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In this issue: The Right Stuff for Wraps; Bravery Leads to Bucks; Getting a Handle on Moire
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The Right Stuff for Wraps
p. 16
April/May 2011
Bravery Leads to Bucks p. 20
Getting a Handle on Moiré
p. 26
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APRIL/MAY 2011Volume 101 / Number 2
About the CoverVinyl is so popular that a vast assort-
ment of films awaits graphics printers.
Turn to page 16 to learn how to pick
the right one.
Cover design by Keri Harper.
CONTENTS
FEATURES
16 Simplifying the Vinyl-Selection Process Lisa Humrich and Craig Campbell
Choosing the right media for the job is a key step in the printing process, especially when working with vehicle wraps and other demanding applications.
20 Screen Printing Goes BOOM Ryan Moor
Few see the romance in risk—that is, until learning new skills and trying new techniques deliver a boost in revenue.
26 Managing and Minimizing Moiré Wim Zoomer
You can limit the occurrence of destructive patterns in screen printing when you follow the tips presented here.
COLUMNS
THE PREPRESS WIRE
12 Sales and Production: Peace Is Possible Mark Coudray
Learn how to create a company culture that emphasizes positive interactions between sales and production.
EXPERT APPAREL
14 Tips for Printing Lightweight Fabrics Rick Davis
Use these pointers to overcome the variables associated with embellishing lightweight apparel.
DEPARTMENTS
4 NEWSWORTHY6 NEW PRODUCTS30 SHOP TALK32 INDUSTRY UPDATE
37 US & CANADIAN DIRECTORY38 OPPORTUNITY EXCHANGE39 ADVERTISING INDEX40 EDITORIAL INSIGHTS
SCREENPRINTING Online Communities
SCREEN PRINTING (ISSN 0036-0594) is published bi-monthly by ST Media Group International Inc., 11262 Cornell Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242-1812. Telephone: (513) 421-2050, Fax: (513) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions
to non-qualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $42 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions in Canada: $70 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $92 (Int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by ST Media Group International Inc. All rights reserved.
The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Cincinnati, OH and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send
address changes to: Screen Printing, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to Screen Printing, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. For single copies or back issues: contact Debbie Reed at (513) 421-9356 or Debbie.Reed@
STMediaGroup.com. Subscription Services: [email protected], Fax: (847) 763-9030, Phone: (847) 763-4938, New Subscriptions: www.screenweb.com/subscribe.
For a free metallic print sample, call 800-542-2307 or visit www.rolanddga.com/rcrCERTIFIED ISO 9001: 2008
NASCAR® Champion Richard Childress Racing powers their new Graphics Centerwith Roland’s reliable print/cut performance and metallic inks.
Get rid of everything you don’t need...keep everything that improves performance. That’s the key to building a winning stock car. And when Richard Childress Racing was launching their new Graphics Center, they chose only equipment that would meet their
demanding performance needs. “Roland printers give us the quality control, reliability and quick turnaround we’re looking for, plus the ability to print and cut graphics in one seamless effort," says Richard Childress. For even greater performance, Roland
Academy workshops will now be offered at RCR’s world-class campus in North Carolina. Sounds like a win-win proposition.
SOLJET Pro III XC-540 MT54” Printer/Cutter
VersaCAMM VS Series64”, 54” & 42” Printer/Cutters
Car graphics printed withMetallic ECO-SOL MAX ink
All trademarks and the likeness of the no. 29 race car are used under license from their owners
They change a tire in 6 seconds.How long do you think they’ll wait for graphics?
ISA Las Vegas
Booth #3111
SCREENPRINTING4
NEWSWORTHY
www.screenweb.com
Steve DuccilliGroup [email protected]
Gregory SharplessAssociate [email protected]
Gail [email protected]
Ben P. RosenfieldManaging [email protected]
Keri HarperArt [email protected]
Mark Coudray, Rick Davis, Tim Greene, Andy MacDougall, Rick Mandel, Thomas TriminghamColumnists
Linda VolzProduction [email protected]
Lou Arneberg – [email protected] Zurick – East US, East Canada, [email protected] Stauss – West US, West Canada, [email protected] Development Managers
Andy Anderson, Jeff Arbogast, Albert Basse III, Reynold Bookman, Bob Chambers, Don Curtis, Dean DeMarco, Michael Emrich, Craig Furst, David Gintzler, Bob Roberts, Jon Weber, Andy WoodEditorial Advisory Board
Jerry SwormstedtChairman of the Board
Tedd SwormstedtPresident
John TymoskiAssociate Director/Online
Customer ServiceScreen Printing Subscription ServicesP.O. Box 1060Skokie, IL 60076P: 847-763-4938/877-494-0727F: 847-763-9030 E: [email protected] Free Subscriptionwww.screenweb.com/subscribeRenewals/Address Changeswww.screenweb.com/renew
CREATING ISO ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS FOR PRINTERSISO technical committee 130 (TC 130) encourages the print industry to take part in developing environmental standards. TC 130 has recently launched a new Working Group (WG11) to develop a set of standards to cover the environmental impact of print. The group’s purpose is closely aligned with those of the Verdigris Project, run by Digital Dots. WG11 is working on ISO draft 16759, the requirements for measur-ing the carbon footprint of printed products, and is in the process of producing the first draft, which will be ready for review soon. For more information on how to participate, go to www.verdigrisproject.com.
FUJIFILM DIMATIX EARNS AWARD FOR POLLUTION PREVENTIONFujifilm Dimatix, Inc., provider of industrial inkjet printheads, received the 2010 New Hampshire Governor’s Award for Pollution Prevention. Governor John Lynch and Department of Environmental Services Commissioner Tom Burack presented the award to Dimatix at a ceremony at the State capitol in Concord, NH.
The Award for Pollution Prevention recognizes outstanding prevention practices in New Hampshire businesses and organizations that have successfully reduced or eliminated waste at the source. Dimatix eliminated more than 2,100 gallons per year of hazardous waste isopropyl alcohol and associated manage-ment costs by using a vapor-deposition method to replace a wet-bath process. The company has also worked with its supply chain to ensure that pollutants such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and hazardous fire retardants are eliminated from its products.
The company installed capacitors on its electric motors and added an equip-ment-specific lubricant to compressors to extend their life. From this initiative alone the company is saving more than one million kilowatt hours annually.
“During the past year, these efforts have also resulted in Dimatix having re-cycled nearly 10 tons of paper, two tons of plastic, one ton of aluminum and tin, five tons of glass, and 10 tons of cardboard,” says Joel Wood, VP of operations.
SCREENWEB POLL RESULTSWhat’s your biggest garment-printing challenge?
CORRECTIONIn “Developments in UV Inks” (Screen Printing, February/March 2011, page 28), a photo caption incorrectly stated that an inkjet test pattern had been printed on a Fujifilm Dimatix printer. In fact, although the photograph shows a Dimatix test printer, the test pattern in the photo had actually been printed on a Durst Rho. We apologize for any confusion.
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— Kevin Vesely, President of Vista Color Imaging
Learn more. View video footage. Submit your challenge. www.MACtac.com/sp2Visit us at ISA Booth #5367
new products
screenprinting�
Printable Mesh
Ultraflex (www.ultraflexx.com) introduces UltraMesh Para-mount, a white, 9-oz, PVC-coated polyester mesh that Ultraf-lex says is engineered for superior printability across most ink types and is printable on two sides with UV and solvent inks. This mesh has a 30% airflow-through and is constructed with slit-like holes designed for image enhancement. The company says Paramount is best suited for large images on building, stadium and fence wraps, murals, signs, banners, protective barriers for scaffolding, and more. Ultraflex also notes that the mesh offers superior FR performance (NFPA 701, CA Title 19 and CSFM certificates) and is available in seamless wide-widths ranging from 126-196 in. (3200-4978 mm).
Backlit Media
Roland DGA Corp. (www.roalnddga.com) recently added two new media products to its line of eco-solvent-compatible me-dia for wide-format inkjet printers: Glossy Backlit Film (ESM-GBF) and Matte Backlit Film (ESM-MBF). Both are 8-mil products engineered for dimensional stability and designed to support high-density backlit images with a Dmax rating of 2.2. Glossy and Matte Backlit Films are certified for Roland’s VersaCAMM, VersaArt, and SOLJET PRO III inkjet printers.
Synthetic Paper for Wide-Format UV Inkjet PrintersYupo (www.yupousa.com) introduces YUPO UV Inkjet Grade – FPU 250, a synthetic paper designed for use with wide-
format UV inkjet printers. Yupo says the paper offers milky smoothness and a bright white color, is engineered for UV re-sistance in outdoor applications, and is 100% waterproof and resistant to chemicals and tearing. Yupo also explains that FPU 250 is compatible with indoor applications that demand excellent ink adhesion, such as back-lit graphics.
Squeegee Blade
Ink Innovations (www.inkinnovations.net) says it developed the new Ergo-Force Squeegee Blade for garment printers who wish to optimize the performance of Ink Innovations’s alumi-num Ergo-Force squeegee handle. According to the company, the 64-durometer Ergo-Force-Blade will deposit greater amounts of ink than typical 70- and 75-durometer blades, yet will have the feel of a stiffer blade, when installed in an Ergo-Force squeegee handle. Ink Innovations explains that the softer squeegee blade conforms better to irregularities of any given substrate and improves coverage significantly when printing over a white underbase. The purple, 64A, Ergo-Force-Blade is made of urethane, can be used with manual and automatic presses, and is made to the industry standard size of 2 in. (51 mm) wide by 0.375 in. (9.5 mm) thick. Each blade is imprinted with a Best Before date.
Heat-Transfer MaterialStahls’ ID Direct (www.stahlsid.com) Intro-duces CAD-CUT Hologram. It is designed for use with a vinyl cut-ter and heat press and features a finish that reflects different colors and pat-terns, similar to a kaleidoscope. The heat-transfer
ink innovations
Stahls’ iD Direct
roland DgA Corp.
Ultraflex
april/may 2011 �
material is available in 10 colors and arrives on a clear, non-pressure-sensitive carrier. Hologram is available by the roll in 1, 5, and 25 yd (1, 4.5, and 23 m) by 20 in. (508 mm) wide.
Manual Garment Press/Dryer
Ranar Manufacturing Co. (www.ranar.com) presents the Cruiser Series, a portable press/dryer combination that Ranar says is ideal for hobby printing, small garage shops, or on-site special-event printing. It features tubular construction, adjustable off-contant, microregistration, four- or six-color configuration, and more.
Wrap Films
The 3M Graphics Market Center (www.3m.com) announces new brushed metal finishes for its Scotchprint Wrap Film Series 1080. The brushed metal finishes join matte and car-bon fiber. New finishes are brushed aluminum (1080-BR120), brushed titanium (1080-BR230), brushed steel (1080-BR201), brushed steel blue (1080-BR217), and brushed gold (1080-BR241). Scotchprint Wrap Film Series 1080 are long-term, removable cast films. They are designed for solid-color vehicle detailing, decoration, and full wraps without the need for graphic protection. Their pressure-activated adhesive allows them to slide and be repositioned until firm pressure is applied.
