BUYERS
GUIDE
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contents
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If you need any printing or product
advice, to arrange a visit to our
workshop or to place an order,
there are many ways to contact us:
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Opening hours:
9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday
and selected Saturdays.
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Unit 7, The Grove Workshops
Three Gates Road
Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NZ
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T: +44 (0) 1474 709 009
F: +44 (0) 1474 709 200
[email protected]
www.wickedprintingstuff.com
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Introduction
How to use this guide
What kind of printer am i?
printing kit
the basics
Your Work
What are you printing on?
How many colours?
Sizing up
Screen sizes
Which Mesh Count?
Setting up
budget
Wicked kits
exposure units
squeegees
Work space
Printing
Emulsion
Inks & medium
Drying & curing
Wash fastness
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Cleaning
Cleaning your screen
reclaiming your screen
Health & safty
Environmental printing
SCREEN PRINTING COURSES
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Glossary
33
Stay connected with us via:
www.wickedprintingstuff.com
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Introduction
Welcome to the Wicked Printing Stuff Buyers Guide.
What kind of printer am i?
Whether you are a ‘Rookie’ or a ‘Pro’; you can let go of any screen
printing fears now, because here you’ll find all the guidance you
need to figure out what screen printing products and equipment is
best suited to you.
This will help us get you to the information you want quicker.
Which describes you best?
a
I am new to screen printing and need all the help I can get to get
cracking in my new hobby.
If ‘A’ describes you best...Welcome ‘Rookie’, you are in safe hands.
Don’t forget to look out for the info marked in green
and we’re always here to help if you need anything else.
b
I’ve done a fair bit of screen printing, I have the basics nailed but am
unsure of certain things. I love printing and sometimes sell my work.
If ‘B’ describes you best...You are an intermediate but we’ll call you
‘Inter’ for short. You need to look out for information in blue as this
will go into a little more depth for you.
c
My job is screen printing, I know it inside out but need help with
some of the technical bits.
If ‘C’ describes you best...Hello ‘Pro’, keep your eyes peeled for
the information in red as it gets technical, all you need to know for
commercial screen printing.
Should you need even more in depth information, check out the
FAQs section of our website or get in touch if you have a new
question, we’d love to help.
We offer a range of screen printing training courses to suit your
needs. Whether you are an absolute beginner and just want to know
the basics or maybe struggling to print that multi colour complex
job, wps have developed a number of courses, events and workshops
to help you get the most out of screen printing.
How to use this guide
For all you pro’s and geeks out there, keep a look out for purple
arrows as these notes will explain any technical information you
might need.
By clicking on words which are underlined you will be taken to our
website or youtube channel. These will mainly appear to the side of
the page.
Technical information.
See: the website.
Watch: a video.
Skip: to a page.
Words which appear in our glossary will appear in italic like this:
‘finding the squeegee which is right for you’. Click the word to read
the glossary definition.
This guide has been colour coded so depending on your level of
knowledge, experience or interest you can quickly pin point the
information you are looking for. Information specifically for
beginners or ‘Rookies’ as we shall refer to them is marked with
a green triangle. For intermediates or ‘Inters’ the information is
marked with a blue triangle and for all you professionals, ‘Pros’,
look out for pink triangles.
buyers guide
Information for Rookies.
Information for Inters.
Information for Pros.
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Introduction
printing kit
Here are the main bits of screen printing equiptment you’ll use and a little bit
about what they are for.
1. Emulsion
4. Screen
6. tapes
9. Flash dryer
Light sensitive, thick liquid which coats
the screen. When the screen is exposed
the emulsion hardens and unexposed
areas drop out to leave the stencil.
These come in different sizes and
mesh counts.
Parcel tape is good for taping up a
screen and masking tape for registering
prints.
Used to cure colours inbetween prints.
5A. exposure LAMP
Screens are clamped in and rise and
lower to the platen whilst printing.
7. Tunnel Dryer
Used for exposing artwork on to screens.
2. Trough
10. carousel
For fixing ink to fabrics.
Used to coat the screen with a thin layer
of emulsion.
3. Squeegee
11. inks
5b. exposure unit
8. palette knife
Used to quickly expose artwork onto
screens. Some units have built in drying
cabinets to speed up drying screens.
Used for mixing inks with medium and
scraping inks from screens.
Different inks are used to print on
different types of surface.
12. Hand benches
Used to pull the ink across the screen.
Used to print onto large paper sizes,
benches come with powerful vacuums.
5A
5B
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buyers guide
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introduction
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the basics
So, lets cover the basics. How does screen printing work? If you’re a
Pro, you might want to skip ahead to page 10. For all you Rookies and
Inters that need a little refresh, let’s begin…
1
KIT:
coated Screen
exposure unit
or a hanging
lamp and piece
of glass
KIT:Screen
trough
emulsion
Coat your screen
Emulsion is light sensitive so it’s best to do this in the dark.
Fill the trough with emulsion and keeping the screen steady tilt the
trough and drag it up the screen leaving an even layer of emulsion
on the screen. Use a fan heater to dry your screen in a dark place.
buyers guide
When exposing your screen your positives should be face up (artwork
touching the emulsion), place your screen on top of the artwork.
Different emulsions have different exposure times, so check the tub
for guidance. Once your have exposed, its time to wash.
