Commercial Screen Printing Equipment

Commercial Screen Printing Equipment

The screen printing process allows you to make custom T-shirts that can be made quickly. Screen printing is used by many small businesses due to the fact that the equipment does not require much space. However, to make screen printing profitable for your company, you want equipment that is made to handle large orders so that your business is always staying busy.

Screen printing is a technique where a design is transferred onto a T-shirt or other fabric. A machine pushes the ink through a screen that has the pattern imprinted on it. A block stencil is used to keep certain areas of the shirt clean.

There are many pieces of screen printing equipment you will need to get started:

• Screen printing press: This press is what you use to put the pattern on the T-shirt.
• Screens: These are pre-stretched wood frames that hold the pattern to be pressed to the shirt.
• 6-87 mesh: These screens are designed to be used on athletic wear.
• 12-156 mesh: These screens are designed for general printing.
• 6-230 mesh: These screens can be used to create fine lines, like lettering.
• Squeegees: This tool allows you to evenly push the medium through the screen.
• Printer and software: An inkjet printer and appropriate software are used to create the film positives.
• Power washer: This piece of screen printing equipment allows you to wash screens for reuse.
• Inks: This medium is what is used to create the design on the T-shirt.
• Heat press: This equipment sets the ink by pressing completed T-shirts at high heat.

There are two main types of screen printing presses. They determine how fast you will be able to complete a shirt order.

• Manual screen printing machine: Manual machines require you to manually push the ink through the screen using a squeegee.
• Automatic machine: An automatic screen printing machine has an appendage that pushes the printing medium through the screen for you, allowing you to work on multiple shirts on multiple machines at once.

After the printing medium dries on the T-shirt, it must be set with heat so that is can withstand numerous washings. While this can be done with a regular hand-held iron, it is recommended that you invest in a heat press, especially if you plan to start printing shirts commercially. The temperature on the heat press equipment should be set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. The T-shirt should be pressed for 15 seconds under heavy pressure.