Switching from Manual to Auto

[Biverson]

I've got my new auto press in and set to be installed on the 5th. In the meantime I've got a lot of rollers to stretch for the press. I got Saati 156, 180, 200, 230, and 255 to play around with. I'm wondering from others, that switched from manuals to autos, how big or long of a transition was it to get your preferred mesh counts down?

Right now my go to is 156. I use it for underbasing and all p/f/p for spot colors. Seems like that's the go to for most everyone here? With how I do seps now I rarely ever use a highlight white. Most times I'll p/f/p the white UB and use it for my white in the design. This might also explain why I have a hard time printing WOW. Ink picks up on the following screen and isn't smooth. Sometimes I use a 200 mesh so get a lighter UB, but that's only when there aren't big areas of white.

Any pointers on choosing screens for an auto versus manual?


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[merchmonster]

Auto you can't flash every color so wow is required. Typically this = higher mesh count so less ink down. This reduces pickup on screens. And you will need to learn how to use a highlight white

[Dottonedan]

Like the last poster said. But most common thing I hear is that you need to go up one mesh for everything.  If you normally use 156, go 180 or 230.

[Nation03]

Our most common mesh counts are 150-S 180-S and 225-S. Depending on garment and print we'll use a 135-S. I just got in some Saati 230 and 305 mesh counts to help on jobs where we need to go WOW. We do a lot of 1-2 color stuff so I'm still learning how to effectively print WOW. Some inks and colors work better at getting stamped wet. Get some QCM softee base (or something comparable) for the colors that aren't great WOW. It won't be a fix for everything, but it's good to have around.

[dirkdiggler]

150-S, 180-S, 225-S, 320-S.  Look no further!  Done.

[Nation03]

Also, it won't work for every design, but when you can - try printing black or a darker color that won't need an UB first. It's nice to get two colors printed WOW before your first flash. A lot of stuff will be trial and error, but over time you'll figure out what works and what doesn't. I'm still in that phase and am still learning new stuff everyday. Make sure you use inks that are formulated for WOW printing because athletic inks, for the most part, will give you a headache no matter what mesh you're using.

And congrats on the auto! We didn't plan on getting one this year but now that we have it I find myself wondering how we would be keeping up without it. Turns out a lot of those cliches are true. I'm already looking forward to upgrading in 1-2 years.

[Biverson]

150-S, 180-S, 225-S, 320-S.  Look no further!  Done.

This might do it for me. I want to keep things simple. Only thing that's holding me back is S mesh is more fragile. I'm careful, but it's more my limited space that allows for mishaps versus my clumsiness.

Yeah, I've always quoted without a highlight white to keep colors and cost down, as well as setup time. I'll need to consider that more. One of my first jobs on the auto will be a 5 or 6 color 800 piece sim process. I'll definitely do a HL white for that. I'm thinking 156s for base; 230 Saati Tech for colors and 200 for HL white. I'm so excited not to have to do this by hand this year!

All of my Inks are mostly Union Maxopake. I've got soft Ultrasoft extender that I use as well as reducer if I don't need the opacity.


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[Dottonedan]

I'd suggest the 230 on the top white also.  You don't need too much.

[ScreenPrinter123]

All of my Inks are mostly Union Maxopake. I've got soft Ultrasoft extender that I use as well as reducer if I don't need the opacity.

I would reccomend switching over to ultrasoft inks as maxopaque will not be very wet on wet friendly.

[Nation03]

All of my Inks are mostly Union Maxopake. I've got soft Ultrasoft extender that I use as well as reducer if I don't need the opacity.

I would reccomend switching over to ultrasoft inks as maxopaque will not be very wet on wet friendly.

Agreed. We have a mix of different brands here but Ultrasoft is one of my favorites for WOW.

[Doug B]

  I will also agree that the Maxopaque is not WOW friendly.

[Biverson]

I usually add some extender and reducer to make it like an Ultrasoft.  I just got some orbit yellow US in and put it over a 156 UB and wasn't super happy with the opacity, but did print WOW. Other than that the only other Ultrasoft I use is black.


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[Atownsend]

It's been a while since I've used the maxopaque inks. I printed them manually for a while and thought they were difficult to clear on the manual so I don't think we went further than a few gallons with them. We used to reduce our inks when printing WOW. But in the past 6-8 mos or so we switched to synergy inks "magic" as our go to additive and have been mixing it 10% with all of our Rutland m3 colors. It has helped a lot with the WOW printability. Not only on the auto, but also on the manual... ESP if you pop the screens up fast. Magic + 150/48, 225/40 280/35 have been really great for us on our old non revolver gauntlet. Everything must run WOW here.

[Biverson]

 I got a couple Ultrasofts in. Only ones I've got in previously have been Orbit yellow and black. I got Brite red and Royal blue. To be honest the Royal blue Ultrasoft is thicker than the Maxopake. It's crazy. Will it still print better WOW?


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