Using a Screen Printing Selftension Frame

Using a Screen Printing Selftension Frame

Many printers recognize that properly preparing screens is vital to a successful print job.screen printing selftension frame However, time constraints can force employees to develop poor habits that ultimately result in subpar prints. These bad habits are often related to the improper stretching and monitoring of screen mesh tension. When a shop fails to employ proper retensioning techniques and monitors screen tension on a consistent basis, it can produce inconsistent results from one screen to the next, leading to poor ink opacity and off contact.

Using a screen printing selftension frame can help to eliminate these issues and improve the quality of your prints. Self-tensioning frames are easy to use, fast to stretch and offer increased flexibility and versatility when compared to static metal or wood frames.

Self-tensioning frames are available in a variety of sizes, making them an ideal choice for any size shop. Smaller frames – typically 16x20 inches – are favored for projects that require fine details and intricate designs. They provide higher mesh tension and allow for accurate reproduction of intricate elements. Medium size frames – 23x31 inches – are versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of designs, providing ample print area without taking up too much space on the screen. Large frames – 30x40 inches and larger – are perfect for projects that demand expansive prints or oversized graphics.

Whether you are using static metal or wood frames, or even a retensionable frame, it is crucial to keep the mesh at an optimal level of tension. When a screen is stretched to its production-ready tension and then used for a run, it will lose some of that tension over time. Eventually, it will reach a point where it cannot be re-tensioned to a satisfactory level, which causes off contact and other problems during printing.

This process is called work hardening and occurs over a period of time, not instantly. In fact, this is the cause of a lot of problems that new printers encounter when they first start up a shop – and it’s also the reason why some shops fail to take advantage of retensionable frames - they don’t have the time to re-tension their screens.

A good way to ensure your screens are at the right level of tension is to invest in a tension meter. These meters rest on the top of a screen, and they measure both the warp and weft of the screen, checking it for tension in both directions. The goal should be to have your screens at a minimum of 25 N/cm2 or 35 N/cm2. This will help to ensure your screens are as close to a perfect mesh as possible, helping you to achieve the best possible print quality.

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