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Curing · 3 of 8 · 1 min read

Cure equipment

  • Conveyor dryer: infrared electric dryers for small and mid-size shops; forced-air dryers (gas or electric) for higher volume and water-based ink, because moving air carries moisture away. Small dryers have short heat chambers, which are harder to control, so you may need to slow the belt (ScreenPrinting.com). Avient says small hobby conveyors are not sufficient for water-based inks.
  • Flash dryer: built to gel ink between colors. Whether it can be your only cure is debated; see Do you need a conveyor dryer?
  • Heat gun: fine for drying test prints. ICC says curing with a heat gun risks under-cure and scorching and is not recommended; ScreenPrinting.com says it’s workable only for small chest prints in small runs, and impossible for discharge.
  • Heat press: some shops use one to finish small runs or flatten prints. We didn’t find a manufacturer source we’d stand behind for heat-press curing of plastisol, so we’re not giving numbers. Check the ink’s TDS.
  • Dryer size: belt width and chamber length set how many shirts you can cure per hour at a given dwell. A dryer that can’t keep up with your press caps the whole shop.
Sources for this guide (18)
  1. Wilflex (Avient), Ink curing tips (2020, PDF)
  2. Avient, Mapping your conveyor dryer (PDF)
  3. Davis International, FAQs
  4. Davis International, Common issues
  5. ScreenPrinting.com Help, How do you cure water-based ink?
  6. Lawson Screen & Digital, Curing plastisol inks
  7. ScreenPrinting.com Help, What is cure temp?
  8. ScreenPrinting.com Help, How do you cure plastisol with a flash dryer?
  9. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Why does ink crack in a stretch test?
  10. ScreenPrinting.com, 4 curing methods
  11. International Coatings, Curing ink with a heat gun
  12. International Coatings, How do I test to make sure my inks are properly cured?
  13. Screen Printing Magazine, Figuring out flash-curing parameters
  14. Screen Printing Magazine, Curing comes clean through wash testing
  15. ScreenPrinting.com Help, What do I need to start a shop?
  16. Lancer Group, STI direct print silicone ink system (PDF)
  17. Northwest Graphic, Silextreme silicone ink
  18. PIA/SPTF, Textile plastisol curing troubleshooting (PDF)

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