Spray the screen with water until the image appears and all the
loose emulsion is washed out of the image.
Make your art work positive
Make your positive on acetate or tracing paper. A cheap (and messy)
method is to use olive oil to coat the paper on which you have drawn
or printed your artwork. This makes the paper more transparent.
You need to make sure the artwork is as black as possible. If you
are using transparent film you can print two sheets of film and stick
them together to make a great positive.
2
Expose your artwork onto the screen
Let the screen dry, use a fan or drying cabinet to speed it up.
We would not recommend using a hair dryer to dry your screen as
it can over expose the emulsion causing it to harden.
Once dry, check the screen for pin holes, anything you can see
through will print. Use screen filler or parcel tape to fill any
unwanted holes.
4
KIT:Table hinge
(UU CLAMP)
Vacuum bed or
Carousel
Parcel tape
Setting up to print
However you are printing, your screen will need to be clamped in
place. Use parcel tape to cover the edges of the screen where the
emulsion stops. This prevents ink straying though the screen where
you don’t want it to print.
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introduction
5
KIT:Inks
Medium
squeegee
Acetate/trace
parcel Tape
Masking tape
The type of ink and medium you use depends on what you are
printing as they are specifically for either fabric or paper. Squeegee’s
are also different for fabric and for paper.
Skip: see page 23 for more
information on inks and
medium. Or, see page 19 to
identify the type of squeegee
best for you.
Apply pressure and pull the ink towards you to flood the screen and
leave an image on your screen which you can use to register your
work. Lift the screen off the surface, then push the squeegee and ink
back to the top of the screen without applying pressure.
Pour your ink along the length of your artwork making sure it also
covers the length of your squeegee. You’ll need a piece of acetate
taped to the surface to help register your paper.
To get your registration right, especially if you are printing onto
paper, you need to place your paper or substrate under the acetate
and line it up as you want. Then, using masking tape, mark out
where to put your paper.
See: Platen adhesives
6
Printing & registering
For garment printing you would normally spray hitak or roll on
adhesive onto the platen.
KIT:
palette knife
brush
stencil strip
water
power washer
Cleaning up
With a palette knife scrape the unused ink from the screen and
squeegee back into the pot. Take the screen out of the hinges and
wash off straight away. Be sure to get all the ink out or blockages
can occur.
Your stencil can be used again or if you are finished with it spray
the screen with stencil strip. Scrub with a sponge or brush (we
recommend a brush especially if you are using Plastisol inks) to
wash off and use a power washer if you have one. Ensure all the
emulsion is out by holding the screen up to the light. Allow to
dry and you are ready to start all over again.
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Using the registration marks place your paper/substrate in position.
Put the screen down to make contact and with both hands apply a
good amount of pressure and pull the squeegee and ink towards
you across the screen, lift the screen off and push the ink back, this
helps keep the ink from drying and floods your screen ready for the
next print.
Voila! You are printing.
buyers guide
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your work
How many colours?
Getting the right kit which suits the type of work you want to produce
is essential as you need different kit, inks and processes depending
on what you are printing.
Whether you are printing onto t-shirts, sweatshirts, paper or board,
the number of colours you want to print in a single design will
ultimately determine whether or not you will require a 1, 2, 4 or 6
colour carousel.
What are you printing on?
Textiles
Are you printing T-Shirts, sweatshirts, hooded pocket tops or vests?
All of our kits/carousels/presses (except the paper & board kit) are
sold with either an adult or child sized t-shirt printing platen for
printing onto t-shirts, sweatshirts and hooded tops.
Skip: see alternative platen
sizes (page 12), ink (page 23)
and mesh counts (page 15).
If you are unsure how many colours you want to print in your design
and want to keep to a low budget to begin with, an upgradeable
version of the press will allow you to add additional arms when
you’re ready, meaning you can print extra colours in a single design.
Paper Stocks
If you are printing onto paper, board, card, boxes (flat), canvas, caps
(transfers), transfers and other flat objects we recommend printing
with the WPS vacuum board or one of our professional Hand Bench
machines which come with a built in vacuum. The vacuum board has
a suction attachment to hold the substrate in place whilst printing as
using Hi Tak spray adhesive to keep them in place will damage them.
Why not check out our short video on the Wicked vacuum board.
WPS 6 colour
Table top carousel
The vacuum board
The vacuum board can be purchased as an additional item in
conjunction with one of our printing presses under the ‘platens’
section on the website. We also sell paper & board kits which
include a vacuum board.
Watch: vacuum board
For printing onto caps, you will need to produce Plastisol transfers
and have a cap press for transferring the transfer onto the cap.
We sell a range of high quality heat presses made in the UK
including the WPS 1000 Cap Press, we also sell the papers and
adhesive you will need.
WPS 6 Colour
Floor standing carousel
cap press
WPS 4 Colour
Floor standing carousel
buyers guide
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your work
Sizing up
Platens
The size of the printing platen you require as well as the size of
screen and squeegee needed will be determined by the size of your
design and what you want to print on.