Manual Garment press
Workhorse Products (www.workhorseproducts.com) bills its Odyssey line of tabletop-format manual garment presses as a great way to get started in short-run spot-color jobs and name drops without making a big investment. The Odyssey 4100B, which Workhorse describes as the most popular model in the line, is a four-color, single-station press. It is made with tubu-lar-steel construction and features adjustable off-contact and screen angle, quick-change platens, and microregistration.
Cutter Film
Dalco Athletic (www.dalcoathletic.com) says decorat-ing nylon is easy with its new Dal-Nylon Extra. The film is designed to be used with a garment-graphics cutter and has an adhesive that is formulated to stick to most nylon fabrics.
Ranar Manufacturing Co.
3M Graphics Market Center
Workhorse Products
Dalco Athletic
new products
screenprinting�
Dal-Nylon Extra has a matte finish and comes in black, gold, royal, navy, scarlet, and white. One- and two-color options are available. It comes on a 15-in. (381-mm) roll in lengths of 5 and 25 yd (4.5 and 23 m). Heat-Transfer Material
A new material from Imprintables Warehouse (www.im-printableswarehouse.com), Econo-Flex, is designed for use on active sportswear. It’s engineered to resist carcking and distortion when stretched and can be applied to swim suits, leotards, performancewear, and other apparel made from ly-cra, cotton, polyester, cotton/poly blends, and nylon. Econo-Flex has a pressure sensitive backing and can be peeled hot, warm, or cold. The PVC-free material is offered in 11 colors and comes in a 19-in. (483-mm) roll in lengths of 5, 10, 25, and 50 yd (4.5, 9, 23, and 46 m).
Modular Flatbed UV Inkjet Printer
The :Jeti 3020 Titan from Agfa Graphics (www.agfa.com) is a wide-format flatbed UV inkjet printer designed in a modu-lar format that allows users to extend the unit’s color and speed capabilities. The standard version features 16 Ricoh Gen 4 grayscale printheads for CMYK output at resolutions up to 1200 dpi. The system supports a maximum print area of 9.8 x 6.6 ft (3 x 2 m) and print speeds up to 1216 sq ft/hr
(113 square m/hour). Modular upgrades are available for up to 48 printheads and a maximum print speed of 2432 sq ft/hr (226 sq m/hr). Additional ink choices for the :Jeti 3020 Titan include light cyan and light magenta, double white, white and clear varnish, or orange and green. Titan’s vacuum table ac-commodated flexible and rigid materials up to 1.9 in. (50 mm) in thickness. Agfa says the Titan, even in its initial, four-color configuration, performs flawlessly on photographic and solid colors with no banding and with crisp, clear text output in sizes as small as 4 pt.
Dye-Sublimation Patches
Dalco Athletic (www.dalcoathletic.com) now offers full-color dye-sub patches that can be sewn down or heat applied. The company says its new Dye Sublimation Patches, which are 100% polyester, are printed in bold, long-lasting colors and can be finished with a Merrowed edge (customers choose thread color) or left plain. Shapes include circles, squares, rectangles, half circles, long ovals, arched plackets, shields, and a football. Customers can choose between a backing of placement adhesive if sewing the patch down or permanent, heat-activated glue if applying with a heat press.
Garment-Printing Package
Workhorse Products (www.workhorseproducts.com) de-signed the Javelin Auto Package for growing shops that are looking to increase production in a limited amount of space.
imprintables Warehouse
Agfa graphics
Dalco Athletic
Workhorse products
W a n t t o g e n e r a t e W h i t e - h o t r e v e n u e ?
the eFi vutek gS3200 brings high-impact, high-income power to your shop.
The EFI™ VUTEk® GS3200 UV-curing superwide printer offers 1000 dpi color quality and consistency, two to three times higher print capacity and unique three-layer white ink printing that extends your offering into high-end, premium-margin applications. All backed by EFI advanced workflow solutions, ink, service and training.
Make your business white-hot with the EFI VUTEk GS3200. Visit efi.com/WhiteHot3 or call 800-875-7117 to get started.
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©2011 EFI. All rights reserved.
See us at the ISA Sign Expo, Booth 3558
EFI 902 Vutek Ad SP.indd 1 3/9/11 11:39:17 AM
new products
screenprinting10
It includes an eight-color/10-station Tuf Javelin automatic garment press that can print designs up to 16 x 18 in. (406 x 457 mm), FlashBack Auto Flash that features a print/flash/cool func-tion, Powerhouse 4013 dryer that can output between 600-800 pieces/hr, and a PhotoSharp metal-halide exposure unit.
Wide-Format Flatbed UV Inkjet PrinterCET Color (www.cetcolor.com) recently an-nounced the release the FK512-X, a 4 x 8-ft (1.2 x 2.4-m) flatbed UV inkjet printer that features 14-pl drop size, white ink and varnish capabili-ties, a scalable platform that allows expansion from six to 16 heads, 3-l ink tanks, and field upgradability. The printer supports media up to 3 in. (76 mm) thick and images at speeds up to 800 sq ft/hr (74 sq m/hr) and resolutions up to 720 x 1440 dpi.
Display-System AccessoriesRose Displays, Ltd. (www.rosedisplays.com), recently introduced two accessories for its ZipLine system: ZipLine Mounting Plate and ZipLine Poles. The Mounting Plate enables users to hang ZipLines from plaster ceilings, whether flat or standard grid. ZipLine Poles are designed to simplify the process of installing or removing ZipLines and eliminate the need for ladders. Rose Displays says a single twist of the pole anchors the ZipLine securely onto the ceiling grid or the mounting plate. ZipLine Poles are available in two configurations: ZipLine Poles OneUp, for graphics with one point-of-hanging, and ZipLine Pole BiClops, for those with two points-of-hanging. Both configurations come in lengths for ceilings of up to 10, 14, or 18 ft (3.1, 4.3, or 5.5 m) in height. Rose Displays recommends using two ZipLines per graphic.
rose DisplaysSenD US yoUr ProDUCT neWS! Please send your news releases and photos announcing new products, changes in your business, awards, appoint-ments, and other noteworthy developments to: [email protected].
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for speeD
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The EFI™ Rastek™ H652 UV hybrid printer is the perfect choice for stunning four-color and grayscale image quality that meets stringent customer demands fast. Direct-to-rigid, roll-to-roll and white ink capability let you offer more applications to get more business and profits. Get it all with the EFI Rastek H562. Call 800-875-7117 or visit efi.com/GetItAll3
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©2011 EFI. All rights reserved.
EFI 903 Rastek Ad SP.indd 1 3/9/11 11:42:08 AM
THE PREPRESS WIRE
Mark A. Coudray is president of Coudray Graphic Technologies, San Luis Obispo, CA. He has served as a director of (SGIA) and as chairman of the Academy of Screen Printing Technology. Coudray has authored more than 250 papers and articles over the last 20 years, and he received the SGIA’s Swormst-edt Award in 1992 and 1994. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
SCREENPRINTING12
My many visits to print shops over the years have given me a chance to help address issues with production work-flows and overcome optimization challenges. Invariably, the conversations I have at these visits shift to dealing with sales and the orders the salespeople bring in. The conversation is almost always the same. It centers on trying to figure out how to produce something the salesperson has sold or meeting an unrealistic deadline that was promised. The comments almost always have a tone of sarcasm or resentment in them.
Interestingly, if you were to ask a salesperson how busi-ness is, you’d often hear, “It’s good and would be even better if we didn’t have to deal with the customers.” This statement, and production’s attitude toward the salespeople, are essentially the same. The root issues are of communication, understanding, and expectation. More importantly, it reveals a self-centered at-titude on the part of both sales and production. In other words, don’t make me do something that gets in the way of me doing my job.
The purpose of my column this month is to get everyone on the same page. Let’s begin with the understanding that noth-ing happens until something is sold. This is an old cliché, but it’s absolutely true. The finest production environment is worth-less when there are no orders to produce. Likewise, if orders come in that aren’t suited for the equipment or workflow, the company won’t realize its full profit potential. This is especially important in today’s economy, where demand is lower and competition is extreme.
The most successful companies I’ve visited have a few things in common. The first is that they’ve meshed the orders to the production capabilities. They usually do this through a targeted, niche approach to their sales. If they do simple work, they have streamlined the process so the orders flow through extremely fast. They minimize setup times, gang orders, and reduce as many touch points as possible. A perfect example of this is the offset industry, where you can now buy 1000 four-color business cards produced in 48 hours or less for about $20.00.
The net effect is that jobs get into production faster, run smoothly, and go out without mistakes. The printers don’t make a big margin on each job, but the volume makes up for the extra dollars. This isn’t high-profile work; it’s high-volume simple work, turned around quickly. The specialization is in the reduc-tion of non-value-added steps.
Variables and valueA big part of the success of this kind of sales and production is the elimination of variables or putting a system in place to accommodate the variables that are necessary. Both sales and production understand this and incorporate the steps necessary to make sure it happens with each job. Key to this concept is not going outside the parameters.
For instance, if you were optimized for simple line work on T-shirts and a salesperson were to bring a simulated-process job into this environment, it would be completely disruptive. The chances of failure would be very high because sales would be asking production to do something it wasn’t designed to do. This doesn’t mean production couldn’t do it; it means the job would take much longer to do, cost more per unit, and the final results would not be as good as those generated by a company that specializes in simulated-process printing. The likelihood of mistakes and of the customer being disappointed is much higher in this case.
Unfortunately, most companies don’t recognize this. Salespeople are allowed to bring in orders that aren’t suited to the facility. Printers, being the natural problem solvers they are, usually rise to the occasion and figure it out. They’re almost always up to the challenge, but the results can often be less than perfect. Certainly, the company and the overall production schedule suffer as a result of the challenge.
When production and quality don’t meet expectations, emotions rise and each area becomes either aggressive or defensive. Neither position is good for the company or the cus-tomer. Looking back on what just happened would reveal that the chain of events was reaction driven instead of being driven proactively. Sales is reacting to market demands, production is reacting to an order that doesn’t fit the system, and the cus-tomer is disappointed in a less than perfect delivery based on quality and time. Expectations have failed all the way around. Repeating this mistake creates cultural barriers that are very difficult to overcome.
So what’s the solution to this typical challenge? The answer is not complicated, but it does have a number of parts. It starts at the top of the company. It begins with how the company sees itself in the market and how it delivers value to the market.
Companies that get themselves into trouble are those that want to be all things to everyone. The mandate is for sales
Learn how to create an environment in which sales and production teams work together for the benefi t of the company as a whole.
Mark Coudray
SALES AND PRODUCTION: PEACE IS POSSIBLE
the prepress wire
to sell it and for production to figure it out. That might have worked in the 1970s, but it sure doesn’t work today. The margins are just too thin, there aren’t enough hours in the day to figure it out, and labor and overhead costs are too high. Virtually every industry in the developed world faces this challenge.
Specialization and niche market-ing are the foundation for the solution. The goal when selecting the specialized niche is to create much more value for the customer than the competitor can. If you can’t create value, you’ll quickly find yourself in a commodity-driven price battle no one can win. The key is to un-derstand what value is to your customer. This is a very important point. Value extends well beyond the manufacturing of the product. All kinds of things that add value aren’t related to the technical production of the item. The key point is value-added means more money for the order and less pressure on production.
