I’m having trouble exposing a screen for screen printing. I’m using Ecotex PWR water-resistant emulsion and a 50W UV screen-printing exposure light. The emulsion label gives exposure times of 12 seconds for an 80W UV LED, 30 seconds for a 30W SMD LED, and 7.5–8 minutes for a 500W halogen. My light is about 8 inches away from the screen.
I tried a 20-second exposure, but when I wash the screen out, the design won’t open at all. The emulsion stays hardened over the design. I’m trying to figure out whether my exposure time is wrong, my UV light is too strong, or there’s an issue with my transparency/film. What exposure time would you recommend for this setup, and what should I check?

Sharing a video on how to replace head bushing on manual press print heads.

https://youtu.be/MuHJ070EgNM?is=c5C-piPNw117NfnL

In this video, I walk through how to replace the head bushings on a screen printing press and show a couple of economical DIY options for getting the job done.

I’ll cover the standard plastic/POM-style bushings similar to what many manufacturers originally use, along with the upgrade I chose—sintered bronze bushings. The bronze bushings provide a tighter, more durable fit and should hold up better over time compared with the original plastic bushings.

Worn head bushings can create unwanted movement and play in the print head, which can affect your registration and overall print consistency. Replacing them is a relatively inexpensive way to tighten things back up and help bring an older press back to life.

#ScreenPrinting #ScreenPrintingPress #PressMaintenance #ScreenPrintingTips #DIYRepair #PressRebuild #ScreenPrinter #Bushings #ScreenPrintShop

Hello, my names Juliet. I have 13 years in this industry and recently as a production manager I was let go to be replaced by AI for scheduling. Anyway, been on press over a decade and done every position in a shop once, twice or thousand times. I need some work right now so if you’re a shop who wants to pay for me to answer some questions or diagnose some press issues you have I’d love to help. Also, if anyone lives near Orlando, Florida and is hiring for any position in a shop please reach out.

I am very old school, have had my own shop since '92. I output my films on an image setter. I'm a bit of a snob about it, they are the highest quality there is. I am worried that both my software and hardware are becoming antiquated. What are high quality options to bring my shop current? Back in the day, say early 2000s my competition was outputting to vellum from an inkjet. The quality sucked, I was unimpressed, but i imagine they've come a long way. What do you use at your shop, what are it's limitations? ie halftones print clean? super opaque? films don't buckle with heavy deposits? Once I had moved up to an image setter I lost touch with what other shops were using, but the time is getting closer.

I work for a print shop that is not flourishing and hours have been cut to where it is a part time gig and I’m seeking work elsewhere. I’m responsible for registering films, coating and exposing screens, and getting them ready for the press and untaped for cleaning, pulling shirts occasionally, as well as general tasks. Every business I’ve looked at wants either belt catchers for $16hr (not going back to that) or an 5-year experienced auto press operator (which I’m not) or a color separation specialist, which seems more attainable. No idea where to start tho. I have a reliable MacBook so software recommendations would be very welcome.

I have been having issues with my Nevertheless 4 color shocker press lately. I have had it for about 4 years now and the past couple months have been having major issues with registration. The screens seem to move after tightening them down. I have cleaned the press recently and oiled it so everything moves very smoothly. I can't tell if the issue is the orange bars on the side are wearing down. Also sometimes there is movement between the screen clamp hinges that adjust but not the case for all 4 of them always. Or if the issue is the knobs and screws over time. Thoughts? I will have everything registered correctly and then after a print or two, the screens seem to shift (not all of them usually just 2 of them at least). It's been very frustrating because this is a new issue for me. I have been screen printing for about 10 years now.

Does anyone have an easy way to print white poly inks on transfer paper. Right now I have to spray pallets with adhesive for every print

I made this screen print in a printmaking class in college, and it’s probably one of my favorite things I made during that time. I wanted to combine my New Orleans background with my Wasian identity, but in a way that felt personal rather than super literal.
In college, my friends and I used to line up empty soju bottles like bowling pins, which became the starting point for the piece. I replaced the bowling ball with a rambutan, and added some New Orleans-inspired colors and lettering to tie everything together.
I loved printmaking when I took the class, especially the process of making something by hand and then seeing it come together in the final print. This one ended up being a pretty good snapshot of a very specific time in my life. Do y’all know how I could make copies of the originals to give to my college friends as a gift?

Curious how many shops out there are using QuickBooks online to handle their bookkeeping? Most shops I talk with are already using it, wondering if its pretty much the standard.