Size guide
inches
Baby T-shirt platen
12 x 9
Child T-shirt platen
22.5 x 10
Adult T-shirt platen
22.5 x 15.5
Large front print platen
29 x 17
Mega ‘all over’ print platen 33 x 20
Sleeve platen
23 x 5
screen
12 x 16
screen
16 x 20
screen
20 x 24
screen
23 x 31
squeegee
8
squeegee
12
squeegee
15
squeegee
18
trough
8
trough
12
trough
15
trough
18
A4 paper size
11.7 x 8.27
A3 paper size
16.5 x 11.7
A2 paper size
23.4 x 16.5
buyers guide
millimeters
304.8 x 228.6
571.5 x 254
571.5 x 393.7
736.6 x 431.8
838.2 x 508
584.2 x 127
304.8 x 406.4
406.4 x 508
508 x 609.6
584.2 x 787.4
203.2
304.8
381
457.2
203.2
304.8
381
457.2
297 x 210
420 x 297
594 x 420
Note: Squeegees are
available in custom sizes.
Note: Vacuum boards suit
most standard sizes of paper
and boards.
ScreenS
squeegeeS
TroughS
Image Size
Set up sizes
Example standard sizes to
give you an idea of what you
will need:
A4
A3
A2
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your work
Screen Sizes
See: Mesh
count
10t
15t
21t
32t
43t
55t
61t
77t 80t 90t
110t
120t
140t
160t
When selecting your screen size you will need to take into account
the size of your artwork, what size screens your press will take as
well as any storage issues you may have in your working area.
We supply 12”x16”, 16”x20”, 20”x24” and 23”x 31”. Wicked Screen
measurements are the outside frame dimensions. Printable areas
are minus 3 inches from the width and length..
Which Mesh Count?
Once you have selected your screen you will need to select a mesh
The mesh count is the
amount of holes per inch
count. The mesh count will depend what substrate you are printing
in a screen. The lower
onto, what ink you are printing with and how detailed your artwork is. the count the coarser
The mesh counts range from 15t which would be used for glitter
printing, or highly absorbent surfaces, to a 200t which would be
used for extremely fine and intricate lines, hand drawing and
photographic work. The most popular textile mesh count for either
Waterbased or Ink is between 32t and 65t, and a mesh
77t / 90t upwards would be advised for paper and card printing
with a water based ink.
buyers guide
mesh count guide
the screen, the higher
the count the finer.
type
coarse
coarse
coarse
textile
textile
textile
textile
textile
textile
textile
textile
paper
paper
paper
ideal uses
glitter
glitter
glitter
maximum opacity on dark fabrics
bolder graphics
finer detail
finer detail
finer fabrics, halftone graphics
finer fabrics, halftone graphics
extreemly light material, general graphics
extreemly light material, general graphics
general process
general process
photographic detail
Our kits are sold with 32t and 43t mesh counts on the screens,
these are best for general textile designs with no halftones,
shadows or very fine detail. If producing finer detailed or glitter print,
halftones or photographic work, you will need to read the following
guide in order to select the correct mesh count. We can alter the
mesh on the screens for you (there may be a small fee to pay for
the difference in cost) or, you can order additional screens alongside
your kit.
A popular question is ‘What is the difference between white and
yellow mesh?’ Generally speaking there is very little difference in
the performance of the mesh unless you are using 90t upwards.
The yellow mesh will help absorb the light when exposing the
screens, this will help expose those very fine lines and intricate
detail in the photographic designs and hand drawings.
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Setting up
Budget
See: kits
Wicked Kits
We sell a wide range of screen printing kits at fantastic prices,
catering for the beginner who wants to get started right through
to our high end Pro range which provides all of the equipment and
consumables to start a large printing business.
Remember:
Our kits are sold with both
32t and 42t screens but we
can alter the mesh on the
screens for you (prices may
vary).
If you are a beginner or need enough equipment and consumables
to produce one-off / samples or want to try out screen printing
without spending too much money then check out these fantastic
kits, ‘Foundation UU kit’, ‘Foundation so easy kit’ and the ‘Ultra 1
Colour kit’.
Our range of kits are the:
mid range Kits
Essential: For printers on a limited budget, beginners and
See: kits for beginners
people wanting to produce simple designs.
Mid: For printers with limited space, a small business, medium
throughput but produce multi colour designs.
PrO: For printers starting or running a large business, wanting high
throughput and printing complex designs.
UU clamp with screen
Specialist: For printers using specialist inks and printing onto
non textile substrates.
Club: For printers who want the basic consumables but have
access to equipment at a school, club or college.
Plastisol is a chemical
based ink and specific
chemicals are needed
in the clean up process
which aren’t required
with water-based inks
which are also better
for the environment.
More on page 24.
Great for screen printers with limited space but who want to produce
professional garments. The kits include the Press, Exposure Unit,
Consumables and a selection of either Plastisol inks or waterbased
inks. The Advanced kits also come with more consumables and the
WPS flash dryer.
Upgradeable Kits
Ideal if you are unsure how complex the designs will be that you will
print. These will let you add more arms to the carousel when you are
ready. You can start with the upgradeable 2 or 4 colour kits and add
more arms when required to make it up to a 6 colour carousel.
Pro Kit range
Perfect for those wanting to start their own screen printing
businesses ranging from kits including floor standing carousels,
tunnel dryers, exposure units up to Semi Automatic carousel
packages.