Integrating sales and productionFrom the sales perspective, they un-derstand how it all works and they can sell the customer more easily without making unexpected compromises or promises. The added value from mul-tiple, non-production-centered items takes the pressure off of them to match or beat a commodity-driven lowball price. Positioned properly, the sale takes place almost automatically because the customer sees your complete offer as tailor matched to their needs. Your offer far exceeds the value points of the competitor, so even a simple one- or two-color job becomes an apples-and-or-anges comparison.
This is the beauty of a proac-tively conceived business model. You’re anticipating the needs and wants of the customer or market. By crafting value points around these wants and needs, your company is seen as the ideal match or solution. To this you also add the con-fidence of knowing what you propose in your offer is absolutely attainable and achievable. There is no cross-your-fin-gers hope or get-it-done promise—both of which lead to failed expectations and
disappointments. If anything, you have the opportunity to exceed your custom-er’s expectations, and that is always a good thing for you.
From the production side, when every job that comes through fits perfectly, they have the opportunity to continuously learn and refine. Cus-tom manufacturing is one of the most difficult kinds of processes to manage because every situation is unique and it’s very hard to identify opportunities, trends, and patterns. When you work within a controlled variable environ-ment, all of these areas become readily apparent and you overcome the learning curve quickly.
On top of all this is the reduction of tension, stress, and resentment for having to continually figure out how to get the job done. Production begins to anticipate orders rather than dread them. Production meetings, associ-ated expediting, and customer contact
decrease as well, meaning saved time and resources.
Moving forward, both produc-tion and sales have the opportunity to add capabilities and services to further enhance the value to the market. Within a short period of time your company is seen as the dominant market leader with more knowledge and expertise in your particular area.
Lastly, you don’t need to limit the area of specialization to just one market or niche. Segmenting two to four areas reduces the business’s overall financial and marketing exposure. This helps to insulate the operation as normal business or seasonal cycles affect demand. Risk is diminished and overall performance enhanced. Going one step further, it’s possible to include the same value propositions to multiple market segments. This shortens the learning curve and reduces the cost to implement each new sales or marketing model.
april/may 2011 13
EXPERT APPAREL
SCREENPRINTING14
The cost of raw materials for garments has changed over the past several years along with the garment market itself. Even though cotton remains the most widely used material in apparel manufacture, environmental disasters around the world have devastated large portions of the global cotton crop, thereby causing the prices for cotton to skyrocket.
As you might imagine, these higher costs have prompt-ed apparel manufacturers to offer garment lines that make use of more synthetic blended fabrics to offset the more expensive cotton. In addition, they’re presenting garment styles in thinner and thinner weights. The combination of the increase in synthetics and the decrease in garment weights challenges the garment screen printer to determine the best way to embellish these fabrics without hindering the perfor-mance of the ink film or the fabric.
Where most lightweight T-shirts weigh in at 5.5 oz., we now have fabrics that weigh in the low 4-oz. range, which makes the printing process similar to printing on gauze. It is here that the printer is faced with the challenge of creating a graphic that will pop while maintaining the softest hand possible.
As garment screen printers, we must develop the mindset that we, in essence, need to follow the same basic laws that apply to printing on heavyweight fabrics—except that we must decrease the overall ink-film thickness while maintaining the aesthetic qualities of the graphic. Let’s review the aspects of the process that maximize graphic effects and maintain the softer feel of the fabric.
Artwork engineeringPrinting on lightweight fabrics of this nature successfully re-quires that you avoid solid ink films as much as possible. Art designed with broken image areas or distressed graphics that break up the image are ideal for lightweight garments. The
basic rule for printing on these styles of garments is to stay away from the classic, heavy-handed, athletic graphics and most special-effect inks. Lighter fabrics also lend themselves to muted or rustic graphics that possess a degree of transpar-ency. Water-based inks are preferable lightly colored fabrics, although plastisols are a must in many cases as many are blended fabrics.
Lightweight fabrics typically are constructed with thin-ner yarn and a looser knit than their heavyweight counter-parts. This poses a true challenge for any job that involves halftone reproduction. For facilities that print halftone on a regular basis, I recommend testing a garment with what-ever typical line count you would print with as a standard. If the results are unacceptable, you may consider moving to a coarser halftone line count to compensate for the coarser knit of the garment fabric.
ScreensRethinking your approaches to screens is an important part of screen printing lightweight fabrics. Some of these fabrics are so loosely knit that you may wish to avoid even attempt-ing to bridge the knit of the fabric by staying out of the material’s voids, much like you would when screen printing nylon micromesh.
You can print lightly colored fabrics with a 230-thread/in. mesh higher using a 70/90/70-durometer or standard 80-durometer squeegee. For direct applications darker fabrics, where underbases are required, you should keep the mesh count in the 155- to 180-thread/in. range. Using the previously mention squeegee parameters would work in this scenario as well. The overprint mesh counts would again fall in the 230- to 305-thread/in. range.
As with most applications, highly tensioned screens are beneficial and allow you to deposit thinner ink films onto the surface of the fabric, as opposed to driving it through and onto the platen. Maintaining the soft hand of a garment print is the perfect time to put the less is more philosophy to work.
InksBecause your objective in printing lightweight fabrics is to maintain the soft hand of that fabric, you are somewhat lim-ited in your choices of ink formulations. The lighter colored, 100% cottons lend themselves to water-based inks. You have the option of discharge printing for the darker cottons, but
TIPS FOR PRINTING LIGHTWEIGHT FABRICS
SCREENPRINTING14
Discover how artwork, screenmaking, inks, and curing infl uence quality when working with lightweight apparel.
Rick Davis
Because your objective in printing lightweight fabrics is to maintain the soft hand of that fabric, you are somewhat limited in your choices of ink formulations.
Rick Davis has been involved in textile screen printing since 1975 and has served as president of Synergy Screen Printing in Orlando, FL, since 2004. He is a contributor to industry trade publications and a member of the Academy of Screen Printing Technology.
expert apparel
april/may 2011 15
you should always test this process on the garment before going into full-scale production to ensure you will achieve satisfactory results with that fabric.
Many of the lighter fabrics on the market are either cotton/poly blends or tri-blends, which means you may be restricted to using plastisol inks. These fabrics may range from simple fiber combinations to a three-way mix of cotton, polyester, rayon, or spandex. These fabrics—the tri-blends, in particular—require garment screen printers to rethink their mesh selections with the goal of minimizing ink-film thickness as much as pos-sible and, ultimately, maintaining the original soft hand of the fabric.
Most garment printers select bleed-resistant inks for jobs that in-volve blended fabrics. I suggest modi-fying these inks by using a reducer or a soft-hand additive to increase their flow characteristics. Be careful when using these modifiers. There is a fine line between improved ink flow and a harmful reduction in an ink’s opacity.
Three additional alternatives are available when it comes to embellish-ing lightweight fabrics: heat transfers that produce a relatively soft hand, direct-to-garment inkjet printing, and sublimation transfers. Although all are multistep processes, they do offer the ability to reproduce a soft-handed im-age on lightweight materials. Be sure to pre-test the garment when using any transfer process that involves the application of heat. Blended fabrics are, at times, sensitive to heat, which can lead to unwanted platen marks on the garments.
Most garment inkjet printers are designed for cottons. Not every system can handle cotton/poly blends or more complicated fabric composi-tions. Consult with manufacturers before you think about making a pur-chase. Many printers use sublimation transfers when decorating lightweight fabrics. Although the sublimation transfer is not true dye-sublimation printing, it can often resolve issues as-sociated with printing inks onto light materials.
Curing parametersCuring isn’t often something for most garment screen printers to worry about when working with 100% cotton apparel, although you may want to test to ensure that the garments you’re printing do not carry excessive sizing that will at times discolor under normal 320°F curing conditions.
Blended fabrics should be mea-sured before and after the curing process to ensure that there is no fabric shrink-age taking place while passing through the dryer. Should you find excessive shrinkage as a result of heat exposure, you may wish to use a low-temperature plastisol in an effort to lower the overall heat exposure to the fabric.
Choosing the right media is crucial to the success of your project. Have you ever been so eager to start a project that you jumped in head first without making sure you selected the right substrate for the application? Asking yourself a few basic questions will make that next job a little easier: How long will the project be displayed? Is this an indoor or out-door project? Should I use digital or plotter film?
Decision matrixAfter answering the questions above, use the matrix shown in Figure 1 to guide your next vinyl decision. There isn’t one magical product that will satisfy all needs for all applications, and with so many vinyl choices available, that can sometimes be a daunting task. Why these questions are important is simple. Every question eliminates a sub-section of potential vinyl choices and leads you to the final vinyl decision. Also, answers to these questions give a better understanding of job expectations and requirements.
Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule. Just as there isn’t one vinyl film that fits all applications, this matrix will not fit every potential application need. If you are trying to learn more about making decisions in the vinyl world, this matrix is a good way to begin.
Short vs. long termWant to save money? If so, then you have to determine how
long the project will be displayed. This one question can potentially save you and your customer a lot of dough. Here’s how.
Let’s assume you asked your customer about the longevity expected for the project and you got this reply: “I want a wall mural on my restaurant wall but want to be able to remove it in a year or two because we hope to remodel the place.” Looking at the decision matrix , you see this is considered a short-term project because they expect to have the graphic in place less than five years.
Looking at the decision matrix for short-term projects, you now learn that a calendered film is the best choice. Great! You have just potentially saved yourself a lot of money because there isn’t a need for a more expensive cast film. In this example, the next two questions were also answered, further defining that a calendered digital film with water-based adhesive is recommended. In addition to saving money by choosing a calendered film, you have saved even more by choosing a film with water-based adhesive instead of a typi-cally more expensive film with solvent-based adhesive. We’re on a roll!
Indoor or outdoor? The question of indoor vs. outdoor helps you to better un-derstand the limitations and expectations for the project and determine the proper vinyl for the application.
Simplifying the Vinyl-Selection
Process
Screenprinting16
If you’re having trouble picking from the myriad
vinyl films on the market, read on to find out how to get rid of the guesswork.
Lisa Humrich and Craig CampbellOracal USA, Inc.
april/may 2011 17
As you might expect, outdoor applications require greater capabilities from a film. Films used outdoors have a much greater chance of shrinkage, UV damage, color fading, and aging as a result of weathering. A generally accepted rule of thumb for outdoor use for greater than five years is to use a cast or high-performance, calendered film for the best, long-term results and greatest return on investment.
Cast films have inherent properties that make them more weather resistant, durable, conformable, resistant to shrinkage, and maintain color better. Because of the raw materials used during the manufacturing process of cast films, durability and weather resistance are generally higher and shrinkage is less than most calendered films. Another advantage of the cast-film-manufacturing process is they are typically made very thin, which allows for much greater conformability over substrates with rivets, corrugations, and complex curves.
Using a thicker, more rigid, calendered film is ideal when the project calls for one or more of the following: less than five years of durability, indoor application, and no requirement for stretch or conformability. Typical calendered film uses are floor graphics, wall murals, and P-O-P displays.
Unlike outdoor applications, indoor applications generally require less rigorous demands. A large number of indoor applications are flat substrates for temporary or short-term use, where more expensive, durable, flexible cast films are not needed.
Granted, there are exceptions to everything. For ex- ample, what if a customer were to come to you with the idea of a window graphic in the food court of a mall? Technically, the graphic could be installed indoors, and it’s a flat sub-strate, which may lead you to believe you could use a calen-dered film. However, because of exposure to direct sunlight and the likelihood that the graphics would need to stay in place for several years, using a calendered film would not be the best solution.
