S (thin thread) mesh

[Socalfmf]

Ok..so I read this thread and you all talk about getting new mesh and to get our heads out of our asses...but when I tell you get a DTS I get all kinds of "why you cannot" 

hahahah  booomm right back at you!

[alan802]

I take all of our mesh up to whatever the spec sheet says is the maximum for that mesh count.  For example the 150/48 is recommended at 25-28 newtons so that's where I stop.  I've gotten the 150 up to about 33-34 but it's too delicate and will rupture.  The beauty of the thin thread is the percentage mesh opening and it's large even when not at it's highest tension level.

[alan802]

Ok..so I read this thread and you all talk about getting new mesh and to get our heads out of our asses...but when I tell you get a DTS I get all kinds of "why you cannot" 

hahahah  booomm right back at you!

$30 for a few yards of S thread or $48K for a CTS...the CTS will have to wait a few months or maybe even next year.  Trust me, I'm ready for CTS but I don't cut the checks around here.  The busier we get, the more money we spend and the less people want to pay us it seems.

[Socalfmf]

a few yards?  we have over 200 23x31...that is a lot more than a few yards..

plus what will also help you on the bottom line?  yeah a dts...we are setting up 3-7 color jobs and never touching micros...just printing.  that you CANNOT do by lining up by eye!

sam

[alan802]

wish I knew about S Mesh 2 weeks ago. I ran 110 black shirts, with underbase (3 color front - 4 color back) and the print looks good but has the a little bit of the bullet proof feel going on with it. I used 156's for the underbase white...200's for the highlight white and golden yellow and a 230 for the scarlet red....The scarlet red is what killed me...I had to do multiple hits (2 sometimes 3) of the red to cover the white properly. I should have used a lower mesh for the red but it was the only screen I had left to use.

For now on any frame I buy (i buy the aluminum 23 x 31's) I will buy with S Mesh on it.

We use thin thread counts as low as 83/71 and it will put down some ink, but it's way less than double stroking a 110/80 or even a 156/64.  I think many shops are so scared of a low mesh count yet they are counter productive because they are double stroking 156's or 195's.  Not to mention Mark double stroking his red ink could have been totally elimated by putting his top colors on something with a more open mesh that covers the UB with one stroke.  We have 100/55's, 123/55, 135/48, 150/48, 180/48, 225/40 and my new favorite I got in on Tuesday, a 90/71 that I'll have on press by the end of the day to test for a one hit white.  I don't think these mesh counts are only good for one hit whites but they are part of the reason why we never double stroke anything and rarely use revolver mode. 

a few yards?  we have over 200 23x31...that is a lot more than a few yards..

plus what will also help you on the bottom line?  yeah a dts...we are setting up 3-7 color jobs and never touching micros...just printing.  that you CANNOT do by lining up by eye!

sam

True, but we don't have to touch micros on 3-7 color jobs very often because of our regi system.  You don't have to convince me that CTS is what we need.  I need to convince one other person that dropping another 40-50K for something she's never seen is what we need to do for the shop.  We haven't reached maximum capacity over here so the need to increase our capability isn't a must at this point.  That's what usually drives us to buy new equipment and I do think we'd be considerably more profitable over here, our ROI is still not close to a year no matter how I pencil whip the spreadsheets.

[alan802]

We also have 200+ screens but they don't all need mesh and when you look at the ROI on mesh, it's the most profitable thing your shop will ever buy and CTS ain't even close.  You can get a million prints from one 23x31 piece of mesh that cost you $7.  What else in this industry will get you that type of return?  Nada.  As good as CTS is for the industry, it's still not as important as the mesh we use.  The mesh is our engine to our car, the CTS is our supercharger for that engine.

[Socalfmf]

something you will never understand til you see it and use it...but I bet when you get it you will see it in 12 months or less

[Prosperi-Tees]

I have been looking for a long time for s-thread static frames and come up empty. I even emailed Murakami and got no response. I asked a rep from our supplier about them and see said they are the best thing I could do printing manually but they dont sell em.

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

I have been looking for a long time for s-thread static frames and come up empty. I even emailed Murakami and got no response. I asked a rep from our supplier about them and see said they are the best thing I could do printing manually but they dont sell em.

River City Graphic's supply in Austin will put S mesh on a aluminum frame...you have to request it. I have not done it yet BUT I did speak to them on the phone and they told me point blank if you request S mesh they will put it on the frame. They sell the s mesh so they have it in stock.

[ScreenPrinter123]

Alan- what are you guys stretching your S-mesh to?  We always seem to have issues and it rips once we get to maybe the mid 20's...

I know I wasn't asked, and I knew right away who posted that LOOOOONNNG thread on s mesh without even reading the name :-), but we run all S mesh and we run them all right around 28-33 newtons with the exception of 310 - that's more like 19-24 newtons.

Stupid question here, I assume I already know the answer, but are you stretching yours on roller frames?

Yes we are using Newman mzx's. In fact, sold our m3's when we went all s mesh.  They were excessive for our needs since you don't do 50 newtons on s mesh.

[ebscreen]

Creative Screen Technologies will stretch provided mesh for you.
Interesting frame design as well, I had a few and no qualms.

Which reminds me of the guy around the corner that my buddy worked for stretching screens made out of
bent EMT conduit. They seemed to sell a lot of them, and I personally saw a Newton meter at 30+. As to
whether they held that is beyond me.

[ZooCity]

screens made out of
bent EMT conduit.

That I would like to see.

[ScreenFoo]

I guess, a hundred yards of S thread=$1500
Direct to screen printer=$48,000

Comparing them as anything resembling equivalent opportunity losses... priceless. 

[Gilligan]

Ok..so I read this thread and you all talk about getting new mesh and to get our heads out of our asses...but when I tell you get a DTS I get all kinds of "why you cannot" 

hahahah  booomm right back at you!

You count scotch tape but don't see the cost benefits to less ink, stroke after stroke?  Or less stroke, strokes equal time. Then what about revolver or pfp?  What cost savings on that flash unit if you don't have to pfp, plus a second screen (if not revolver).

I get your point but aren't you really making Alan's point and basically saying do as I say not as I do?

[blue moon]

'been using S mesh for a while now, not exclusively though . . .

to throw a wrench into the discussion, how many here tried the LX mesh? Even bigger opening and no knuckles!

pierre