Garment Decorator: Complete decoration solution including
vinyl and colour laser transfer technology.
specialist Kits
Amazing for printing posters, paper, transfers or flat surfaces not
suitable for gluing or sticking to a platen. These kits include inks
suitable for printing onto paper / card and transfer paper.
The Essential range of kits are suitable for simple text designs
ideal for a hobby. These affordable kits are not for producing photo
sensitive stencils, but are great for the ‘craft hand cut out’ stencil
method.
Garment decorator
As your budget increases so does the ability of the equipment to
enable you to do more complex designs when printing. We have a
variety of complete kit packages, which include everything you will
need to start printing professional, screen printed garments.
buyers guide
Upgradeable carousel
We have teamed up with The Magic Touch and developed a range
of kits that combine the equipment and consumables needed for
your garment screen printing, vinyl and laser transfers. A complete
garment decorator package!
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setting up
Exposure units
Squeegees
To transfer your image onto your screen you will need to use
an exposure unit. There are many different exposure unit set
ups on the market and each has a different light source. Each
having different light sources. UV, halide and halogen are very
popular in the UK. Our Wicked exposure lamp has a 1000 watt
halogen light source and is provided will all waterbased and
Plastisol kits.
We sell both aluminium and wooden squeegees in a variety of
sizes (8,12,15,18 inches) with either a D cut or square cut blade.
Depending on the ink you plan to use, the type of surface you are
printing onto and the effect you want to achieve will determine what
you choose.
We also sell Actinic and Metal Halide exposure units which are
See: exposing equiptment
able to expose quicker (typical exposure time is 2 minutes for an
Actinic unit and 16 minutes for the lamp) than the cheaper lamp
solution. Some units include built in drying cabinets making the
whole process a lot faster.
A very large part of your decision if you are new to screen
printing will be your budget and space. Exposure units vary
dramatically in price. The WPS Lamp is small and compact,
it’s a great popular starter piece of equipment.
the handles
Aluminium squeegees: We sell a standard and premium
handle. They are hard wearing, non absorbent, easy to clean (using
screenwash) and allows you to increase pressure when printing.
Wooden squeegees: are moisture resistant and have been
treated to prolong the life of the handle. Designed for maximum
comfort and for easy pull and push when printing. The yoke of the
hand takes all of the pressure, so printing is less strenuous on the
fingers and thumb. Wooden squeegees are cheaper than aluminium
but can be prone to warping.
the blades
Our squeegees use the WPS range of Flow Print Squeegee blades we sell both D (aka V) and Square Cut Blades.
D Cut blades are ideal for Textile Printing and using Plastisol Ink.
It is suitable for absorbent materials as the D cut blades lay down
a heavier deposit of ink. Great when printing light coloured inks onto
dark garments.
The Square Cut is available with different level of Shores (hardness
of the blade) ranging from soft to very hard. The blades are
manufactured to exhibit minimal swelling whilst maintaining
hardness, resilience and abrasion resistance.
buyers guide
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setting up
work space
weiss carousels
Wicked have a range of floor standing and tabletop carousels and
printing presses. They are designed to be space saving and suitable
for those with limited space. Great for small workshops, shops,
schools and colleges where multiple printing presses are required
and those working from home.
Ideal for professionals.
Built to last, adjustable
and easy to operate.
Upgradeable from the
4 Colour 4 Station to the 6 Colour 6 Station press.
We also sell the Weiss range of Floor standing carousels, made in
Denmark they are high quality carousels designed
for commercial screen printers. These carousels require
more space than the tabletop units.
Weiss range - floor standing carousels
The exposure lamp can also be sat on a table and depending on
the size of the screen you are exposing takes up only 1 meter square
of space.
The small floor standing carousels are built using high quality
components, with a very precise and rigid construction providing
the basis for high quality prints. The registration forks are factory
set and require no lubrication or adjustment.
The maximum area needed, say if you were printing with our 6
colour carousel set up with our largest 23” x 31” screens is a
comfortable spinning circle of 6 foot. Smaller screens require a
smaller spinning circle.
The table size required for the printing press base must be big
enough to cover the base size of our presses. We recommend a table
of no less than 130cm in length / 65cm width.
Small carousel’s
max screen width:
4 colour = 90cm
6 colour = 50cm
Small:
Work space
100cm
Carousel space
200cm
Weiss floor standing carousels
90cm
The measurements for our 2,4, and 6 colour presses are:
Without Platen = length 120cm /47”, Width 46cm / 18”
With Platen fully extended = length 140cm /55.5”
Medium carousel’s
max screen width:
4 colour = 115cm
6 colour = 62cm
Small dryers such as
the WPS Tunnel Dryer
and the Panther 700
Texitunnel can be used
with Single Phase
electrical supplies.
Bigger dryers are
mainly three phase.
medium:
Work space
100cm
Carousel space
280cm
Ideal for small workshops, retail premises and classroom
environments. The floor standing carousels are upgradeable up to
6 Colour 6 Stations.The carousel space has a diameter of 230cm.
WPS 4 Colour
Floor standing carousel
90cm
If you are looking to purchase a tunnel dryer, depending on what
size dryer you are looking for you will need between 2.5m – 4m in
length by approx 1m length. Also check that you have adequate
electrical power.
