News
Dual Tack Platen Tape vs. Platen Adhesive: Which is Better?
When taping platens and applying adhesive, every screen printer has a couple of options. You could tape your platens with regular platen tape and then apply adhesive, or use dual tack platen tape and knock the process out in one step. So which method is better? Are there instances where you should use one method over the other? Strap in, we’re about to answer your questions.
What is Minimum Order Quantity and Why Does it Matter?
Every printer wants to make money. You don’t want to lose profit on a job, but don’t want to turn potential customers away. So what do you do? Set a minimum order quantity. A minimum order quantity will ensure that you are putting in the effort that isn’t going to waste. It also can help weed out customers who aren’t committed to quality like you are. Get your calculators out; this is going to take a bit of math. Don’t worry though. Here’s everything you need to find your minimum order quantity for every job.
Pigment Dyeing vs. Garment Dyeing: What's the Difference?
When dyeing a garment, two methods exist — pigment dyeing and traditional garment dyeing. These two processes create different dyes in a garment. Both are great options for screen printers. So what’s the big difference? Let’s jump in and find out.
What is a Laser Guiding System and How Does it Improve Screen Printing Performance?
It’s no secret that lasers are cool. They’re not just for laser tag or entertaining cats. Screen printers can take advantage of laser precision using a laser guiding system to line up prints on press. Why is this system a game-changer for printers? Let’s find out.
How Moving Shops Helped Abi-Saad Print & Design Work Toward Goals and Create Community
Moving to a new shop space is exciting but also intimidating. The process can be riddled with challenges or go smoothly. Anthony Abi-Saad found both when he moved his shop, Abi-Saad Print & Design, to a new location in Taunton, Massachusetts. It wasn’t the first time he’d moved, but it was a big new challenge. One main challenge: creating a darkroom from scratch. With a bit of creativity and some expert help, he was able to make it all happen.
WTF is DTF: Comparing Screen Printing and DTF for DIY Screen Printers
So you want to decorate garments. There are so many ways of doing that. Do you want to use transfers? Interested in direct-to-garment printing? Want to try out screen printing? With so many options to start, it can be overwhelming for a DIY printer to decide. Let’s compare two popular methods: DTF and screen printing.
Tips for Adjusting Dot Gain in Artwork in Adobe® Photoshop
Imagine this: you separate halftone artwork in Photoshop and it looks great. When you go to screen print it onto a garment, the image looks oversaturated and areas that should “fade” are way too dark. Those halftone dots didn’t all work together to create the masterpiece you saw on your computer screen.
Sound familiar? It’s called dot gain and occurs whenever a squeegee is pulled across a screen, causing pressure. The good news is that there’s an easy way to adjust for dot gain within Adobe® Photoshop.
Calculate Screen Printing Profits for a DIY Printer in 4 Steps
One of the scariest parts of screen printing is turning a profit. Printers want to make a profit and stay competitive, but not price too high or too low. How do you make a profit in DIY screen printing? Let’s follow the blog “A Guide to Pricing Screen Printed Garments and Turning a Profit” and take a look at four steps to turning DIY screen printing into a profit.
What Is Water Based Ink in Screen Printing?
What is water-based ink? What makes it a desirable ink for screen printers? The basic answer is that water-based ink uses water as a base. Seems pretty self-explanatory, right? There’s a lot more to know about water-based ink than just the base itself. Let’s dive in and talk about what water-based ink is and how printers can get the most out of it.
The 4 Most Common Types of T-shirts for Screen Printing
When choosing shirts for a job, there are tons of options available. Shirts might look the same to an untrained eye, but screen printers need to be choosy when selecting a garment for a job. The shirt type affects the print more than most customers realize. Here’s a guide to the most common t-shirt fabrics and what they mean to screen printers.
Everything You Need to Know About Printing with Plastisol Ink
New screen printers should start printing with plastisol ink. It's more forgiving than water-based ink and it's much easier to achieve proper cure. Even though printing plastisol is more straightforward, there are many techniques to print the ink for various processes. We've created a collection of videos and blogs that explain how to print with plastisol ink in different situations.
How to Use Adobe® Photoshop to Convert a Design into Halftones
With Adobe® Photoshop, printers can convert any grayscale image into halftones. Don’t have R.I.P. software? Not a problem. By using a bitmap, printers can create a halftone pattern that will print images like a dream. Here’s how to do it.
