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Beginner mistakes · 3 of 5 · 1 min read

On-press mistakes

Too much squeegee pressure

Extra pressure causes dot gain, smearing and misregistration, and wears out screens. Instead: find the zero point, the lightest pressure that clears the ink in one stroke. See Presses & setup.

Printing with no off-contact

Too little off-contact smears and doubles the image. Instead: start at 1/16–1/8 inch, the usual manual starting point, and raise it until the screen snaps away cleanly.

One print size for every shirt size

A single size gets swallowed on a 3XL or overhangs on youth shirts. Instead: plan two or three size tiers, and account for the extra screens.

Sources for this guide (17)
  1. Avient, Mapping your conveyor dryer (PDF)
  2. Davis International, FAQs
  3. Wilflex (Avient), Ink curing tips (2020, PDF)
  4. Vastex, Mesh information
  5. Catspit Productions, Proper emulsion performance
  6. Chromaline, Causes of pinholes during screen making
  7. Murakami, Emulsion coating tips (PDF)
  8. Screen Printing Magazine, Squeegee consciousness
  9. dot B, Low printing pressure: what is zero point?
  10. Lawson Screen & Digital, Understanding off-contact printing
  11. ScreenPrinting.com, Sizing strategies for large shirt runs
  12. OSHA, Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)
  13. NIOSH, Health hazard evaluation 2007-0053-3092 (PDF)
  14. Cedar City, UT, Screen printers best management practices
  15. Printavo, Screen printing pricing
  16. International Coatings, Curing ink with a heat gun
  17. Lawson Screen & Digital, Curing plastisol inks

Ranges are starting points from these sources. When a source and your ink’s tech data sheet disagree, follow the tech data sheet.