Digital vs. plotter filmWe are nearly done. The last question, whether to use a digital or plotter film, is relatively easy to answer. By the time you reach this question, you already have a good sense of the pro-ject and have narrowed the vinyl choices considerably.
Here’s an example of how easy this question is to answer. A customer wants a vehicle wrap of their favorite superhero on their Volkswagen Beetle that will last more than five years. Because the customer wants the wrap to last longer than five years, this is considered a long-term project. This narrows your choices to a high-performance calendered or cast film. Obviously, this is an outdoor application; therefore, a solvent-based adhesive is recommended. This eliminates most plotter and calendered films.
For this project, the next decision is whether to choose a digital or plotter film. The underlying question is whether you want a solid color or a digitally printed wrap. The pre-
Short-term project (leSS than 5 yearS)
USe a calanDereD film
inDoor project or oUtDoor project
USe water-baSeD aDheSive
USe either a Solvent-baSeD
aDheSive or water-baSeD aDheSive for really Short-term projectS
Digital film or plotter film
Digital film or plotter film
long-term project (more than 5 yearS)
USe a caSt film or high-performance calenDereD film for Shorter longer-
term projectS
inDoor project or oUtDoor project
USe water-baSeD aDheSive
USe Solvent-baSeD aDheSive
Digital film or plotter film
Digital film or plotter film
figUre 1Decision matrix for vinyl selection
SCREENPRINTING18
ferred wrap of choice for this application is a digitally printed wrap, thus eliminating all plotter films.
Another consideration for this job is the compound curves of the car, which require an extremely conformable prod-uct. This automatically narrows your choice to a cast film. Cast films provide the best solution for outdoor projects requiring conformability and long-term durability.
Vinyl choices for vehicle wrapsOne of the most popular uses of vinyl films these days is vehicle wrapping (Figure 2). You see wraps more frequently than you might think. People are using them in a variety of ways, from promoting their business to changing the color of their vehicle—red today, green tomorrow. While we have touched a little on wraps, let’s take a closer look.
Using the matrix, a vehicle wrap is considered a long-term, outdoor project requiring a high-performance calen-dered or cast film with a solvent-based adhesive. Choosing a solvent-based vinyl film for vehicle wraps is critical if you want to avoid potential vinyl failures.
The decision to use a high-performance calendered or cast film is based on the need for conformability. As in the example of the Volkswagen Beetle, a cast film is required to handle the extreme conformability needed for the contours of the fenders. However, if the vehicle is relatively flat, like a box truck, then a high-performance calendered film would work well.
Whether to use a digital or plotter vinyl film for the project depends on whether there is a need for digital images within the wrap or whether a solid-colored wrap is required. After you have chosen, don’t forget to select a laminate. This will add longevity to your vehicle wrap. When choosing a laminate, remember to match the grade of the film with the grade of the laminate. For example, if you are using a cast vinyl film use a cast laminate. Cast and calendered films expand and contract differently. Choosing the same grade of film and laminate will keep graphics from buckling.
Prior to installationIt is highly recommended that you determine whether the vehicle has an OEM factory paint job before installing any graphics. If the car has ever been repainted, there is a possibility that when the film is removed the paint may be removed as well. Just as a doctor informs his patients of potential risks of a procedure, it’s a good idea to prepare your customer in advance that this could occur with a non-OEM factory installed paint job.
A little prep work is needed before any graphic installa-tion. For vehicle wraps, it is highly recommended that the car be thoroughly cleaned with an industrial degreaser, followed by soap and water, to remove any degreaser residue. Once the car has been washed, follow by wiping the car down with isopropyl alcohol to remove any soap and water residue. Now let’s talk about preventing vinyl failure.
FIGURE 2Vinyl for vehicle graphics
and wraps, examples of which are shown here, must be evaluated for its ability to conform to complex curves,
rivets, and irregular surfaces. In general, high-performance
cast film is appropriate for use on extreme contours,
while high-performance cal-endered film is a good
choice for flatter surfaces.
april/may 2011 19
Before printing Use vinyl manufacturer color profiles for specific films when printing to avoid edge curl-ing and adhesive failure.
After printing Allow graphics to properly outgas prior to laminating, cutting, or installing; install graphics when the surface of the car is approx- imately 70°F; and create a mental game plan for the installation to think through potential challenges and pitfalls.
After installation Go over all contours, seams, and rivets with heat and pressure to ensure adhesion and bonding. Allow sufficient time for the vinyl’s adhesive to bond to the car before moving the vehicle to an extreme difference in temperature. For example, if installation environment is approximately 72°F and the outside temperature is 30°F, then do not place the car outside until the adhesive has a chance to adhere sufficiently to the car.
Making your vinyl decision finalNow that you have figured out how to make vinyl decisions for future projects, take some time to learn more about the wide variety of manufactur-ers and the products that are available. The good news for you is that most vinyl manufacturers have a wealth of product information in the way of Web-sites and collateral materials to further educate you.
Technical data sheets, features and benefits, product bulletins, color charts, digital guides, and a variety of other marketing pieces typically are available. All of these informational materials provide additional data con-cerning product thickness, shrinkage, typical applications/uses, and durabil-ity. Samples may even be available.
If you have chosen a digital film, check out the latest color profile rec-ommended by the manufacturer. Each product has its own unique color pro-
file that will provide the best settings for your printer, RIP software, and ink combination.
Last, but certainly not least, if you ever have questions about a product or what to use for a particular application, we highly recommend that you contact the vinyl manufacturer’s technical-support team. They are usu-ally the best people to call when you ever have a concern. In a lot of cases, they’ve worked in sign shops and have a wealth of product and application knowledge.
Lisa Humrich is marketing manager for Black Creek, GA-based Oracal USA, Inc.
Craig Campbell is a business manager at Oracal and serves as its territory manager for the Southeastern U.S.
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What if you could expand your business and open doors to new markets? What if you had the ability to increase your margin per print 10 fold? What if you had the opportunity to partner with companies that produce work for brands like Nike? What would you say if all of these great things required you to venture outside of your comfort zone or product specialty?
If you don’t open yourself to the possibility, you could be missing out on a lot. Take my company, for example. Ryonet, does not screen print for profit—that is, we don’t print jobs for customers. Instead, we focus on educating and supplying screen printers. So, how did we end up printing a job (Figure 1) for a large-scale advertising campaign involving an international ad agency, a commercial design house, a high-end photography studio, and one of the most recognizable brands featuring various high-profile ath-letes—all with a profit of $25-30 per print? It was simple: by being open-minded and flexible. By stepping outside the world of T-shirts, Ryonet had the opportunity to screen print the core piece of a national advertising campaign that
encompassed graphics screen printing, digital photography, digital printing, and—eventually—garment screen printing.
THE BACKGROUND STORYIt all started on a late Friday afternoon in January of 2010. I received an urgent call from my good friend, Tyler. While we have known each other personally for years, Tyler has freelanced for Ryonet with various product-photography projects and professionally works as a commercial pho-tographer at a high-profile photography studio in Portland, OR. As we talked that afternoon, the tone of desperation in Tyler’s voice told me he needed some help. He asked me, “Is it hard to screen print onto glass?” “That depends,” I said, “on how many colors are being used, the size of the prints, and the number of designs.”
He explained that the studio where he works had a project that needed one color printed on larger prints with five or six different designs totaling 10-12 pieces each. I knew what he was asking was possible and, although not easy, it could certainly be done. I offered to check with
SCREENPRINTING20
This article demonstrates the importance of broad-ening your skill sets and experimenting with new
materials and techniques.
Ryan MoorRyonet Corp.
Photo courtesy of Swanson Studio
APRIL/MAY 2011 21
several Ryonet customers about getting the work printed for him. This is when Tyler revealed the real source of his desperation: “We’ve already called several printers. No one is willing to take on the job because it is more complicated and we need the finished product first thing Monday morning.”
Seeing as it was already late afternoon on Friday, I agreed that finding anyone to take this on would be next to impossible; there just weren’t enough hours left in the day. Then came his request: “That is why I was really calling. Do you think you could do it?” I thought, “Well, there goes my Sunday night,” and I decided to ask what client the job was for and if the budget had been established. It turned out that the campaign was for Nike and the working budget was $50-60 per print, including glass. I quickly decided that, yes, I would help Tyler out and that this was absolutely a job I wanted. It seemed like it would be a great learning experi-ence and a strong highlight for the company’s printing re-sume. How hard could it really be? And BOOM! Just like that, I found myself involved in something really big and new.
It was almost midnight on Sunday when I discovered that this project was anything but simple. I saw the reason-ing behind why so many printers had turned Tyler’s last-min-ute request down; screen printing on glass is not at all like screen printing on T-shirts (Figure 2). The ink I used had to be printed through 25 x 36-in. screens (230-thread/in. mesh) coated with a special, solvent-resistant emulsion. The glass had to be cleaned on both sides, registered, and stacked to air-dry for at least 12 hours. The real fun began after the screens were prepped, coated, and dried; the films were printed; stencils exposed; screens taped; off-contact set; and print registered. The gloss-enamel formulation I used is
FIGURE 3 Tyler fires a ball bearing through a Nike BOOM glass printas high-speed cameras catch the action.
FIGURE 2 Ryan Moor printing Nike ad “Prepare for Combat” with GLE ink onto glass
Photo courtesy of Swanson Studio
Photo courtesy of Ryonet Corporation
Photo courtesy of Ryonet Corporation
SCREENPRINTING22
an air-curing ink and, by its apparent properties, this ink dries rather quickly in the screen. Combine that with a glassy surface and you’ve got yourself a completely dif-ferent animal than a T-shirt.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PROJECT After two hours into printing this project without any suc-cess—and with two bottles of screen opener used up—things finally started working. This is what I learned about screen printing on glass:
Glass is slippery—especially after it’s cleaned. The ink I used is thick, and glass doesn’t receive ink all that well in the first place. When printing on glass, cleaning it first and then let-ting each piece dry and warm up before you attempt to print on it is crucial. Proper off-contact is also critical when print-ing on a slippery, rigid substrate. Because I was printing with large-format static frames, known for lower screen tension, I had to double my off-contact to almost 0.25 in.
I have always been told to thin enamel ink down to 2-3%. While this modification may work well for printing on metal or wood, it did not work well for glass. Most of the troubleshooting during the first few hours of testing focused around the consistency of the ink. If the ink is too thin, it will leave extremely messy and unacceptable edges. The text I printed was bold and linear, so it absolutely needed to be clean and precise. In the end, the key to the proper consis-tency was using the ink straight out of the can. This gave the most even and highest quality print possible, which was the formula I used repeatedly until the job was completed.
The unmodified ink dried much more quickly in the screen and took considerably longer to dry on the substrate surface. The thick ink also created some trouble with its tendency to dry in the screen, which lead to the image not printing properly on the glass. The solution was to move fast, keep the screen flooded, and print consistently. Once this all came together, I could print one about every 30 seconds. The job began to fly by. It was working, and the results were something I was really proud of. The glass dried overnight, and Tyler picked the finished pieces up in the morning to photograph. Mission accomplished.
