In Printwear Magazine`s June 2011

In Printwear Magazine’s June 2011 article “Five Money-Saving Tips for Screen
Printers” Ryan Moor, CEO of Ryonet®, discusses multiple screen printing products
used to increase efficiency and decrease cost during production. Ryonet® has
filmed instructional videos on each of these processes that can be seen on their
YouTube channel: youtube.com/ryonet. For your convenience, below you will
find links to the products and videos discussed throughout the article.
Tip # 1: Print With the Right Mesh
Choose a variety of aluminum screen frame mesh sizes.
Product: www.screenprinting.com/screen-printing-supplies/aluminum-screen-printing-frames
Video: youtu.be/7Z5Ta7KinjU
Tip # 2: Save and Reuse Ink
Have access to ink cleanup cards and quality screen tape.
Clean-up Cards: www.screenprinting.com/screen-printing-supplies/screen-printing-tools-accessories/theultimate-ink-cleanup-card-box-of-1-500
Screen Tape: www.screenprinting.com/screen-printing-supplies/screen-printing-tape
Video: youtu.be/JjqEXd4S64o
Tip # 3: Extend the Life and Use of Your Screen Printing Chemicals
Screen Printing Chemicals: www.screenprinting.com/screen-printing-supplies/screen-printing-chemicals
Video: youtu.be/nivqbZQKpDI
Tip # 4: Spread It, Don’t Spray It
Ryonet’s Pro Bond Water Based Pallet Adhesive.
Pro Bond: www.screenprinting.com/screen-printing-supplies/screen-printing-tape/pro-bond-application-water-based-pallet-adhesive-pintquart.html
Video: youtu.be/q2xPR_qzy1o
Tip # 5: Get Educated
Below are some other ways to get educated with Ryonet.
Screen Printing Classes: www.screenprinting.com/screen-printing-classes-courses
Free YouTube Videos: www.youtube.com/ryonet
Ryonet Blog Articles: www.ryonetblog.com
Ryonet FAQ Page: www.screenprinting.com/faq-ryonet
Enjoy the article!
Q
Increase your cash-stash with . . .
Intermediate
Five Money-Saving Tips
for Screen Printers
BY
ith prices on consumable products going up, there is a need for
screen printers to become more
creative and resourceful in how they use
products. Doing so helps decrease some
of the effects price increases have on business. But it’s not all about how much something costs; it’s also about how long something lasts, how far it goes and how fast it
is applied. Here are five money-saving tips
geared to help screen print professionals put
savings right back in their bank accounts.
W
mesh is a bad size to use, but other sizes
should be considered for the majority of
prints and selection should be based on the
job at hand. Using the wrong mesh can lead
to ink waste. Figure 1 reviews the actual
consumption percentage and cost savings
that is possible to achieve by simply choosing the correct mesh for a job.
(Editor’s note: For more on this subject see
Printwear May 2011 page 76 or search the
online archives at www.printwearmag.com for
Joe Clarke’s article, Mesh Specs and Selection.)
Tip # 1: Print with the right mesh
If you ask the average screen printer what
mesh size they use, the most predominate
answer will be 110 mesh. As a supplier, I
can report that 110 mesh sells more than
any other mesh size. It is not to say that 110
Here are some actions that can help screen
printers in this department:
1. Own a variety of screens from which
to choose. If the racks are primarily
stocked with 110 mesh screens, it’s time
R YA N M O O R
About the author: Ryan
Moor started screen printing in the late 90s when his
band needed shirts. Printing
for his band led to showing
other bands how to print
shirts which led to sourcing equipment and supplies
to do so. In 2004 Moor started Ryonet, a leader in
online supplies, support and education, and its main
website, silkscreeningsupplies.com. Moor loves training and helping screen printers become successful.
Catch Ryan Moor in-person at
The NBM Show in 2011, where
he’ll present his class on…
Basic Skills and Techniques
for Garment Screen
Printing
9 – 10 a.m.
June 8; Indianapolis
Aug. 10; Long Beach, Calif.
Sept. 7; Baltimore
Visit www.thenbmshow.com for details
and to register.
to invest in a larger repertoire. They will
pay for themselves in ink savings in no
time, not to mention increase the quality of any print.
Mark Berryman prints white ink through multiple mesh screens to test look versus ink usage. (All images
courtesy Ryonet)
72 • PRINTWEAR • JUNE 2011
2. Take the time to assess the right mesh
for every job—don’t just pull any
screen off the shelf. Engineering each
job carefully before it is put on the
press will maximize production efficiency and minimize the cost of product and time.
