The T-Shirt Guys Guide To Screenprinting

The T-Shirt Guys Guide To ScreenprintingAn Instructional Manual and Reference GuideDavid Maddox

Table of contents

Introduction………………………………………..2

Machine and Equipment guide……………3

Equipment………………………………….…3

Machines……………………………………...4

Step by Step Screenprinting……………….6

Preparation…………………………….6

Printing……………………………………7

Finishing………………………………….8

Troubleshooting………………………………...8

Tips and tricks……...…………………………….9

Index………………………………………………….10

Introduction

If you are reading this manual, welcome to The T-shirt Guy’s family! You are about to enter the exciting and satisfying world of screenprinting. With the help of this guide you will be introduced into the complex processes that are used in every day screenprinting. Through proper training and the guidance of this manual you will learn the processes and equipment you use daily as you complete orders and process materials. By following the guidelines in this manual and observing other employees, you will have a sound understanding of the screenprinting process and produce higher quality product. The purpose of this manual is to better familiarize you with screenprinting and the ultimate goal being increased efficiency and improved quality of work. If you’re having problems with the process, consult the troubleshooting guide. Reference material is provided for particular combinations of ink, shirt material, and dryer heat when needed. If you have a question not covered in this guide, consult a superior.

Machine and Equipment Guide

Equipment

Screens

The screen is the central piece of equipment in screenprinting. There are many ways to apply images or ink to textiles but screenprinting using a screen is the most efficient and affordable. Made up of a wooden or metal frame with a woven mesh stretched over it, the screen is a simple piece of equipment. However, tearing is common and it’s important to the screen intact to ensure that ink doesn’t leak through. To put it simply, ink is spread over the screen using a squeegee to apply a design to a shirt.

Ink

While it may seem simple, there is a surprising amount of colors and types of inks. To best satisfy customers, we have over 50 colors of inks on hand ensuring that the perfect color can be used. Ink comes in two varieties: plasticol and water based. Water based ink sinks into the shirt which gives a sharper look and better durability. However, using water based ink is time consuming and tedious so plasticol ink is used for the majority of orders. Different types of ink need to be used on certain types of textiles. For example, regular white ink cannot be used on polyester; a specific poly white ink must be used.

Squeegee

The Squeegee is a simple instrument. Using pressure, the squeegee pushes the ink over the screen. The ink moves through the screen and produce the design on the T-shirt. It should be kept clean as to not mix inks and guarantee a quality finished product. When finished, excess ink should be scraped of the squeegee and cleaned properly.

Machines

Dryer

The dryer is pretty self-explanatory: after ink is applied to the shirt, it is placed into the dryer to dry the ink. The shirt rides on a rotating belt through the oven before being deposited into a bin at the end of the dryer. After the shirt exits the dryer the ink has solidified into the shirt and the design becomes permanent. The dryer runs at an average temperature of 370°F. For polyester shirts, the temperature is lowered to 325°F. It’s important to keep the temperature monitored to ensure that the ink dries properly.

Warning: Due to the extreme heat of the dryer, never put anything other than a shirt on the belt. Keep hands away from both mouths of the dryer.

Screen Press

The press is the machine where the image is printed onto the shirt. Its key feature is holding the screen while it’s pressed on to the shirt and making sure the screen is printed on the same location every time. Two types of press are available:

Manual Press: To use the manual press, the screen must be lowered, the ink applied, the screen raised, and the arms rotated all by hand. While time consuming, the manual press is best used for smaller orders or orders where numbers have to be applied (sports jerseys).

Automatic Press: The automatic press takes care of the entire printing process automatically; the only thing that must be done is loading and unloading the shirt off the press. Preparing the automatic press is more difficult than the manual press. Screens must be installed on the press exactly and ink must be constantly monitored. With the automatic press moving at max efficiency, it can produce at least 500 shirts an hour. With its speed and efficiency, the automatic press is best used for larger orders or when time is short.

Exposure Unit

The exposure unit is used to apply an image to a screen. Screens start off blank and must be placed into the exposure unit. Before going into the unit, the desired design printed on clear plastic is taped onto the screen. Proper placement is very important: careless placement of the design can result in a slanted printed image on the final project costing time and money to fix. The exposure unit uses extremely bright light to “burn” the image into the screen. After being removed from the exposure unit and sprayed with water to reveal the design.

Screen Cleaning Area

After a screen is done being used for a job it has to be cleaned and blanked for re-use. Firstly, all ink must be removed from the screen. Scraping the ink off and putting it back in its respective ink bucket saves ink and money; as much ink as possible should be saved. Chemicals are used to remove the design and blank the screen to get it ready for re-use.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Analyzing the Order

An order begins in the sales department: a customer looking to have t-shirts made approaches the sales department. After speaking with the sales team details like design, number of shirts and sizes are revealed and recorded on the work order. Depending on the client a design might need to be made by the art department. If the shirts requested by the customer are not in stock more must be ordered. Once the shirts are ordered, details are agreed upon, and the design is ready, the process can begin.

Step 2: Assembling Materials

When the shirts are in stock it’s time to get everything needed together. Consult the work order for the number of shirts needed for the order and make sure they are all there. T-shirts come in groups of 12 and a case of t-shirts has 6 groups or 72 shirts. Checking to make sure the proper ink, clean screens and squeegees are available is also important.

