| Consumables Usage Charts; Inks, Emulsions And Chemicals
The following charts are for general reference. You should always thoroughly research any product you may use before actually using it. Check with the specific manufacturer of the product for usage and comparability information.
These charts do not take into consideration health hazards, storage, and disposal. Always be sure to comply with your local laws regarding health, storage and waste disposal regulations.
Inks: | Common Usages | Advantages | Disadvantages |
Water Based | Signs, posters, other novelty items, printing of yard goods; either in piece form or on the roll, towels. | Cost, no oven is needed in certain applications, excellent soft hand feel, good penetration of substrate. | Odor, dries in screen easily, needs large area to lay out printed goods to dry or large ovens, curing with fabrics is critical. |
Enamel | Any metal substrate that can be printed on. | Bonds well to aluminum and steel, durability, no oven is needed. | Cost, odor, dries in screen during printing, needs large area to lay out printed goods to dry. | UV
| Indoor/outdoor signs, goods that can't take a heat cure. | Fast cure in UV oven, durability. | Cost, curing is critical, may be difficult to print. |
Plastisol | Many garments including hats, nylons, polyesters, cotton, and blends. | Bright colors, opacity, durability, easy to use, never dries on screen, able to print wet on wet, great shelf life. | An oven is needed to cure the ink, heavy ink deposits, cannot be ironed, releases fumes during curing. | PVC/Phthalate Free Plastisol | Textile, process, spot colors. | Same as plastisol but more environmentally friendly. | Same as plastisol and cost, color choices, availability. |
Emulsions: | Common Usages | Advantages | Disadvantages |
Dual Cure | Halftone work, high detailed line work. | Works well with inferior films, easy washout, widest exposure latitude. | 2 part needs to be mixed, short shelf life, slow. |
SBQ Photopolymer | Great for spot colors, often used in textile applications because of durability. | Very durable, creates thick stencil, longest storage life, works with many types of inks and solvents, very fast. | Very opaque film is needed, small exposure latitude, harder to make halftones and detail. | Diazo | Solvent & water resistant. | Least expensive, wide exposure latitude, makes a thick stencil. | 2 part needs to be mixed, short shelf life, very slow, not so good for halftones and detail. |
Chemicals: | Common Usages | Advantages | Disadvantages | Press Wash | Removing ink on press during printing, cleaning squeegees. | User friendly, leaves little residues. | Cost & availability. | Ink Wash | Removing ink prior to reclaiming. | User friendly, easily rinsed with water prior to reclaiming. | Cost & availability. | Paint Thinner | Removing ink on & off press. | Cost, easy to purchase locally. | Leaves residue on screen, harsh on user, may be aggressive on some emulsions. |
Bleach | Emulsion remover. | Cost & availability. | Very harsh on user, caustic, may damage mesh or frame. |
Stencil Remover
| Removes cured emulsion from mesh for re-use. | Easy to use, user friendly. | Cost & availability, works best with pressure washer. |
Haze Remover
| Removes stains & ink residues from mesh for re-use. | Improves mesh performance, easy to use. | Cost & availability, may damage mesh if over used, harsh on user. |
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