Use INFO #130
Use INFO #130
3. Never print black ink through a 110
mesh. Black ink is much thinner than
white ink because it doesn’t need as
high of pigment content in order to
cover the garment. The mesh hole
opening in 110 is much larger than is
needed and, as a result, could waste up
to 60 percent of the ink. Most black
inks can easily be printed through a
230 mesh—maybe even higher.
4. Reduce the ink and increase the mesh
count when printing on lighter garments. Use curable reducer to cut the
ink and thin it out (and be sure to include the percentage used with your
job notes so you can replicate it). Reduced ink will be easier to print and has
a softer hand on the garment. Finding
the correct percentage by which to reduce the ink is crucial—use too much
and the ink color may change and it
may have trouble curing.
5. If the job requires a print-flash-print
cycle, use a higher mesh count, even
with white ink. If printing, flashing and
printing again, there is a high likelihood
that the print will look just as good
printed through a higher mesh. The difference between printing in this format
through a 110 mesh and a 156 mesh is a
37 percent savings in ink consumption.
A small tweak can equal hundreds or
even thousands of dollars when multiplied over thousands of T-shirts.
Tip # 2: Save and reuse ink
Though we don’t know how much ink the
average screen printing shop throws away,
we do know that it is probably too much.
It is very possible that, between all the ink
that was washed down the washout sink and
out of washrags, and that on screen tape and
These two shirts were printed, flashed and printed again.The shirt on the left was printed through a traditional 110 mesh while the shirt on the right was printed through a 156 mesh screen.You literally cannot tell the
difference in the way they look, but the shirt printed through the 156 mesh screen saved 32 percent on ink.
what’s been directly thrown into the trash,
an average shop could literally come up with
gallons of ink that could have been saved.
Having the right tools at your disposal
is extremely important. Although the average screen printer is probably throwing
a lot of ink in the trash each year, their
logic for doing so is somewhat justified.
After all, why spend 15 minutes cleaning
a screen when, in that same amount of
time, you could have printed 25 shirts?! At
$3 profit per shirt, that’s $75 dollars right
there. So the key to making the ink savings idea work is to make it fast and easy
and this is accomplished by using the right
tools, including:
1. High quality tape. Higher quality screen
tape that is applied correctly makes
cleaning out a screen much easier. Lowcost or improperly-installed tape often
rips, making cleanup more difficult. A
low-adhesive screen tape that is properly applied and seamed into the corner
of the screen will make cleaning screens
a lot easier.
2. Ink cards and knives. Use the right ink
cards to quickly and effectively clean
as much ink out as possible. Good ink
cards will be flexible, conform to the
screen and the user’s hand and can be
simply tossed away after use. They are
extremely affordable as well. A stainless
steel ink spatula is also a tool to have
on hand. Its flexibility and sharp edge
enable it to shear ink directly from the
screen surface.
3. Scrap ink dump bucket. Many times,
almost as much time is spent getting
the ink back into the correct container
as is cleaning out the screen. The fix
is simple: if there is a small amount
of ink left or the ink has been contaminated with another color, don’t
worry about finding its original home.
Scoop out as much as possible and
put it into a scrap ink container. This
scrap ink container can be mixed up
and will essentially create black ink
for future jobs. It’s also a great form of
recycling—reusing the ink ensures it
doesn’t have to be completely broken
down in a waste-treatment facility or
dump. This saves money and is a simple way to be more environmentallyfriendly.
JUNE 2011 • PRINTWEAR • 73
SCREEN PRINTING TIPS
Figure 1
1 Gal.
White/Mo $
660.00
Est.Year
Savings
5 Gal.
White/Mo
$3,300.00
Est.Year
Savings
$
$
1 Gal.
Black/Mo
$ 480.00
Est.Year
Savings
5 Gal.
Black/Mo
$2,400.00
Est.Year
Savings
Mesh
Count
per inch
Overall
Fabric
Thickness
(Microns)
Mesh
Opening
(Microns)
Ink Deposit
(CM³ / M²)
(Microns)
% OF INK
Savings
vs.
110 Mesh
110
130
153
46.0
0%
125
140
116
40.0
24%
159.61
798.04
116.08
580.39
160
110
96
29.0
37%
245.88
1,229.41
178.82
894.12
200
85
82
24.1
46%
306.27
1,531.37
222.75
1,113.73
230
60
71
17.2
230
68
66
20.0
230
85
63
24.2
59%
388.24
1,941.18
282.35
1,411.76
Mesh Information
Mesh Counts Ryonet Uses
Mesh Counts Ryonet Doesn’t Use
-
-
$
% Of Ink Saved vs. Printing Through 110 Mesh
-
$
Yearly Ink Savings Estimates
This spreadsheet shows the actual ink consumption percentage and costs savings it is possible to achieve by simply choosing the correct mesh for a job.
