The advantage of an aluminum screen.
Print frame is the durability and longevity it retains. unlike wood
screen printing frames by exposing the frames to water in a dip tank
or the aluminum frames of the sink will not warp. This will ensure a flat frame.
through thousands of impressions to come. Aluminum frames can also be stretched and
re-stretched many times. The mesh and glue are simply removed from the frame.
using a professional tool that will not damage aluminum. Once clean, the
the frames can be re-stretched, giving you the ability to use that
frame for years of hard work in his workshop.
Aluminum frames are also lightweight, making it easy to ship.
less expensive and saves you money in the long run. if you’re looking for
To maximize performance in your store, aluminum frames are a great item to add to your
your screen printing equipment.
More information on screen printing mesh size: different mesh sizes are used for different
applications in the screen printing process. The mesh size is measured by how many
there are mesh threads crossing per square inch. For example, a 110 mesh
The screen has 110 cross threads per square inch. The higher the number of meshes,
finer are the threads and holes in the screen. The size of the mesh has a lot to do with it.
see how detailed your image is with and how thick the ink you are using is. Yew
If you have an extremely high detail image, an inferior mesh screen will not hold the image.
high detail. Thin lines or dots in the image will simply fall through the
the holes in the mesh do not give you a correct representation of what your image is
It should be. Also, if you are using a thinner ink, the ink will also flood
the larger holes and soak into your shirt or substrate making your image blurry
like ink bleeds On the other hand, if you are trying to print a thicker ink
(such as white) to the top of a mesh screen, hardly any ink will print
through the mesh. You will notice that different companies have different sizes.
available. If the number of meshes is close enough, such as the difference between
155 vs. 156, 196 vs. 200, gold 81 vs. 86, the difference is so insignificant and
small that it will not matter in your final results.
Since there are many variables involved in screen printing,
I can’t tell you exactly what mesh sizes are used for what applications. However
we can give you a general outline of what sizes to use for certain types of
Print. Basic and most standard mesh sizes are 110 and 156. 110 Mesh
lays down a fairly thick layer of ink down. It is ideal for block text lettering and
larger spot color designs. It is also a recommended mesh for white flash plates.
because many times you will only have to do a printout that speeds up
increase production time. 156 mesh also establishes a slightly thicker screen layer
printing ink, but offers you greater detail in your image due to
the finest mesh. Also if you are printing with slightly thinner viscosity colors
of inks, you may want to use 156 mesh so you don’t get too much ink through
your screen. Lower mesh counts such as 40-86 are used for brightness and shine.
inks. These inks contain particles that will not pass through the typical
mesh sizes. Therefore, you need a lower mesh number with large holes to
all particles pass correctly. Glossy plastisol inks have finer particles, so you could probably use 86 mesh, while glossy inks have much larger particles, so 40 or 60 mesh is recommended. 200 and 230 mesh are used for more detailed images and finer inks. These mesh sizes may contain larger halftone dots, but are not
Recommended for four color process prints or fine detail halftone printing.
Solvent based and graphic screen inks should also be used which are much thinner at these mesh sizes. Also, if you want a smoother feel to the ink on your shirts, you can
print through these higher mesh counts which will let less ink pass through the
Screen which gives you a much softer feel on the shirt. However, this can be tricky,
many times a duller worn look is desired for the artwork, but if it is shiny
vibrant colors are desired (especially white) you will be hard pressed to achieve
the opacity is thick enough using these higher meshes. 305 mesh is used for
Textile print with extremely high details and fine halftone four-color process and
simulated process impressions. (Learn more about the printing process here.)
Tone dots need a fine high detail mesh to hold up and be exposed. Higher
meshes such as 355, 380 and 400 are mainly used for UV graphic printing
inks UV inks are extremely thin and are often used for high detail
printing on signs, banners or CDs. The use of a higher mesh allows automatic
printers used in UV printing to regulate the amount of ink that passes through the
screen.
Exposure Notes: Different mesh sizes have different
amounts of emulsion, due to the size of the holes in the mesh. for example a
The 110 mesh screen will retain much more emulsion than a 305 mesh screen. While the
difference is not extreme, you will need to vary your exposure times slightly to
different mesh sizes. A finer mesh screen containing less emulsion will expose
faster than a lower mesh screen that contains more emulsion. However the
the difference is small, so you may only need to vary 5-10% on either
direction and depending on the mesh size for maximum exposure
performance.