WPS 6 Colour
Floor standing carousel
buyers guide
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printing
Emulsion
inks & medium
There are many emulsions on the market and every printer will have
their preferred type and brand. Some emulsions come pre sensitised
and ready for use and some will need mixing.
How much ink will you need?
Our emulsion is a 2 part emulsion, its comes with sensitizer which
when pre-sensitized both parts can last from 12-24 months. Once
mixed the emulsion lasts 6-8 weeks (its life can be prolonged slightly
if it is stored in a cold place, like the fridge). It is possible to mix half
sensitizer with half emulsion which will prolong shelf life.
Watch: Step by step screen
printing video tutorial [04:13s
for coating your screen].
Tip: avoid exposing your
emulsion to light when
mixing and coating.
This depends on the size of your print and how many prints you need
to produce per colour. As a guide, a 1 litre tub of ink will produce
200-300 prints A4 size, depending on how heavy the deposit of ink is
on your garment. This should help you calculate your requirement.
If you are using specialist inks such as ‘All Night Glow Inks’ typically
a 1 litre tub will give you between 60-100 prints for an A5/A4 logo.
the three main types of ink we sell
Plastisol inks: Widely used in garment printing because they
are easy to print, do not dry on the screen, can be opaque on dark
garments, and adhere to most textiles.
Some printers prefer readymade capillary film. WPS are a supplier
of Ulano emulsions and we are continually expanding the range.
Perfect all rounder
Ulano proclaim emulsion: An all purpose textile and graphic
emulsion it prints a wide variety of inks and substrates and provides
excellent definition and resolution whilst giving sharp, durable
stencils’. A true multi-purpose emulsion for textiles and graphics.
For use with Plastisol, Vinyl, Correx ink, Nazdar and other solvent
based inks.
Waterbased inks: A range of solvent free air-dry waterbased
inks, widely used in schools and colleges. It is perfect for printing
onto fabric as well as paper, cardboard.
And Solvent based inks: A range for use on substrates such
as nylon, vinyl, plastic, correx, aluminium and rubber. You will find
Mercury Gloss, Catalysed, Correx, Nylo Bag, Paper & Board and
Vinyl inks in our range.
Autosol 5000: A great general purpose emulsion which you can
use with both solvent and waterbased inks.
Plastisol INKS
Great for long print runs
Ulano 925WR (Water Resistant) Emulsion: Stencils produced
with 925WR are completely water resistant and very durable. The
925 Emulsion is highly recommended for long print runs and large
designs when using water based inks.
best for textiles
Ulano EZ-Film Capillary film: Intended for standard textile
printing using non-aqueous Plastisol inks 31-61t Mesh count.
Adheres perfectly, dry’s quickly and exposes quickly. Consistent
stencil with no mess.
buyers guide
Note: 925 requires a longer
exposure time when using
the WPS exposure unit
Plastisol inks are most commonly used in screen printing because
they are not ‘air-dry’ inks and when producing longer print runs they
will not dry up on the screen. There is more choice when choosing
your Plastisol inks, more colours, plus additives can be added to
your Plastisol ink to produce special effects such as puffer/raised
effect, suede effect, Lycra additive, glitters and metallic’s. We also
sell specialist Plastisol inks such as the ‘All Night Glow’ inks which
glow in the dark for several hours.
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printing
categories of Plastisol inks we sell are:
See: Plastisol ink guide.
UNION MAX-OPAKE INKS / Rutland EH High Opacity ready
mixed inks: High Opacity Direct Print. The most opaque Plastisol
colours available, they can be printed, quickly flash-cured and
printed again to achieve extremely bright prints on garments that
contain polyester. Ideal for dark garments as they have great opacity.
Cotton or cotton polyester blends. Wet on wet direct printing.
Special low bleed version for polyester and bleeding cotton/poly
fabrics. Manual or automatic printing. Easy to print - soft creamy
consistency and ready to use.
UNION MIX-OPAKE INKS / Rutland M3 Mixing System:
High-Speed High Opacity. Similar to Max-Opake, but is a system
to mix standard Pantone and Union colours to order. Union’s MixOpake inks provide you with the opportunity to simulate almost
any colour in the PANTONE® Gloss Colour Selector (Coated).
The Mix-Opake inks are an excellent choice for standard colours
when color matching is not required. With MIXE Plastisols, you won’t
have to slow your production with additional flash curing stations
between colours or to clean excessive build-up under the screens.
Extremely opaque prints. Prints cleanly at maximum press speeds
with virtually no build-up. Colours easily mixed by hand. Excellent for
everyday printing, prints easily by hand. No white underlay needed.
High speed wet on wet production with virtually no build up.
Fluorescent inks: Neon (fluorescent) colours are the latest
addition to the Max-Opake colour line.
Metallic inks: Metallic Plastisol inks are formulated for direct
screen applications on textiles they are 100% solvent-free and
cannot be air-dried.
Glitter inks: High deposit lead-free Plastisol glitter inks with
excellent opacity. These inks will heat cure to a glittering textured
metallic finish.
Under base inks: These are for direct printing or overprint for
transfers.
See: Plastisol with additives.
Plastisol inks cannot be
ironed and must be heat
cured at 150°C.
