Tip #1 - Curing Temperature
Sports Series polyester ink cures at the same temperature as most plastisol inks. When the entire ink film reaches 320 degrees fahrenheit, the print is cured. This can be achieved in many different ways with many different dryer settings. One Stroke Inks recommends many wash tests to ensure your conveyor dryer is set up properly. Do not leave this to chance. Also, be sure not to run the dryer excessively hot. High temperatures will bring about more dye migration problems.
Tip #2 - Permanent Screens
Creating permanent screens can be very beneficial if you do not have a numbering machine. Re-burning the numbers every time you have a nylon or athletic job is a waste of time. Try using Saatichem Fixer 9 on your emulsion. This will make any screen a permanent one. It will not be reclaimable but it will also become much more abrasion and pinhole resistant.
Tip #3 - Mesh Count
Using an 86 mesh count is ideal for creating the thick football number look on nylon uniforms. The thicker ink deposit will also help cover some of the more difficult thread patterns. If you are using a premium One Stroke Inks product, you can often print without flashing and printing a second time. 86 mesh count is also important when screen printing on stretchable fabric. The Sports Series will have the ability to stretch but only to a point. If there is not sufficient ink deposit, it will eventually crack. Do not confuse this with under-curing the ink.
Tip #4 - Squeegees
The softer the squeegee blade, the more ink is is able to put down per stroke. If you are looking for the thicker athletic look, use a 60 or 70 durometer squeegee blade with a hard angle.
Tip #5 - Pallet Tape
Cover your pallets with the pallet tape when screen printing mesh shorts and uniforms. Pallet tape is like a large roll of masking tape. It covers the pallet and you can apply spray adhesive on top of this covering. When the pallets get ink on them you can simply peel off one layer of the tape and reapply the adhesive. There is no cleaning and no mess in the middle of a print run.
Tip #6 - Water Based Adhesives
Tekmar manufactures an adhesive product called Tekbond HV. This is not the normal aerosol adhesive. It is in a squirt bottle and is applied by squirting a line across the platen and then scraping it evenly until it covers the platen. It is applied thicker than the aerosols and it will last much longer, even under heavy flash heating conditions.
