1. Problem: your Syringe Silk Screen Printing Machine are washing away. Your screen printed image is washing away because the ink has not been totally cured.

Solution: There are a few possible solutions to fix this problem. The first is to simply dry your screen prints longer and have them in the conveyor heat chamber for a longer period of time. Two, check to see if your conveyor dryer is reaching the proper temperature with Thermo-Tel heat sensitive tapes. If your dryer is not reaching the proper temperature your ink will never dry. Third, adjust the belt speed and oven temperature to the ink manufacturer’s recommendations. A lot of traditional screen printing inks cure at 320 degrees, which can be a problem. Try using low-cure inks, like Dynamic Ink, that cures at 280 degrees to stop your screen printed images from washing out.

2. Problem: your prints lack opacity. This is referring to when your ink deposit on the shirt does not solidly block out the garment color. Your print may appear dull and weak.

Solution: Make your print more opaque by leaving a thicker ink deposit. You put a thicker deposit of ink on your shirt by either using a lower mesh count, a thicker stencil (more emulsion on the screen), or a larger amount of off contact. Another possible answer is to print a white underbase. An underbase prints helps the color on top look vibrant. You can also do a print, flash, print sequence and put two layers of the same color on top of each other.

3. Problem:you see dye migration occurring. This happens on polyester and certain 50/50 or tri-blend shirts when the dye in the synthetic fabric heats up to the point that it becomes a gas and “migrates” up from the shirt through the ink. Dye migration usually happens around 300 degrees.

Solution: Switch away from standard plastisol and start using a low-cure ink that dries around 280 degrees. Since the problem occurs around 300 degrees and traditional ink cures at 320, you will be constantly fighting dye-migration. However, by using a low cure ink, you can reduce the oven temperature of your conveyor dryer to eliminate the problem. We recommend Dynamic Ink as it is a low-cure ink and has special low-bleed dye inhibitors that prevents bleeding.

4. Problem: your screen prints are peeling away once they are dried. Having printed and dried the shirt, you have a problem if your plastisol ink is peeling around the edges.

Solution: Either the plastisol ink is undercured, or the ink you’re using is not the right kind for the t-shirt you are printing on. Some inks are designed to only be printed on cotton, or polyester. Using them on different fabrics could lead to problems. Make sure the ink works with the garments you are using by reading the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, check if the ink is properly cured as described in question one. A peeling print might mean you did not cure it enough.

5. Problem:you are printing an underbase and your next color won’t stick to the underbase. A white underbase helps make your colors look great but only if it is working properly.

Solution: This problem is caused by over flashing your underbase. Make sure that you are only flashing, not fully curing, your underbase layer. If you fully cure the underbase, your next color will not adhere properly. If you are over flashing, try spot curing for a shorter time, or raise your flash unit higher, or turn the spot dryer heat down. If you touch flashed ink, it should still feel a little wet and slightly tacky.