Plastisol inks MUST be fully heat cured before washing to avoid the
print coming off in the wash. Plastisol inks wrap around the fibres
in the fabric, sitting on top of the fabric producing a more ‘dense’
appearance and have a rubbery feel to them. You can change the
appearance and feel of the Plastisol ink by using an extender base or
a super smooth base so as it feels and looks like the water based or
sublimation ink.
Plastisol inks cannot be ironed directly over, due to the plastisizer
in the ink. Plastisol inks must be cured at a temperature of 150 °C.
Plastisol inks require screenwash to clean them off your screen.
Tru-tone process inks: Union Ink’s Tru-Tone (PRPL) Plastisol
inks are the premier inks for process colour printing on textiles. TruTone inks have extremely accurate, consistent colours, very low dot
gain, and are ready to print with.
Glow in the dark inks: Full range of colours by day and
night. Vivid fluorescent colours by day with a range of glow
colours by night.
buyers guide
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printing
WATERBASED INKS
Discharge Inks: Before curing
Waterbased ink is an air dry ink and with the use of an air dry
catalyst the drying can be accelerated in order to achieve a quicker
drying reaction/bond with the fabric. Various factors can determine
a ‘fully cure’ of the print and so WPS always recommends the use of
heat curing equipment in order to fully cure the print and guarantee
wash fastness.
Discharge inks
Discharge inks are used to print light colours onto dark fabrics.
During the curing phase the ink, in conjunction with an activator,
removes the original dye (colour) from the garment and replaces
it with the colour (pigment) from the ink during from the ink. This
results in a soft printed texture in the finished garment.
Solvent Based Ink and Additives
The waterbased ink is like a dye that changes the colour of the fabric
and has a sublimation appearance. Waterbased inks have a softer
feel as the ink dyes the fabric as opposed to ‘sitting on top’ of the
fibres; it has an almost non-existent feel to it.
Waterbased inks are widely used in schools, colleges and on babies
clothing. If you are printing an all-over print on to a garment that
needs to be ironed such as a cotton shirt then a waterbased ink
would be more suitable as you can iron over the print. Waterbased
inks require water when cleaning them off your screen.
Waterbased inks come in standard colours (except the opaque white)
and are not ideal for printing onto dark garments, unless a white
under base is printed first, flash dried and then overprinted with the
required colour. This is one of the many reasons Plastisol inks in
the maxopake range are widely used and are the first choice when
printing onto black garments.
We sell different types of waterbased ink:
Permaset Aqua – Professional premium fabric eco friendly inks
Permaprint - Professional premium paper eco friendly inks
Rutland HSA Inks – Professional commercial inks
WPS Waterbased Inks – Opaque inks
WPS Art Paper Inks – Range of professional paper inks
Unico ECO Discharge Inks – Range of eco friendly discharge inks
When printing breast size logos (9cm x 9cm approx), waterbased or
Plastisols can be used but you cannot iron directly over a Plastisol
print as it will re-melt the Plastisol and smudge.
buyers guide
Discharge Inks: After curing
We have listed below the type of ink that should be used when
printing onto other types of materials. Solvent based inks require
screenwash to remove them when cleaning them off your screen:
Board inks: This type of print requires an AIR DRY ink. You can use
either a solvent free waterbased ink, or for a permanent outdoor ink
you will need a paper & board solvent based ink.
Transfers: Plastisol ink
Nylon bags: Nylobag ink (Solvent Based). Nylon Fabric cannot be
heat cured.
Vinyl products: Vinyl ink (Solvent Based)
Correx/Plastic: Polyplast ink or Correx ink (Solvent Based)
Catalysed: Metals, ceramics, glass, phenolics, ureas/melamines,
acrylics, stoved enamels, treated polyethylene, polypropylene and
some polyesters.
Mercury Gloss: Paper, board, corrugated board, wood,
hardboard, polyart, metal, fake leather, metal foils and polyesters
which have been top coated.
Please note: There are health and safety regulations that come with
using all solvent based types of ink.
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PRINTING
inks to substrates
Key
Use this table to help you select the right ink
depending on the substrate you are using.
Material
Union &
Rutland
Plastisol
WPS
Waterbased
Textile Inks
WPS
Waterbased
Paper Inks
Primary Purpose
Can be used
Limited Capability
Very Limited Capabillity
Not Recommended
Rutland HAS
Waterbased
Permaset
Aqua
Waterbased
Permaset
Permaprint
Inks
Unico
Discharge
Inks
Board Inks
Catalysed
Inks
Correx Inks
Mercury
Gloss Inkls
Nylon Ink
Vinyl Ink
Nazdar ADE
Ink
Nazdar
System 2 Ink
Acrylics
Card
Ceramics
Correx
Cotton
Fake leather
Glass
Melamines
Nylon
Paper
PC Boards
Plastics
Polyart
Polyester
Polyester
(Top coated)
Polypropylene
Polystyrene
Silk
Stoved Enamel
Vinyl
Wool
Metals
Polythene
Epoxy
Board
Wood
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printing
Flash dryer
drying & curing fabrics
See: heat curing.
If you are printing more than one coat of ink for the same image, or
printing a multi-colour image, you will need to flash cure your ink by
using a flash dryer, hand curer or heat gun between each print.
Once your print is dry to the touch you can apply your second coat
or next colour.
Panther Tunnel Dryer
Once you have finished your print, you will need to fully cure your
garment. Simply drying the print does not mean that your garment
is machine washable. In other words – The print will come out in
the wash!