I’ve described my printing process not to explain how to print on glass, but to show you the journey of the experi-ence. The important detail is that I had the opportunity to print this job in the first place only because I was willing to try it. Many screen printers would shy away from trying new things and stepping outside of the box because with the new comes the unpredictable. Sure, it may a take a little
Photos courtesy of Swanson Studio
FIGURE 4 The BOOM
graphic was used in a variety of
promotional applications,
including sta-dium graphics,
garments, fleet graphics
and more.
COMBINING SCREEN AND DIGITAL PRINTINGRandy PaarOcé North America
The ability to mix traditional and digital printing technologies enables some unique benefits that would not exist if jobs were printed using just one technology. For instance, with variable data being printed on-demand, a screen printer can quickly and cost-effectively print the base graphics traditionally and then add whatever personalization as needed using a digital process. This keeps the cost per piece to a minimum yet opens
up new opportunities in selling customized items. An-other benefit is the full-color, photographic-like quality that can now be achieved through UV inkjet printing.
To get into this two-step workflow, screen print-ers will need to acquire a flatbed inkjet printer. For greatest versatility—and reduced labor and waste—they should select an inkjet architecture that uses a stationary vacuum table rather than a belt-driven hy-brid design. This is similar to how many screen print-ers print conventionally: laying the substrate down on a vacuum table and positioning it with a three-point registration system. If they were to use a belt-driven transport there might be greater risk of mis-registra-tion of the piece, and printing of non-square or rectan-gular items can be difficult—if not impossible. Another consideration is size in area and height. The more clearance a printer can offer between the print bed and printhead array, the more types of applications it can handle.
Randy Paar has worked in the graphics industry for more than 30 years in a variety of capacities and technologies. He is currently based in Chicago and is Océ North America’s marketing manager for display graphics. He can be reached via email at [email protected].
Hazard Screenprinting, Burnaby, BC, Canada, has merged their large-format digital flatbed printing into their screen printing operation and was able to print these London Flyer pieces.
time, quite possibly some trial and error, if the end result is a success, you’ve just separated yourself that much more from your competition. The screen printers I know who do this stay busy, expand their clientele, know more about printing, and have the ability to make much more money.
So ask yourself this: What is available outside the world of screen-printing T-shirts? I encourage you to consider my experience; it was a job con-tracted for Nike involving the ad campaign BOOM. This job started out as a concept in the creative minds at an ad agency and a commercial design house. They had an idea of BOOM and needed a way to show the expression of BOOM physically happening through text.
Here is the concept behind Nike’s BOOM as demonstrated by Media Bistro: Consider, if you will, boom replacing snap at the forefront of the Ameri-can exclamatory lexicon. In other words, where a professional football player might say ‘boom’ after delivering a cranium-crushing blow to the oppos-ing team’s quarterback. Rick Ross might say ‘boom’ after dropping about $1 million for extravagant jewelry designed to resemble his face. The aver-age layperson, on the other hand, might say ‘boom’ after tossing a piece of trash into a garbage can 12 feet away, or after catching the bus right before it speeds off. Really, boom can apply to any situa-tion.” (Visit www.mediatbistro.com/agencyspy/tag/rick-ross for more on this.)
How do you show all that in a format that translates seamlessly and beautifully into usable promotional products? Screen print it onto glass and have one of the best photography studios in the country photograph that glass breaking. Screen printing the glass was only one part of the BOOM equation. The studio went all out to achieve imag-ery that would capture the essence of BOOM as they envisioned it. They used a high-speed camera and a sound trigger to capture the explosion of glass as a high-powered slingshot catapulted a marble-like ball through the screen-printed surface (Figure 3). Now you can literally see the image going boom.
Once things were said and done, Tyler told me that it was one of the more fun and creatively challenging projects he had collaborated on in a while and then thanked me profusely for screen printing the glass. Imagine being thanked for get-ting paid $30 per print! I was happy and pleased that Ryonet had the opportunity to be involved. The image has been used in many facets of ad cam-paigns and promotional materials: posters, banners, P-O-P displays, billboards, and yes, even on T-shirts.
APRIL/MAY 2011 23
SCREENPRINTING24
IN CONCLUSION After the images were edited, Nike’s campaign ran with them and produced them in typical, larger-than-life fashion: a stadium-sized, digitally printed banner photographed at a local football stadium with Tyler and a colleague proudly showing off their work, and even the familiar warm and cozy territory so many screen-printers are comfortable with: printed apparel (Figure 4).
I wasn’t able to find out who digitally printed the sta-dium banner, but I did track down the company that screen-printed the T-shirts. I bumped into Kelly Simmons, the ink tech for Latitudes in Portland, OR, at a recent tradeshow in Long Beach, CA. Knowing that Latitudes is one of the print-ing companies Nike uses regularly, I asked him if the shop had printed any BOOM shirts last year. Kelly confirmed that Nike had done several short/medium runs through Latitudes around the BOOM campaign. As you can see, what was an elaborate and creative process turned out to be a fairly simple screen print on a T-shirt.
Sure, this is a larger-than-life example of how an ad campaign can combine multiple methods of printing in our industry, but the point I want to emphasize is that if you are able to become versatile in your company, you can take advantage of many markets. Screen and digital printing for
FIGURE 6 Digitally printed banner for the Lumberjax, a Portland, OR-based lacrosse team
FIGURE 5 A custom glass
print for the Surf 6.0 contest cam-paign printed by
Seizure’s Palace in Portland, OR
non-apparels is many times larger than the T-shirt market. In addition to T-shirts you could screen print on glass, metal, wood, plastic, and much more.
Though it’s a small percentage, some of our overall customer base steps outside of T-shirts. As a result, they have been able to print distortion pedals and gear racks for rock stars and specialty P-O-P displays for companies such as Nike and Adidas (Figure 5) and even digitally print on banners for professional sports organizations (Figure 6). The beauty of what waits outside the world of T-shirts is the fact that these jobs can potentially be the most fun, creative, and profitable for your business. Be ready and willing to learn, experiment, and invest and you, too, can open the door to new markets while increasing print-piece margins by more than 10 fold and maybe even print for companies like Nike.
Ryan Moor is the president and CEO of Ryonet Corporation of Vancouver, WA. The company’s main website is www.silkscreeningsupplies.com, which offers online supplies, support, and education. Ryan loves training and helping screen printers become successful.
Heather Ashlock is the editorial manager at Ryonet. She may be reached at [email protected]
Photo courtesy of Ryonet Corporation
Photo courtesy of Ryonet Corporation
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FESPA Mexico 2011
The Mexican and Central American Exhibition for Sign and Graphics, Garment Decoration and Screen Printing.
Centro Banamex, Mexico CityCentro Banamex, Mexico City
FESPA in Printing
Mexico 2011
Centro Banamex, Mexico City18 - 20 August
Destructive moiré is an undesirable phenomenon for the screen printer. It can appear suddenly during screenmaking, even when procedures are standardized, and remain during printing. Beating destructive moiré entirely is unrealistic; instead, we must focus on minimizing it.
MOIRÉ PATTERNS Undesirable moiré patterns appear when two regular grids are superimposed at one angle, or when the two grids have slightly different steps. One very practical example is an effect that occurs on television. We may observe a visible pattern of what appears to be moving dark and light bands caused by interference between the weave of clothing worn by people on TV and the pattern in the TV screen. When we look around critically, we conclude that moiré is everywhere around us.
One of the characteristics of moiré is its ability to magnify tiny shapes. Magnification by moiré occurs when viewing a chain-linked fence through another, identical, chain-linked fence. The detailed fence structure is vis-ible even at a certain distance. Figure 1 depicts a similar situation created when one set of parallel, vertical lines is superimposed on another set of parallel, vertical lines.
The size of the created moiré pattern depends on the angle between the two superimposed patterns. Figure 2shows a moiré effect created by the sun shining through the double-layered fabric back of an office chair. The light and dark bands, apparently projected upon the lines underneath, appear as if black lines are side by side in some areas and cover each other in other areas, thereby produc-ing a light band.
Screen printing presents numerous opportunities in which regular grids are superimposed. A regular grid can be a halftone-dot pattern or a set of parallel lines. Other pos-sibilities include:
• The fabric, commonly polyester, stretched to a certain tension level on a frame.
• The image can be, among other things, a single halftone pattern. This (AM) pattern is supposed to be a regular pattern. Another image may consist of multiple halftones with the colors positioned at different angles.
• Last, but not least: the substrate. The substrate is not necessarily smooth, but it can be a textured pattern or even a textile.
SCREENPRINTING26
This article describes methods for limiting the occurrence of destructive patterns in screen printing.
MANAGING AND MINIMIZING MOIRÉ
Wim Zoomer
april/may 2011 27
Interference between grid patterns can cause different forms of moiré:
• Primary moiré is image interference between two or more halftone patterns at different angles. They clash during printing, because the respective angles create an undesir-able wavy interference pattern.
• Secondary moiré occurs when halftone angles or line counts (rulings) clash with the weave of the fabric. Careful mesh selection can help minimize the effects of secondary moiré.
• Tertiary moiré occurs when a halftone is printed onto a texture, such as textile. The texture pattern clashes with the halftone dots.
• Local moiré only occurs in certain tonal value areas of the image, whereas primary, secondary, and tertiary moiré predominantly occur throughout the complete image.
Secondary moiré, in particular, presents the greatest challenges to screen printers. Let’s discuss the major causes in hopes of developing a better understanding of the moiré phenomenon.
Fabric selectionFabric selection always depends on the printed image’s requirements.
In general, a finer fabric allows us to print finer half-tones. A rule of thumb is that the fabric mesh count is F (= 3 to 5) times finer than the halftone screen. The ration between the fabric mesh count and halftone screen ruling should not be an integer, allowing a decrease of the moiré pattern frequency to make moiré less visible.
Mesh count (lines/in.) = F x Halftone screen ruling (lines/in.)
Fabric-selection tables show us the thread grades S, M, T, and HD. Grade HD refers to a robust and strong thread for heavy-duty print jobs. A large-diameter thread superimposes more halftone dots than a thin thread and, therefore, causes more moiré, as shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, large-diam-eter HD threads impede ink flow significantly more than the thinner S threads. This regular restraint of ink flow is visible as moiré.
Stretching mesh to its optimum level is an underesti-mated and often overlooked activity. Inaccurately stretched
Figure 1 Different parallel lines superimposed on another set of parallel lines creating different moiré patternsFigure 2 Moiré caused by the sun shining through a double-layered fabric back of an office chairFigure 3 Moiré caused by HD mesh (left) compared to a moiré-free S mesh (right) using one image superimposed on both
1
2 3
screenprinting28
mesh may create local moiré patterns. Locally, the ratio between the mesh and the halftone ruling differ and are no longer optimum.
Dyed fabric, as opposed to white mesh, reduces undercutting effects sub-stantially during exposure. This, in turn, reduces loss of the tonal range, which reduces the risk of moiré.
We can approximate the risk of the appearance of moiré before the preparation of the stencil. Put the frame with the tensioned mesh on a light table and put the right side of the film posi-tive on the print side of the mesh. Any visible moiré can be reduced by rotat-ing the film positive across the fabric. Mark the new position and expose the image after applying the emulsion.
