is not the frame used, it's the mesh.  Smartmesh retains tension and holds registration and doesn't need Newmans.  Newmans are the state of the art agreed.  If I were running a line of clothing and money was no object I might use them.  But in shop after shop, the savings is so great in this competitive print world that eliminating labor, saving money on capital investments is important to get the work. If you are of the "High Tension is the only way camp" go with Newmans.  If you want to save money and labor costs, statics have significant advantages with Smartmesh.  Other meshes not so much.  There is a world of difference in mesh.  It's worth a look to try one that holds register and retains tension over constant re-tensioning of cheap mesh.  John let me know when I can come down, I am sure we can both learn something.

Al

[tonypep]

What Al said. I just don't have the time to post all that. Safe to say some have been "Hoodwinked" when it comes to the subject. Change a variable or two and tension loses most of its importance.

[mk162]

whoa whoa whoa guys...are you guys essentially saying that different things work for different people and not every shop is the exact same?