Tunnel Dryers
We manufacture the most comprehensive range of tunnel dryers in
Europe ranging from the brilliant ‘Mini dryer’ to the top of the range
dryers. The WPS Tunnel Dryer is ideal for the smaller workshop
using a tabletop or small standalone carousel up to the top of the
range Panther Dryers which are ideal for screen printers with
automatic presses or digital printers.
Heat gun
Wash Fastness
If in doubt, test it out
for Fabrics printed with Plastisol inks
All Plastisol inks are not air dry and will therefore need to be dried
by heat equipment. Plastisol inks will also need to be fully cured at
153 degrees, which is drying them to the correct temperature and
length of time, in order for the ink to not come off in the wash.
A flash dryer will dry and cure the inks in 60 seconds and for longer
print runs or larger set ups, a tunnel dryer is recommended.
We always say here at WPS, the only definitive test to determine
if inks are fully cured is a wash test. That is washing the garment
in hot water with a strong detergent. Of course, don’t ignore the
washing instructions of your garment. If the print is under cured,
the print will show deterioration after only 1-3 washes.
Hand curer
Cure at 153°C
WPS Mini
for Fabrics printed with waterbased inks
Key
WPS waterbased inks need to be cured at 180 degrees.
To cure your inks, you have a number of options. You can use a flash
dryer, hand curer, heat press or tunnel conveyor dryer for this.
If you are using a WPS flash dryer to cure your print, we recommend
you measure the temperature of your print with a digital laser
thermometer until it reaches the required temperature. Depending
on the nature of your fabric it is recommended that you break this up
into intervals of approximately 10-15 seconds and repeat 3-5 times
as most garments cannot withstand such continuous heat in one go.
If you are a busy printer, you will find that a conveyor tunnel dryer is
a much quicker, more efficient and reliable way of curing prints.
Primary Purpose
Can be used
Limited Capability
Very Limited Capabillity
Not Recommended
buyers guide
Cure at 180°C
comparing curing technologies
Equipment
FLASH DRY
FULL CURE
COMMENT
HAIR DRYER
They do not reach curing temperature – Not recommended.
IRON
Iron’s give inconsistent heat. Potentially can work with some hobby inks but
not suitable for batch curing.
HOT AIR GUN
Ok for basic spot drying, technically possible to cure but not very reliable
easy to under cure parts of the print.
FLASH DRYER
Designed for flash drying between colours.
Can be used for curing but for only low production.
HAND CURER
Designed for flash drying between colours. Can be used for curing but for
only low production. Easier, safer to use that a traditional flash dryer also
uses less power.
HEAT PRESS
Designed for heat transfer applications but can be used for
ink curing. Typically for small production batches.
TUNNEL DRYER
Designed for ink curing, only real viable option if printing
large number.
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Cleaning
Cleaning your screen
health & safety
for Waterbased ink
It is important to consider your environment in order to select the
correct type of ink to use. If working in a well ventilated garage or
workshop environment, then Plastisol inks or solvent based inks are
fine to use. They contain an odour and require a solvent screenwash
to remove them from your screens.
As waterbased inks dry on the screen, you must clean it down
straight away, or your mesh will clog. For this simply use water.
for Plastisol ink
To clean Plastisol ink from your screen, you will need a dry cotton
cloth and some screen wash. Apply a generous amount of screen
wash to the cloth and rub with pressure. The screen wash will
dissolve the ink. You must be in a well ventilated room to use high
strength screen wash.
See: screen cleaning kit.
If working in your home or in schools and colleges, select a solvent
free ink such as a waterbased ink in order that no fumes are emitted
and also for ease of cleaning down. e.g. if using a bath or shower
and only water to remove the ink from your screen. It is not advisable
to use, keep or store any inks and chemicals in an area where there
are persons under 18 years of age.
Prefer to use Biodegradeable solutions?
See: biodegradable cleaning
You could also try biodegradable screen wash that has a low odour
products.
and contains less harmful chemicals to the printer and environment.
WPS supply a range of environmentally friendly products, which are
drain safe.
Ghosting
If you have any ghosting left on your screen which is common when
using waterbased inks as they dye the mesh, Haze Paste remover
is a good solution. However it’s nasty stuff and is extremely harmful
to the skin and the environment. Make sure you wear gloves when
handling the remover. Your screen can be used over and over again
if stored safely.
See: Haze paste remover.
environmental printing
See: WPS gone green.
If you want to do your bit for the environment, choosing
biodegradable platens, cleaning products and water
based inks.
reclaiming your screen
‘Reclaiming’ is the act of striping the stencil from your screen in
order to create a new strencil and start the printing process over
again. The main ingredient for reclaiming is stencil remover or
‘strip’. If you dont remove the stencil properly it can interfere with
your next piece of artwork.
buyers guide
See: page 09 for the cleaning
section of the basics.
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Screen printing Courses
Course
What is Covered
Price
(ex VAT)
One Day Course
The entire screen printing process from artwork
creation to taking down your job – print a one colour
design using water-based or Plastisol ink. Learn how
to create quality screen prints easily and efficiently.
This course has been designed to give you all of the
basic screen printing techniques to get started.
