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Presses & setup

Most on-press problems come down to setup. Set off-contact, lock everything down, and use the lightest pressure that clears the screen.

STROKESQUEEGEEDurometer: 60A, 70A or 80AFLOODInk ahead of the bladeOFF-CONTACT1/16–1/8 in to startMESHSnaps off behind the bladePLATENThe board the shirt sits onPRINT STROKE, SECTION VIEWSTROKE12345
  1. Squeegee durometer 60A, 70A or 80A
  2. Flood ink ahead of the blade
  3. Off-contact 1/16–⁠1/8 in to start, then adjust
  4. Mesh snaps off behind the blade
  5. Platen the board the shirt sits on
A print stroke in section view (our own drawing, not to scale). Start off-contact at 1/16–⁠1/8 inch and adjust; see Off-contact.
Updated October 20266 short topics~3 min to read it all17 sources

In short

  1. Start off-contact at 1/16–1/8 inch and adjust. One source goes to 1/4 inch; that’s the high end.
  2. Find the zero point: the lightest pressure that clears the ink in one stroke.
  3. A 70A squeegee is the usual all-round starting point.

In this guide

  1. 01Press types
  2. 02Off-contact
  3. 03Registration, adhesive and flash
  4. 04Print size by garment size
  5. 05Squeegee durometer and angle
  6. 06Pressure, flood and edge care
Sources for this guide (17)
  1. Printavo, Screen printing pricing
  2. Lawson Screen & Digital, Understanding off-contact printing
  3. ScreenPrinting.com, Functional off-contact
  4. ScreenPrinting.com, Sizing strategies for large shirt runs
  5. ScreenPrinting.com, Squeegee durometer and angle
  6. Chromaline, Understanding squeegee durometer
  7. ScreenPrinting.com, Everything about squeegee durometer
  8. ScreenPrintingNow, Guide to choosing a squeegee
  9. Screen Printing Magazine, Squeegee consciousness
  10. dot B, Low printing pressure: what is zero point?
  11. ScreenPrinting.com Help, How much off-contact do I need?
  12. Lawson Screen & Digital, Plastisol ink FAQ
  13. ScreenPrinting.com Help, What pallet adhesive should I use?
  14. Impressions, Troubleshooting screen printing (2018)
  15. Ink Kitchen, Why out of register? Let me count the ways
  16. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Should I push or pull a squeegee?
  17. ScreenPrinting.com Help, Squeegee blade durometer

Where sources disagree, the page says so.