Dot shape Screen printing halftones causes dot gain. The amount of dot gain is equally distributed along the circum-ference of the dot. This phenomenon is visible when the dots just start to touch each other. The so-called double-symmetry dot gain may cause a large jump in tonal value and may be visible as moiré. A relatively high ink deposit reinforces this effect. Moiré is reduced by choosing a dot shape that differs from the square shape of the mesh openings. Round dots or elliptical dots can resolve the issue. The advantage of an elliptical dot shape is that, due to the different distance to the surrounding dots, it produces an area with a tonal-value increase without a sudden, unwanted tonal jump.
Another solution is to use different dot sizes in different tonal areas to avoid the tonal jump.
Dot sizeScreen printing halftones within a tonal range of 15-85% is generally feasible.
However, the requirement is that the smallest printable negative dot must be larger than the sum of one mesh opening plus two thread diam-eters. After all, the stencil requires suf-ficient support to adhere to the mesh.
On the other hand, the finest pos-itive halftone dots are printable when the dots are above a mesh opening. Halftone dots do not appear on the sub-strate when the dots are superimposed on single threads or crossing mesh threads. This kind of moiré, caused by regularly leaving out dots, is strongest between tonal values of 40-60%.
halftone screen angleIf we want to avoid primary moiré, the angle between two halftones must be 15° or a multiple thereof. In theory, we can print four colors at 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, etc. Obviously, we should check the film positives for the appear-ance of film-to-film moiré.
The screen used in the screen-printing process requires a com-promise on the printer’s part to the eventual moiré effect caused by the four colors and the mesh fabric.
Yellow, the least visible color, is basically placed at the most visible angle, 0° or 90°. Next, a combination of theory and experience establishes the following sets of halftone screen angles depicted in Figure 4. To avoid printing halftones parallel to the threads and, as a result, the creation of harmful moiré, consider the prac-tice of offsetting the screen angles. The screen angles represented in sets 2, 3, and 4 in Figure 4 are also suit-
able for single halftones, duotones, and more.
stencilA thick stencil can cause moiré when printing a four-color-process graphic—especially in the dark tones, where ex-cessive build-up of several ink deposits causes irregular relief and, as a result, deformation of the dot shape. This de-formation is visible as a moiré pattern. A minimum, but sufficient, emulsion over mesh (EOM) thickness prevents many issues. A thin and smooth stencil results in good contact between stencil and substrate and, therefore, produces a crisp printed dot.
substrateSubstrates designed with surface tex-tured can increase the chances of creat-ing harmful moiré patterns—woven textiles, for example. We can predict and minimize the occurrence of moiré by mounting sets of film positives to the substrate. Rotating the film positives to the left or right side will reveal the problematic areas. Using the optimum angle between film positive and sub-strate reduces moiré between the print image and substrate.
helpful moiréMoiré is not necessarily supposed to be our enemy. The effect can also be helpful in identifying materials. Collect all sorts of mesh fabrics, cut samples no larger than 4 x 4 in., and mark the samples accordingly. To identify an unknown fabric, we simply put the standard sample on the unknown mesh fabric. A typical moiré pattern will form when we rotate the standard sample onto the fabric. The moiré pattern is characteristic for the two matching regular structures.
Wim Zoomer ([email protected]) is owner of Nijmegen, Netherlands-based Technical Language, a consulting and communication business that focuses on flatbed and reel-to-reel rotary screen printing and other printing processes. He has written numerous articles for international screen-printing, art, and glass-processing magazines and is frequently called on to translate technical documents, manuals, books, advertisements, and other materials. He is also the author of the book, “Printing Flat Glass,” as well as several case studies that appear online. He holds a degree in chemical engineering. You can visit his Website at www.technicallanguage.eu.
cmYK halftone screen angles
set 1 set 2 set 3 set 4
c cyan 15 75 82.5 22.5
m magenta 75 15 22.5 52.5
Y Yellow 0 105 67.5 7.5
K black 45 45 52.5 82.5
figure 4 Examples of optimum (CMYK) halftone screen angles
shop talk
screenprinting30
One of the first art prints I made hangs on the wall in my living room. It’s been around since 1982, and although the basic ele-ments are still there, some of the colors, especially the reds and purples, have faded to the point that they can’t be distinguished from each other. If this print is like many from that time period, if popped out of the frame, it has probably yellowed as well.
Being young, stupid, uneducated, and naïve (pick any four) about the art-print game, I used a speckletone parchment paper that was all the rage in graphic design at the time. We bought this from our paper supplier, who sold tons of cover-weight paper, with all kinds of finishes. What they didn’t sell was rag paper—paper made from cotton, which, along with other characteristics, is also acid-free and has neutral pH.
Once I started working with artists and talking to other printers, I quickly learned about the difference between cel-lulose (tree-based) papers, which make up most of the paper we see in our regular lives, and so-called rag paper, made from cot-ton and used almost exclusively for fine-art prints, watercolors, and archival documents. Its other major usage is for banknotes.
From its invention in 105 AD in China until 1840, when a Canadian and a German both independently discovered how to pulp tree fibers, most paper was made from cotton or rags and some plant fibers, including hemp, mulberry, rice, and bamboo. For you trivia buffs, the word paper is derived from papyrus, used since ancient times in Egypt, but not considered true paper because it was not pulped, only flattened, a technicality.
In the 8th century, paper-making moved from China into Arabia, and Bagdad, Cairo, and Marrakesh became papermaking centers, where the process was mechanized. The Moors brought it to Spain in the 1100s, and then it spread through Europe. In Italy, Fabriano started making it in1300 and continues to do so until today. By the 1400s, the technology had migrated into Ger-many and northern Europe, where its arrival coincided with the creation of woodblock art prints by various artists. The limited-edition art print was born.
With the worldwide demand for printing paper exploding in the late 1800s, pulped trees and their cellulose fiber became the source material for paper. Not only was it plentiful and cheap—hey, the country was covered with gigantic trees, and chips from sawmills fed the pulp mills—but newspaper, book, and magazine printing became increasingly automated. Pulp and paper mills sprang up all across North America and Europe, any-where that had a plentiful supply of wood fiber and water—the prime ingredients in the process.
The biggest problem, which wasn’t really a problem because most newspapers were thrown away after a few days, was the tendency of tree-based paper to yellow and inks to fade over time, due to the acids from the lignin contained in the raw materials, and the bleaches used to whiten the paper.
About the only people who noticed were artists, book and art collectors, and museum workers. The importance of using
archival materials became more significant as the effects of age and environment on artwork and books created from tree-based paper came under increased scrutiny. It became apparent that old fashioned rag paper had much better colorfastness and resisted yellowing when compared to regular paper. But it wasn’t until the later part of the 1900s that standards regulating pH levels were introduced, environmental concerns came to the forefront, and paper mills changed their ways.
So now we have acid-free rag paper, and we have regular paper. Many mills, responding to demand, have created hybrid papers that feature a percentage of cotton, and more impor-tantly, a neutral pH balance, so they are considered acid free. Removing lignin, substituting other additives such as chalk, and adding alkaline value has also worked to neutralize the effects of the acids.
The reality of the art-print business is that volume produc-ers running offset lithographs in editions that can go into the thousands use these blended papers, both for economy and because they will run problem-free on high-speed presses. Rag paper, especially with deckle (untrimmed) edges, becomes prob-lematic when running through a Heidelberg.
Luther Davis, the director of Axelle Fine Arts print shop in Brooklyn, NY, lists other criteria when it comes to picking paper. “Coventry Rag 335 gsm is my favorite,” he says. “As we print al-most exclusively with water-based inks, I like a paper that stays dimensionally stable through the run. Another paper that we like for printing is Somerset Satin Radiant White 500 gsm [also 100% cotton]. It is very white and smooth—the smoother the paper, the better as far as I’m concerned! Another great paper is Revere, which comes in many colors, weights, and textures.”
With the average release price of prints from Axelle nearing $2000, the cost of the paper is not a big factor, and Davis uses what he or the artist likes. In the rock-poster world, where the average price for a gigposter is closer to $30, paper cost is important. So even though the posters are signed and numbered, and the art, ink, and screen printing is virtually iden-tical to the equivalent print in the fine-art world, your gigposter artist will go with cheaper paper. It’s not uncommon for rag paper to be two to five times more expensive than a sheet of regular cover weight.
Part of this is economy, another part is aesthetic. Com-panies like French Paper, a family-run mill in upstate Michigan for more than 100 years, cater to the postermakers and other creative printers and designers who are looking for texture, color, or both. The common bond between both camps, and Luther touched on it, is to find papers that stay flat when printed with water-based inks. Nothing is more disconcerting than to lay down a background layer of ink and watch your paper do an impression of the North Atlantic in storm season.
Andy MacDougall is a screen-printing trainer and consultant based on Vancou-ver Island in Canada and a member of the Academy of Screen Printing Tech-nology. If you have production problems you’d like to see him address in “Shop Talk,” e-mail your comments and questions to [email protected].
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screenprinting32
industry update
KIWO to Distribute Grünig Equipment KIWO Inc. announced an agreement with Grünig-Interscreen AG of Schwar-zenburg, Switzerland to become the exclusive North American distributer for Grünig-Interscreen equipment. Grünig engineers and manufactures pre-and post-press equipment for screen cleaning, drying, coating, and stretching.
Roland Teams with ClemsonIrvine, CA-based Roland DGA Corp. and Clemson University’s Sonoco Insti-tute of Packaging Design and Graph-ics have teamed up to work on new applications for Roland’s VersaUV-LED inkjet technology.
“The Sonoco Institute is one of the nation’s leading educational programs focused on packaging sci-ence and graphic communications disciplines,” said Hiroshi Ono, group product manager for Roland DGA Corp. Roland will work with Sonoco to develop new concepts for packaging, graphic design, and corporate branding.
Adhesives Research, Glen Rock, PA, promoted Brian Harkins to research scientist. IKONICS Corp., Duluth, MN, promoted Aaron Burwell to product specialist in the company’s composite machining business; Susan Brathol to international sales assistant; Jeremy Peterson to product manager for the company’s industrial inkjet solutions business; Dan Mentor to product manager for micro-machining; Ken Hegman to national sales director for Chromaline Screen Print Products and IKONICS Imaging, PhotoBrasive Systems; and Peter Norman to corporate accounts manager in IKONICS Imaging PhotoBrasive Systems business. Mutoh America Inc., Phoenix, AZ, promoted Mike Springan to product man-ager and technical trainer and also hired Shane Hueit as southwest sales engineer. Nazdar SourceOne chose Victor Georges as a digital equipment sales specialist. President of SunChemical, Rudi Lenz, has been given added responsibilities as an excutive officer of DIC Corporation. RPB Chemical Technology, Milwaukee WI, appointed Ernest Litynski as VP of operations for manufacturing. XAAR, Cambridge, UK, appointed Char-lotte Baile as marketing communications manager.
Harkins Burwell Brathol peterson
Mentor Hegman norman Springan
LenzHueit Litynski Baile
The VersaUV UV-LED inkjet printer/cutters offer CMYK and white inks, as well as clear coats for layering into textures and patterns for emboss-ing and varnishing effects. It comes with VersaWorks RIP software.
FLEXcon to Purchase Arlon’s Graphic DivisionFLEXcon, manufacturer of pressure-sen-sitive films and adhesives, has entered an agreement to acquire the business assets of the Graphic Division of Arlon, Inc. of Santa Ana, CA. The new company will be dubbed Arlon Graphics, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of FLEXcon.
