Regardless of what type of project you are about to embark upon, the quality of the tools and the materials that you choose to use will make a huge difference in the project’s outcome with graphic screen printing equipment. This is something that also holds true whenever you are doing any type of screen printing work. Whenever you have the right supplies and knowledge of how to use them, the quality of your product will be greatly impacted. With this in mind, there are three tips that you should always keep in mind so that you are sure to get the most out of these supplies.
Know What Your Products Can NOT Do
Take some time to learn about the capabilities and the limitations of your screen printing supplies. Oftentimes this knowledge is more important than knowing what the product is capable of doing. This is because there are so many different types of ink available for you to choose from today. They have come onto the market because of the increasing number of technical substrates that feature moisture wicking and compression characteristics. Whenever you choose the wrong ink for what you are doing, you will run into problems, which is why it is so important to know what these inks can’t do.
A great example of this is the various types of white ink that are available. For instance, the Sport Pro 1550 White Ink has been designed to be very opaque and stretchable regardless of how difficult the substrate you print on tends to be. However, if you are printing on cotton or a 50/50 blend and want something that looks soft, this wouldn’t be the right choice for you. Instead, you would want to choose to use the Excalibur 581 Arctic White, which you cannot use on 100% polyester as it will increase the cost of printing and ruin garments along the way.
Know What Products Are Perishable
While you may be tempted to purchase your items in bulk, this only makes sense whenever you know for sure that you will be able to use all of them before they perish. For this reason, it is important to know both the shelf life (the product’s useful life before it is opened and used) and the pot life (the useful life of a product once it has been opened) of the items that you are working with. Some of the items that you really need to keep a close eye on include:
- Both Diazo and dual cure emulsions have a limited pot life once they have been sensitized, which is why it is important to only prep as much as you plan on using.
- There are some ink additives (i.e. those used on nylon) that also have limited shelf and pot lives.
- While you can leave the lid off of your plastisol inks, this is not true with water-based or discharged inks.
Know What To Purchase When
Whenever you are in the graphic screen-printing business, it is important to note just how time sensitive things are. However, you shouldn’t allow the management of your supply inventory to take the back seat. Instead, make a list of those supplies that you use frequently and check on them just as frequently. Make sure you know just how much you need to keep in stock at all times. Of course, you will also want to combine purchases in order to reduce shipping charges. It is also a good idea to be on the lookout for special pricing and bulk deals whenever they can be found. All of this will go a long way to helping your bottom line.