£ 200
Two Day Course
The entire screen printing process from artwork
creation to taking down your job - print a 4 colour
design using water-based and Plastisol ink. Learn
how to create quality, complex screen prints efficiently
and easily. The course has been designed to give you
a range of the basic, advanced and specialty screen
printing techniques to print complex multi-colour
prints.
£ 325
On Site Training Days
Tailored to suit your screen printing needs and
available equipment
£ 250
Half Day Master Class
Perfect your technique when printing multi-colour jobs
£ 100
Half Day Master Class
Master printing with a specific ink or difficult substrate
£ 100
Half Day Master Class
Learn how to produce high quality prints using white
on dark fabrics
£ 100
Half Day Master Class
Learn how to prepare and expose your screen in
2 colours
£ 100
Half Day Master Class
Step by step guide to printing – tutorial only,
no practical work
£ 100
At WPS we are pleased to offer an affordable range
of screen printing training courses delivered by
professionals to suit your needs.
You might be an absolute beginner who just wants
to learn the basics or you might be struggling to print that multi
colour complex job. WPS can help you get the most out of screen
printing and regardless of whether you are looking for basic,
advanced or specialty screen printing techniques we can help
you to develop that edge which sets you apart from your competition.
Our exciting classes are hands on, fun and interactive with never
more than 3 people in a class. They can be tailored to suit your
specific needs so if you cannot find what you are looking for please
contact us and we will be happy to design a package to suit you.
Our courses are held on selected Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
every month. Once you have booked a course you can choose the
date that best suits you.
We look forward to meeting you at our workshop in Kent, but if that
doesn’t work, we can come to you.
All of our training courses held at our workshop in Kent and include;
• WPS screen printing materials for use in the course
• Two blank t-shirts for printing (these are yours to keep)
• Light refreshments
• A full set of WPS training material
• Note taking materials
• 10% voucher code to use against purchases made during the course
• The knowledge and skills to advance in screen printing.
Visit our website where you can find more in-depth information about our courses.
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glossary
C
Carousel
Consumables
Curing
D
E
F
Degreaser
Emulsion
Exposure
Flash Dryer
Filler
Flood
G
H
A rotating device which holds screens in place for printing.
A commodity that is intended to be used up relatively quickly.
ie: inks and tapes.
To set or fix printed matter.
Used to clean the screen prior to coating with emulsion. Reduces
the chance of pin holes.
A light-sensitive coating for photographic use, containing crystals
of a silver compound dispersed in a medium such as gelatin.
To transfer artwork onto the screen by allowing the light sensitive
emulsion to come into contact with an extreme light source for a set
period of time.
A light-sensitive coating for photographic use, containing crystals of
a silver compound dispersed in a medium such as gelatin.
To transfer artwork onto the screen by allowing the light sensitive
emulsion to come into contact with an extreme light source for a set
period of time.
To cover the screen in ink.
Ghosting
You can still see the stencil on the screen eventhough you have
reclaimed and removed the emulsion.
Halftone
A reproduction of an image in which the various tones of gray or
colour are produced by dots of ink.
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen lamp, is an
incandescent lamp with a tungsten filament contained within
an inert gas and a small amount of a halogen such as iodine
or bromine.
A high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp, produce high light output
for their size, making them a compact, powerful, and efficient
light source.
Halogen
Halide
M
Hand Bench
Printing machine normally with a powerful vacuum used for printing
onto paper, card, correx type substrates
Haze Paste
Chemical used to remove ghosting
buyers guide
Heat Press
Used for curing ink, fixing vinyl and tranfers
Medium
A thick neutral liquid which is combined with waterbased inks
for both paper and textiles to prolong the drying time of the ink,
increase coverage without diluting colour and helps the ink bond
to the surface more successfully.
Material made of a network of wire or thread.
Mesh
P
Pin Holes
Platen
Positive
R
Reclaiming
Registration
Retarder
S
Screen
Screen wash
Sensitised
Solvent
Spot Cleaning
Squeegee
Stencil
Strip
Sublimation
Substrate
T
U
Transparent
Trough
UV
Small holes in the emulsion normally caused by dust on the screen
(see degreaser)
A flat surface which allows the screen to be pressed against and
make contact with a substrate such as fabric or paper.
The visual which is intended to be transferred on to an unexposed
emulsion coated screen.
Removing an existing stencil from a screen.
The positioning and alignment of the print area to the substrate
being printed.
Used mainly with waterbased inks to keep the ink wet.
The taught mesh across a frame, used for printing.
Used to clean solvent inks of the screens
Reactive or reacted substance.
A substance which is dialutable, usually harmful.
Used to remove ink deposits from garments
A scraping implement with a rubber-edged blade set on a handle.
A defined area, allowing for repetitive identical prints.
Liquid used from breaking down emusion on a screen.
A change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without
becoming liquid.
A surface or material.
Allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be
distinctly seen.
Long, narrow container used for applying a thin coat of emulsion
to a screen.
Ultra violet light form.
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If you need any printing or product
advice, to arrange a visit to our
workshop or to place an order,
there are many ways to contact us:
Opening hours:
9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday
and selected Saturdays.
Unit 7, The Grove Workshops
Three Gates Road
Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NZ
T: +44 (0) 1474 709 009
F: +44 (0) 1474 709 200
[email protected]
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