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What shop tools do printers need to achieve clean screen prints on nylon?

Aside from the usual tools of the trade, there are a few specialty items you need to print lasting, crisp prints on nylon. Those tools include:

  • Nylon catalyst or specialty ink. Regular plastisol ink bonds to fabric fibers when the temperature of the ink reaches at least 325 degrees F. Normally, that temperature melts nylon. Adding a catalyst to regular plastisol ink allows for a lasting bond. The other option is to purchase inks that are made for printing on nylon.
  • Jacket hold-down. Nylon’s smooth finish means it’s prone to shifting on-press. If a jacket has a liner, the nylon shell shifts over the liner during printing. The hold-down surrounds the substrate on the platen, smoothing out wrinkles and to prevent shifting.
  • Retensionable screen. Try using a retensionable screen made with monofilament polyester mesh. The mesh count will vary from 125 to 230 for single-color jobs to 355 for process jobs.
  • A sharp squeegee. The smooth nylon surface calls for a sharp, hard, level squeegee. Either a 70 or 80 single-durometer squeegee or a 60-90-60 or 70-90-70 triple-durometer squeegee is recommended.

—Anatol Equipment

Jennifer Nesbitt

Jennifer is a writer for Anatol Equipment covering tips, trends, and techniques in the textile screen printing industry. She has been contributing helpful and informative content to the Anatol Equipment blog since 2016. For more information email marketing@anatol.com or visit anatol.com. 

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