The Graphics Division of Arlon, Inc. manufactures pressure-sensitive cast vinyl, flexible substrates, and films for digital imaging. The new Arlon Graphics, LLC will continue with this product range.
“FLEXcon is attracted to the Graphics Division of Arlon, Inc. for its complementary product lines and skilled, dedicated workforce,” says Neil McDonough, FLEXcon’s president and CEO.
Vastex University Adds More CoursesAllentown, PA-based Vastex Interna-tional has expanded its curriculum to include nine screen printing classes taught by six industry professionals.
The one-to-five day courses are offered through the Vastex University arm of the company, and are designed to help screen printers improve aspects of their businesses from art preparation and screen making to printing and marketing, according to each student’s level of expertise.
Fast-Start entry level courses are geared to students with little or no experience in screen printing, and cover the fundamentals of artwork prep and screen printing in a one-day session. Pro-Screener intermediate and advanced classes range from a three-day A-to-Z class covering all as-pects of screen printing to five inten-sive one-day seminars on advanced art prep, boosting production and profit, simulated process printing on dark garments, water-based and discharge printing, and advanced screen mak-
april/may 2011 33
ing. Also offered is customized onsite training of shop personnel for three to five days on any desired aspect of screen printing.
Vastex University instructors include Doug Grigar, Charlie Taublieb, Greg Kitson, Greg Gaardbo, Richard Greaves, Jeff Proctor, and others. All are independent experts in the field of screen printing, not Vastex employees.
A schedule of class dates, loca-tions, and tuitions ranging from $149 to $500 is posted at www.vastex.com/training. Registration can be online or by calling 800-482-7839.
EFI Acquires PrintStreamEFI has acquired Streamline Devel-opment, LLC, provider of ERP/MIS software focused on mailing and fulfill-ment services for the printing industry. The newly named EFI PrintStream has key features and technologies, including direct mail and warehouse management/fulfillment tools. EFI says it will leverage these strengths by offering the PrintStream Warehouse Management/Fulfillment module as an add-on to a number of EFI’s existing ERP/MIS products such as: EFI Mon-arch for larger single- and multi-plant operations looking for full workflow automation with specialization in publication, book, direct mail, transac-tional and large commercial printing operations; EFI Pace for mid-market digital, offset, hybrid, wide-format and specialty printing operations; EFI PrintSmith for on-demand, copy shop and small commercial operations; and EFI Radius for labels, folding cartons, and flexible packaging operations.
Drytac Moves HQ to RichmondDrytac, manufacturer and distributor of mounting, laminating, framing, and finishing materials and equipment, has expanded to a new facility. The new headquarters in Richmond, VA, pro-vides a larger warehouse, customer-service operation, and training facility. The headquarters includes a show-room for the company’s line of coating equipment, including the VersaCoater
XL60 wide-format UV liquid coater, edge-finishing machines, and more.
GMG Teams with HPGMG, developer and supplier of color-management tools, has signed an agreement with HP to jointly promote and market GMG color-management solutions in combination with HP Sci-tex wide-format inkjet printers.
GMG wide-format printing ap-plications include the ColorServer for automated color-space transformations and GMG SmartProfiler for calibrat-ing and profiling wide-format printers. GMG will offer a dedicated ColorServ-er Suite for the HP Scitex printers as a customized software bundle including GMG ColorServer/SmartProfiler and a set of preconfigured hot folders and ready-to-use color profiles.
HP Printer and Inks Receive BERTL HonorsThe HP Designjet L25500 Printer and HP Latex inks received three top honors from Business Equipment Re-search & Test Laboratories (BERTL). HP won for Best Eco-Friendly Wide-Format Inkjet Printer and for Best In-novation in Environmentally Friendly Ink. The company also won an Excep-tional Certified Five Star rating for the HP Designjet L25500 printer.
Inkcups Now Celebrates AnniversaryDanvers, MA-based Inkcups Now marked its tenth year in business with a dinner party, a gathering of staff from around the world, early stories, tributes to the talented pioneers, and a light-hearted video.
Inkcups Now began as a small business in Ben Adner’s basement. At the time, the company’s president had only one product, the VersaCup ink cup, that he had engineered and pat-ented. Today, the company has more than 30 employees, offers a variety of imaging systems and inks, and has representation around the word and. For more information and a peek at the video, go to www.inkcups.com.
LexJet Moves to New OfficesSarasota, FL-based LexJet has moved into new offices designed to create a state-of-the-art technology center for ensuring better personal interac-tion with customers. The new offices feature Mediascape digital signage centers that provide real-time deliv-ery tracking and various alert boards to keep account specialists updated on potential problems, like severe weather. WiFi and the digital signage system will allow for meetings on the fly and enable employees to work from anywhere in the office.
“We’re able to wirelessly project any screen from any system in our net-work so that we can make real-time, informed decisions for our customers,” said LexJet’s CIO Pete Peterson.
The company will also upgrade its Cisco phone system for smart-phone integration. Customer special-ists will then be able to tie in their smart phones to their extensions so that they’re available anywhere, anytime.
Lexjet moved to the new space at 1605 Main Street, Suite 400, Sara-sota, FL, at the end of February.
INX Launches Prodigy Business UnitSan Leandro, CA-based INX Digital International Co. has launched its Prodigy brand and formally announced it at the Graphics of the Americas/FES-PA Americas show in Orlando.
In the last year, INX Digital has introduced several new product lines of dry and liquid toner and a variety of customized industrial inkjet inks, including textile products and UV-curable technologies. The Prodigy business division will focus on Graphic Arts for the immediate future, and in the ensuing future will directly serve OEMs, integrators and print-head com-panies within the digital market.
“We expect to be in a posi-tion to grow the new industrial side substantially,” said Willis Reese, global director of business development who heads the Prodigy team. “I see Prodigy
screenprinting34
industry update
having immediate success this year in specific markets like packaging and labels.”
Durst Reports Canadian FollowingRochester, NY-based Durst Image Technology US, LLC, says it has made inroads in large-format digital imaging across Canada. According to Durst, a relatively strong national economy is responsible for more commercial imagers and digital printers throughout Canada investing in capital equipment, especially in large-format digital imag-ing platforms.
INX to Sponsor Print UV 2011 ConferenceINX International Ink Co. is a platinum sponsor for the third consecutive year of the Print UV 2011 Conference. The
conference takes place March 6-8 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.
Jonathan Graunke, VP, Energy Curable Technologies for INX, is sched-uled to present the company’s latest development in the LED UV area, and will serve as a panelist for the UV ink session.
“The printers who attend this event are there to learn more about UV inks and how it can help their operators,” said Graunke. He intends to answer their questions with solid advice and discuss the latest informa-tion about UV and the regulations that regulate the industry.
Chinese Expo Gathers Momentum for November ShowA conglomeration of ASGA2011, Screen Printing & Digital Printing Expo China
2011 and Textile Printing Expo China 2011 is underway for a grand show from November 14 through 17 at the Shang-hai New International Expo Centre. This will be the 24th year for this show.
The conference is expected to oc-cupy an exhibition area of 40,000 square meters. Some of the activities include new product press meetings; a national T-shirt design and printing competition and display; the international forum on textile green printing; the label print-ing forum on innovation; and others. For more information about the show, please contact the China Screen Print-ing & Graphic Imaging Association (CSGIA) at: www.csgiashow.com.
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april/may 2011 35
Training Classes and Workshops
ConvenTions and exposiTions
calendar
sgia www.sgia.orgScreen Making: Basic to ProfessionalFairfax, va - Jun. 27-Jul. 1Workshop will explain methods for choos-ing the right mesh, stencil, and frame; stretching procedures; stencil-application methods; calculation and determining optimum stencil exposure; and trouble-shooting printed results.
lawson screen & digital products www.lawsonsp.comTextile Techst. louis, Mo - May 20-21, Jun. 17-18, Jul. 15-16, aug. 19-20, sept. 16-17, nov. 18-19, dec. 9-10 atlanta, ga - May 13-14, Jun. 9-10, Jul. 14-15, aug. 18-19, sept.15-16, oct. 7-8, nov. 18-19, dec. 16-17 Two-day workshop offers hands-on printing and covers screenmaking and exposure systems, press setup and registration, printing techniques, ink and mesh selection, production tips and tricks, equipment maintenance, general troubleshooting, and more. Visit Lawson’s Website to learn more about other avail-able classes and workshops.
national association of graphic and product identification Manufacturers www.gpionline.orgGraphic & Product Identification Business ExpoChicago, il - sept. 25-27 Event is for companies that manufacture and sell engineered graphics, product identification, and related products, in-cluding membrane switches and overlays.
sgia www.sgia.orgSGIA Exponew orleans, la - oct. 19-21 Event combines seminars and a trade-show in which exhibitors showcase a variety of imaging technologies and related solutions.
vmsd.com | DECEMBER 2008 55
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An advertising service for local or regional screen printing distributors/dealers and national companies with branches and/or distributors. The Products & Services (P&S) Codes and the Business Classification Codes in each listing are defined as follows:
1 Art, Photography, Cad Graphics2 Curing & Drying Equipment3 Finishing Equipment4 Printing Equipment & Accessories5 Screen and Stencil Making Equip. & Supplies6 Inks, Coatings & Chemicals7 Board & Paper, Foam Center board, Block Out Board.8 Garments & Piece goods
U.S. Distributor & Dealer Directory
COLORADODenver
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.5301 Peoria St., Unit F, 80239-2319. (800) 332-3819. (303) 373-9800. Fax: (800) 332-3820. Fax: (303) 373-9700. E-mail: [email protected]. Contact: Al Menzie, RAMON FONTANES, Aaron Remsburg. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
ILLINOIS
SaatiPrint2050 Hammond Dr., Schaumburg, IL 60173 (800) 368-3243. (847) 296-5090. Fax: (847) 296-7408. E-mail: info.US@saatiprint. com. Website: www.saa-tiamericas.com. Contact: Jan Bill. Busi-ness Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
Chicago
Screenworks Supply Corp.(773) 463-9250. (800) 551-5524. Fax: (773) 463-9375. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.screenworkssupply.com. Contact: Wayne Samojla. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: Regional. Prod-uct Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,9,14,15.
INDIANA
Atlas Screenprinting Equipment & Parts, Inc.31 N. Davis St., Dublin, IN 47335. (765) 478-9481. (800) 533-4173. Fax: (765) 478-9462. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.atlasckg.com.Marketing area served: National. Product Codes: 2,4,5.
Screenworks Supply Corp.Richmond, IN 47374. (219) 781-9250. (800) 551-5524. Fax: (773) 463-9375. E-mail: [email protected]. Contacts: Pierce Marshall, Wayne Samojla. Business Class: A, B. Marketing area served: Regional. Prod-uct Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,9,14,15.
LOUISIANA
Reece Supply Co. of Louisiana, Inc. 1017 Dealers Ave., Harahan, LA 70123. (504) 733-7799. Contact: Ronnie Garic. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5, 6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
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ARIZONAPhoenix
Advanced Screen Technologies, Inc.619 S. Hacienda Dr. #5, Tempe, AZ 85281. (480) 858-9804, (877) 509-7600 Website: www.advancedscreen.com. Contact; Tom Bays. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,14.