Step 3: Preparing the Screens

The first step in the screenprinting process is to get the screen ready. To do so, the desired image is printed on a clear plastic sheet. The sheet is then taped onto the screen. It’s important to have the image placed exactly on the screen: if not, the finished product might be off center or crooked. The screen is placed in the exposure unit and the machine is turned on. After 60 seconds, the screen is removed and sprayed with water to reveal the design. A screen must be used for each color of the design. The more colors used means the more screens required which is why price per shirt is dependent on number of colors.

Step 4: Preparing the Press

Next, the screens are loaded onto the press. It makes no difference on preparing an automatic press or a manual press other than more careful screen placement on the auto press. Screen placement on the arm must be precise to ensure proper design. For multiple color jobs, all of the screens must line up perfectly for the design to look proper on the shirt. Commonly, the design is first tested on an unneeded shirt to guarantee all of the screens line up correctly. If the design lines up and deemed acceptable it’s time to start printing.

Step 5: Screen Printing at a Glance

Screen printing is a complex process and there a dozen of ways to do it correctly. Below I will explain the simplest method.

1. Load the t-shirt on the arm

2. Lower the press onto the shirt

3. Run the ink over the screen with the squeegee and repeat

4. Raise the screen and inspect the design

5. Remove the t-shirt

6. Place shirt on dryer

On the automatic press, steps 2-4 can be skipped as they are all done by the machine. It’s a fairly simple process but there are many opportunities for mistakes. Consult the Troubleshooting guide for more information.

Note: On orders where printing needs to be done on the front and back of the shirt, the process must be repeated for each side.

Step 6: Finishing the Order

When the shirts are done printing it’s time to take a final count. To ensure quality control, the shirts are inspected and numbers are checked. After everything is in order the shirts organized by size and folded into groups of 7. The shirts are placed into boxes and labeled accordingly (customer, PO, and sizes). Check to see if the order is customer pick up or shipped. Orders that require multiple boxes should be grouped together and marked as such.

Step 7: Cleaning the Screen

The final step is to clean the screen so that it may be re-used. First, remove any excess ink off of the screen and squeegee. Next, wash off any ink still on the screen and let it dry. After the ink is removed the screen is washed to ensure that every last drop of ink is off the screen. Next, a chemical paste is applied to the screen and the screen is dunked into a chemical bath to completely remove the design from the screen. After soaking for 3-4 minutes, remove the screen and place it back in the rack.

Before declaring the order is finished, make sure all of these things have been done

· T-shirts are counted correctly.

· Boxes are labeled properly.

· Work order sheet is placed in the completed box.

· Screens and Squeegees are washed and placed in appropriate areas.

· Art samples are returned to art department.

Troubleshooting

Ink is leaking through the screen and ruining shirts

First, check the area where the leak is happening. If there’s a rip, a new screen is needed. If there’s no rip, then there was probably a problem in the screen burning process. Use tape to cover the leak area. If that doesn’t work, replace with a new screen.

The ink is still wet when coming out of the dryer

Two things can be done: decrease the belt speed or increase the dryer heat. Decreasing the belt speed should always be the first choice. If that doesn’t work than increasing the dryer heat might help. However, increasing dryer heat can damage the product so exercise caution.

A small amount of ink got on the t-shirt. Is it still usable?

Dry cleaning fluid is provided and can be used to take care of small ink stains. Be careful when using the fluid, it can damage the shirt if too much is used. If the amount of ink on the shirt is bigger than a nickel then a new shirt must be made.

A shipment of stock is missing some shirts

Alert your manager of the insufficient shirts as soon as possible. Always remember to double check shirt counts.

Shirts keep moving on the arm press and distort the printed image

Spray adhesive can be found around the shop. Spraying a light coat on the arm can help keep shirts from moving.

Ink is too thin on shirt

The common way to fix this problem is to increase pressure with the squeegee. If that doesn’t work, then the screen should be wiped down with a damp shop rag to remove any lint or debris from the screen.

The design is slightly off center

Knobs located on the manual press control fine tuning of the screen. Adjust accordingly and preferably use a test shirt.

Hole in Screen

Any screens containing holes must be thrown out. Consult a supervisor to double check.

Tips and Tricks

· Always check your hands for ink, even if you weren’t working with it.

· Double check all of your work. This includes printing, counting, and stacking.

· Keep focused no matter the task. Mistakes are easily made and hard to fix.

· Take things slow. The biggest contributor to making mistakes is rushing through things.

· Stacking shirts may seem simple but it complicates the more shirts stacked. See above.

· When counting in stock it’s important to note the size of every shirt.

· Making a mistake is not a big deal but alert a supervisor immediately.

· Never be afraid to ask for help. Screenprinting is tricky and coworkers will be understanding.

Index

12

arm, 6, 7, 9

automatic press, 5, 6, 7

Chemicals, 5

design, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

dryer, 2, 4, 7, 8

Equipment, 2, 3

Exposure Unit, 5

Ink, 3, 8, 9

Instructions, 6

Machines, 2, 4

Order, 6, 7

Press, 4, 5, 6

screen, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Screen Printing, 7

shirt, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

work order, 6