Left: Combined or
all-in-one chemicals
can save time and
money.The dehazer/
degreaser/abrader pictured here
cleans ink haze and
emulsion out of the
screen, and degreases
and preps the mesh
at the same time.
Below: Water based
platen adhesives can
simply be applied to a
platen with a flexible
ink card.
Figure 2
Four steps to more
reclaimable screens:
1. Use an exposure calculator to determine the
proper exposure times.
2. For simple spot-color
designs, bump up the
recommended exposure
time a little to create a
harder screen.
3. Post expose all screens
to post harden them;
this will increase the
screen’s longevity and
ability to reclaim nicely.
4. If a screen is still being
tough, switch to a more
aggressive dehazer to
help blast the screen
out.
74 • PRINTWEAR • JUNE 2011
-
Tip # 3: Extend the life and use of
your chemicals
Many print shops don’t effectively dilute
their chemicals because they forget or
think they need a stronger chemical. A
lot of businesses also have more chemicals than they need. Those using the right
chemicals realize only a few are necessary.
One is screen degreaser. Not a lot is needed
to degrease a screen; most screen degreasers can be diluted even higher than the
manufacturer’s recommendation and will
still work well.
Emulsion remover is also necessary. Many
screen printers don’t dilute emulsion remover because they feel it needs to be stronger
to help break down the tough emulsion. If
this is the case, the problem is not typically
the emulsion remover being too weak, but
the screen being too hard to wash out. This
typically happens in the screen printing
process with a screen that was not properly
exposed to begin with. An under-exposed
screen can absorb chemical(s) and become
very difficult to reclaim. To help avoid this
issue, follow the steps in Figure 2.
Another way to cut down on the number
of chemicals is to use combination products. Examples include a dehazer/degreaser/
abrader that cleans ink haze and stubborn
emulsion out of the screen, and degreases
and preps the mesh at the same time. In
another example, press wash/ink degradent
cuts faster and is more efficient than most
single-use products; use it on press, to clean
the press and it even works in the washout
sink.
Finally, put a recirculation system to use.
For those who use 10 gallons of press wash
per month, a screen printing recirculation
system will pay for itself in less than one
year… and save thousands each following
year.
Tip # 4: Spread it, don’t spray it
Spray adhesive is also aerosol-based, making
it bad for the environment and those using it.
They also tend to create a mess, call for more
press wash and get used extremely fast. A few
cans should always be available in a shop for
ready use, but it’s likely you’re wasting cash if
you use it as your primary adhesive.
Try water-based platen adhesive instead,
which has the potential to substantially cut
down adhesive consumption if used correctly. Platen adhesive is applied directly
onto the platen, nothing is sprayed with
aerosol and it’s strong as nails.
Tip # 5: Get educated
Charlie Facini, creator of Accurip, Spot
Process and Separation Studio, says: “Doing things right is a repeatable process and
why some printers enjoy their business and
profit daily while others struggle and think,
this is just the way it is. Not so.”
Realize that you are your most important
investment. If you don’t know to look for
what is hurting business, slowing it down,
limiting the shop’s ability and costing money, you’ll continue to fight uphill battles.
Investing in the knowledge to do things
correctly will save the most money. Just by
reading this article and getting to this point
you are investing.
Aside from reading Printwear magazine,
take advantage of the many ways to learn—
a lot of the time, the learning opportunities are even free. Seek out webinar tutorials that provide information on graphic
art, pre-press, ink, production, business
and more. There are also video classes from
around the industry. Many suppliers and
manufacturers also host hands-on classes.
Finally, seminars at trade shows provide
multiple opportunities to learn both in the
classroom from trade professionals as well
as on the show floor.
(Editor’s Note: Refer to Printwear’s Datebook on page 98 for a list of upcoming educational events, webinars and more. Also,
this author and a number of other Printwear
contributors teach at The NBM Show. Visit
www.thenbmshow.com for details on classes in
a city near you.)
Now you are the one who gets to decide
whether or not to act on anything you
learned in this article. Hopefully, you decide to start saving money and strengthenPw
ing your business today. Good luck!
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Use INFO #97
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JUNE 2011 • PRINTWEAR • 75