CALIFORNIA
SaatiPrint15905 S. Broadway, Gardena, CA 90248. (800) 992-3676. (310) 523-3676. Fax: (310) 523-3610. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.saatiamericas.com. Business Class: A. Market-ing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
Westix Inc. / WestixOnline.com1309 D Simpson Way, Escondido, CA 92029 (760) 489-1448. (800) 741-3887. Fax: (760) 489-7669. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.westixonline.com. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: National. Product Codes: 2,3,4,5,6,15.
Los Angeles
NuSign Supply, Inc.1365 Darius Ct., City of Industry, CA 91745. (626) 961-7688. Toll Free: (877) 6NU-SIGN. Fax: (626) 961-7225. Contact: Tony Le. Business Class: A,B. Marketing Area served: Local, Re-gional, National, International. Product Codes; 4,6,12,13.
San Francisco
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co. 21054 Alexander Court, Hayward, CA, 94545-1234. (510) 732-5800. (800) 824-2468. Fax: (510) 732-7624. Fax: (800) 824-2474. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign .com. Contact: Marilee Fox-Cichon, Paul Louie, Kevin Todd, Steve Michel. Business Class: A. Mar-keting area served: Regional. Product Codes:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
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MASSACHUSETTS
Garston Screen Printing Supplies, Inc.8 Parkridge Rd., Haverhill, MA 01835. (800) 328-7775. Fax: (978) 374-9777. Contact: Dean Garston. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
MINNESOTA St. Paul
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.45 E. Maryland Ave., 55117. (651) 489-9999. (800) 328-6592. Fax: (651) 489-0202/ Fax: 800-328-6599. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign .com. Contact: Jason Knapp, Dan Fleming, Pete Wein-berg, Ryan Warner, John Hermes, Kevin Wood. Business Class: A. Prod-uct Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
Rhinotech2415 Pilot Knob Rd., Mendota Hts., MN, 55120. (651) 686-5027. (888) 717-4466. Fax: (651) 686-9745. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.rhinotechinc.com. Contact: Todd Michaels. Business Class: A,B,C. Mar-keting area served: National. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6.
MISSOURI Kansas City
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.1806 Vernon St., Kansas City, MO 64116.. (816) 333-5224. (800) 233-3770. Fax: (800) 233-3771. Fax: (816) 333-5446. E-mail: midwest@midwest-sign .com. Contact: Junior Costigan, Patti Fairchild. Business Class: A. Mar-keting area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
St. Louis
Lawson Screen Products Inc.5110 Penrose St. 63115. (314) 382-9300. (800) 325-8317. Fax: (314) 382-3012. Contact: David Landesman. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: National. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5,6.
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NEBRASKAOmaha
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.9313 “J” St., 68127. (402) 592-7555. (800) 228-3839. Fax: (402) 592-5267. Fax: (800) 228-3886. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign .com. Contact: Trish Nelson, John Schnackenberg, Dan Thomas. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1-2-4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
NEW JERSEY
Crown Roll Leaf Inc.91 Illinois Ave. 07503. (201) 742-4000. (800) 631-3831. Fax: (201) 742-0219. Contact: James R. Waitts. Marketing area served: National. Product Codes: 12.
NEW YORK
SaatiPrint247 Route 100, Somers, NY 10589.. (800) 431-2200. (914) 232-7781. Fax: (800) 829-9939. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.saatiameri-cas.com. Contact: Paul Cylenica. Busi-ness Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
Tino Screen Manufacturing Inc.440 Lawrence Bell Dr. #8., Buffalo, NY 14221. (716) 626-0782. (800) 861-8821. Fax: (716) 626-0783. E-mail: [email protected]. Website:www.tino-screens.com. Contact: Richard Wong. Business Class: A,C. Marketing area served: International. Product Codes: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 14.
New Hartford
Reich Supply Co., Inc. 2 Campion Rd., New Hartford, NY 13413. (315) 732-6126. (800) 338-3322. Fax: (315) 732- 7841. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.reichsupply.com. Contact: Neil Reich. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: National. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,7,11,12,13,14.
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WASHINGTON Seattle
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co. 401 Evans Black Dr., 98188-2912. (206) 433-8080. (800) 426-4938. Fax: (206) 433-8021. Fax: (800) 426-4950. E-mail: [email protected]. Contacts: Jeff Macey, Todd Colvin. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
Vancouver
Ryonet Corporation11800 NE 60th Way., Vancouver, WA, 98682. (360) 576-7188. (800) 314-6390. Fax: (360) 546-1454. E-mail: [email protected]. Web Site: www.silkscreeningsupplies.com. Contacts: Jeff Held. Ryan Moor. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: National, International. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,8,11,12,13,14,15.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.16405 W. Lincoln Avenue, New Berlin, WI 53132. (262) 641-8550. (800) 242-7430. Fax: (262) 641-8555. Fax: (800) 242-7439. E-mail: midwest@midwest-sign .com. Contacts: Tom Robinson, Craig Gray, Marty Campell, Fred Horn. Business Class: A. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
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OREGON Portland
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co. 5035 N.W. Front Ave. 97210-1105. (503) 224-1400. Fax: (503) 224-6400. 800-228-0596. Fax: 800-278-0596. E-mail: [email protected]. Contact: Karen Walker, Pat McNamara. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
TEXASDallas
Reece Supply Co. of Dallas, Inc.3308 Royalty Row, Irving, TX 75062. (972) 785-0212. (800) 938-8330. Fax: (972) 785-0512. Contact: Kelly Leon-ard. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
El Paso
Reece Supply Co.1530 Goodyear Dr., Suite J, 79936. (915) 592-9600. (877) 776-0128. Fax: (915) 592-9050. Contact: Aaron Wie-berg. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
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Houston
Reece Supply Co. of Houston, Inc.2602 Bell St., 77003-1753. (713) 228-9496. (800) 776-0113. Fax: (713) 228-9499. Contact Labon Tatum. Busi-ness Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes:1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
San Antonio
Reece Supply Co. of San Antonio, Inc.4960 Eisenhauer Rd. Ste 110 (78218). (210) 662-6898. Fax: (210) 662-6945. (800) 776-0224. Contact: Ricky Brown. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Pro-duct Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11, 12,13,14.
UTAHSalt Lake City
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co. 1160 So. Pioneer Rd., Ste. 2, 84104. (801) 974-9449. (800) 497-6690. Fax: (801) 974-9442. Fax: (800) 497-6691. E-mail: [email protected]. Contact: Sean Hession. Busi-ness Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
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ONTARIO
Cosmex Graphics Inc.390 Deslauriers St., St. Laurent, Quebec, H4N 1V2, (514) 745-3446. Fax: (514) 745-3449. Contact: Enzo Di Gneo. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: Nation-al. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,12,14.
Ecoscreen, Inc.300 Commerce St., Vars, Ontario, K0A-3H0. (613) 443-1999. (888) 265-3556. Fax: s(613) 443-1909. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.ecoscreen.ca. Contact: Mike Brugger. Business Class: C. Marketing area served: National. Product Codes: 5,6.
SaatiPrint1680 Courtney Park Dr. E., Units 1 & 2, Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1R4, (905) 564-5388. (800) 567-0086. Fax: (905) 564-5391. Contact: Alfred Guinness. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
Markham
Sias Canada Ltd.3400-14th Ave., Units 37 & 38, L3R OH7, (905) 305-1500. Fax: (905) 305-1501. Contact: Karl Bakker. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: National. Product Codes: 2,4.
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SCREENPRINTING38
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ADVERTISING INDEXSCREENPRINTINGMay 2011/June 2011
Advertiser Page Advertiser Page
Douthitt Corp. 1 Nazdar 35, OBC
Dynamesh Inc. 15 Northwest Screen Systems Co. 13
EFI 9, 11 Palram Americas IFC
FESPA 25 Roland DGA Corporation 3
Franmar Chemical Inc. IBC ScreenWeb.com 36
Herculite Products Inc. 10 Specialty Graphic Imaging Assn 31
Lawson Screen & Digital Products 34 ST Book Store 29, 39
Mactac 5, 39 Stahls’ Inc. 25
Mimaki USA 19
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EDITORIAL INSIGHTS
In the beginning of the green movement, each segment of industry struggled to see how they could run a business in a more eco-compliant way and what the requirements were to do just that. Printers sourced green products from their sup-pliers, and print buyers wanted to know whether the printer followed sustainable practices. Solvent-based inks gave way to UV-cured and latex ones. Recycling, biodegradability, com-postability, low-energy consumption, and other sustainable activities became normal operating procedures.
Roots for early green issues can be seen many years before today’s activities. Some of the impetus for joining the green revolution started as far back as the Montreal Protocol beginning in 1987, which was an attempt to retain Earth’s ozone protective layer by cutting down on the use of chlo-rofluorocarbons (CFCs) and eventually hydrochlorofluoro-carbons (HCFCs). This was an international initiative, and it broad-brushed every type of business operation.
Next in 2006 came the European Union’s effort to leg-islate environmental compliance in the electronics industry. The Restriction on the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment Directive, commonly referred to as RoHS, restricted six substances—lead, mercu-ry, hexavalent chromium, cadmium, and poly-brominated bi-phenyls, and poly-brominated biphenyl ethers. If you wanted to trade with EU, your firm needed to buck up on chemistry in general and match products with this RoHS Directive.
In 2008, the EU introduced the Registration, Evalua-tion, Authorization and Registration of Chemicals Regulation (REACH), with a list of substances that more than doubled the number in the RoHS Directive. We learned even more chemistry with this one. Restrictions just keep increasing.
In our industry, the SGP Partnership provides a check of operations and a way to keep sustainability efforts going. Each printer company sets goals, benchmarks progress, and identifies and selects continuous improvement in sustainabil-
ity areas. Each company establishes a sustainability policy that includes environmental, health, and safety regulations. It’s easier to self-regulate first with guidance from SGP, than to be left out of the marketplace later by outwardly deter-mined laws and directives. The list of SGP Partnership print-ers has increased over time.
If you’ve already read Newsworthy on page 4 of this issue, then you know that ISO technical committee 130 (TC 130) encourages the print industry specifically to take part in developing environmental green standards as well. TC 130 has launched a Working Group (WG11) to develop a set of standards to cover the environmental impact of print. The purpose is aligned with those of the Verdigris Project (www.verdigrisproject.com). Verdigris is all about providing the graphic arts, printing and publishing industries, and print buyers with information about print media’s environmental impact. It can improve market perception of print and its car-bon impact. Anyone can join Verdigris. The Verdigris Project produces regular articles covering environmental subjects relevant to the print industry. Sharing stories of how various printing companies improved their carbon footprint is one way that Verdigris leads the way.
Aligning your business with the green movement can be a daunting task. It involves knowing governmental and customer requirements and expectations. The first step about any project is to know what’s going on. The next step is to take an audit and see where your firm stands. At that’s where sustainability planning begins.
Whether you’re a printer with thoughts on applying for SGP certification, a supplier that wants to deal with interna-tional sales, a leading member of a sustainability committee looking for leadership ideas, the task is somewhat similar. And, as printers, we are one step ahead of most industries already—we’re quite good in chemistry, after all.
As printers, we are one step ahead of most industries already—we’re quite good in chemistry, after all.
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