Should most spot colors go on a 110 mesh?

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

(note - I am a beginner) I have a very simple design...blue text within the outline of a house, on a light colored shirt...i was thinking 110 mesh would be good but I am being told to go with a 200...reason being the 110 lays down a lot of ink, which is something I did consider when I thought of using a 110....but I would have never thought a 200 mesh would be good for a simple one color spot job...seems like a high thread count for a spot color.

[Sbrem]

If you're a beginner, then 110 will be a bit easier for you, but it will be a heavy print. When I started out, I preferred 140-156 for that kind of stuff. 200 will be good, IF, you have a very tight screen...

Steve

[Hegemone]

I use water base and I like 110 for opaque white and 156 for most other colors I would only go up to 200 if there is a tone of superfine detail. Stencil thickness also effects the among of ink laid down.

[Prosperi-Tees]

You need tight screens to do spot color work on high mesh. I have some worn out 230s that if done with spot color will wave and not have a sharp print but they will definitly give you a nicer hand.

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

Thnaks gang....I was told to go with a 200...and a few of you agree with that choice...so I'll go with it! Thanks for the responses!

[Frog]

A little late, but...
Short answer; most printers with any experience would not use a 110 on a light shirt.

When I started out with plastisol, 25 years ago, my screen inventory was pretty much 160 for dark inks on light shirts, and 110 for opaque inks on dark shirts.
Since then, standard cotton and 50/50 whites and other opaque inks have gotten creamier, and it seems they print pretty nicely through 160, and I use mostly 180 and 200 for dark inks on whites and lights.

I still sometimes use 110 for light inks on dark fleece, but may even up that to a 125 or something similar in the future.

btw, spot colors are merely color inks that are used as those colors (ie bright red or kelly green, or Pantone 123) as opposed to some sort of process separations and printing which mixes different color dots to achieve the desired end color. Even a halftoned print can be a spot color.

[mooseman]

we print spot colors we have 156, 195 and 230 mesh on roller frames.
The second element you will need to manage is the thickness of your stencil (EOM) as even the right mesh will not work too well if there is insufficent emulsion thickness to make a good stencil.
mooseman

[ZooCity]

Back when I started I used static aluminum frames with standard thread mesh in a lot of 135 for basic work.  Another printer advised me to start out a little higher than a 110 and I'm glad I did.  I like and still use 110s and even 90s in a different thread thickness but agree that it's too much ink in most cases for dark on lights. 

My advice:  Burn the image on all the screens you think might be suitable and test it out.  Whichever count puts down just the right amount of ink is your go to for dark ink on lights with simple art.  You want a screen that clears easily but doesn't dump too much ink on there.  Also, get to know your mesh counts and what they are going to put down with your emulsion coating technique.  As mentioned, how you coat will make a difference.  Search around for the 'glisten method' of coating.  I recommend locking down your coating technique first to help mitigate this variable.