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19 common problems

Fix a problem

Find what you see on the shirt or screen, check the usual causes, and start with the first fix. Each problem links to the guide that covers it in depth.

Updated October 20265 short topics~16 min to read it all50 sources

In short

  1. Look at the screen before you blame the ink. Many defects start in screen-making: exposure, emulsion thickness, tension.
  2. Change one thing at a time so you know what fixed it.
  3. Cure problems hide until the customer washes the shirt. Wash-test before you ship.

In this guide

  1. 01All problems
  2. 02Screen-room problems
  3. 03Art problems
  4. 04On-press problems
  5. 05Cure problems
Sources for this guide (50)
  1. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Pinholes and fisheyes
  2. Chromaline, Causes of pinholes during screen making
  3. Chromaline, Underexposed screen tech tip (PDF)
  4. Avery Dennison, IB 8.34 silkscreen troubleshooting guide (PDF)
  5. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Over- vs. under-exposure
  6. ScreenPrinting.com Help, How do I figure out exposure times?
  7. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Why can’t I burn my screens correctly?
  8. ScreenPrintingNow, Using the 21-step wedge
  9. Lawson Screen & Digital, Direct emulsion troubleshooting checklist
  10. Avient, Print technique guide, 2023 (PDF)
  11. Chromaline, 10 common reasons for stencil breakdown on press
  12. ScreenPrinting.com, Printing with plastisol vs. water-based ink
  13. ScreenPrinting.com, Get rid of ghost images
  14. ScreenPrinting.com Help, How do you reclaim screens?
  15. Screen Printing Magazine, Preventing and removing haze
  16. International Coatings, Preventing moiré patterns
  17. Screen Printing Magazine, Ten tips to help avoid halftone moiré
  18. Solutions for Screen Printers, Halftone angles demystified
  19. Impressions, Troubleshooting screen printing (2018)
  20. Screen Printing Magazine, Catching the on-press culprit
  21. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Why is my print fuzzy?
  22. Ink Kitchen, Why out of register? Let me count the ways
  23. ScreenPrinting.com Help, What’s considered good mesh tension?
  24. ScreenPrinting.com, Registering water-based and plastisol prints
  25. Davis International, Common issues
  26. PrintWiki, Mesh marks
  27. Lawson Screen & Digital, Eliminating fibrillation
  28. Texsource, What is fibrillation?
  29. Fujifilm, Fibrillation in plastisols (PDF)
  30. ScreenPrinting.com Help, How do I pick the right mesh count?
  31. ScreenPrinting.com, High contrast with discharge inks
  32. Signs101 forum, Just started screen printing again
  33. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Water-based vs. plastisol
  34. Lawson Screen & Digital, Plastisol ink FAQ
  35. Lawson Screen & Digital, Reducing plastisol ink build-up
  36. Screen Printing Magazine, Anti-build-up additive
  37. PIA/SPTF, Textile plastisol curing troubleshooting (PDF)
  38. Lawson Screen & Digital, Curing plastisol inks
  39. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Why does ink crack in a stretch test?
  40. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Why does ink look faded after washing?
  41. Screen Printing Magazine, Curing comes clean through wash testing
  42. International Coatings, How do I test to make sure my inks are properly cured?
  43. ScreenPrinting.com, What is dye migration?
  44. ScreenPrinting.com, Decoding poly white and dye blocker inks
  45. Lawson Screen & Digital, Testing polyester for dye migration
  46. Lawson Screen & Digital, Low-cure screen printing ink
  47. Ink Kitchen, Scorching heat, scorching shirts
  48. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Can you over-cure plastisol ink?
  49. Screen Printing Magazine, Figuring out flash-curing parameters
  50. Wilflex (Avient), Ink curing tips (2020, PDF)

Where sources disagree, the page says so.