Screen Mesh for Textile Printing
Charlie Taublieb
Taublieb Consulting
6122 South Boston Circle
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111
Tel. 1(303) 290-8009
Cell 1(303) 618-8955
Fax 1(303) 779-0750
Skype drprint2001
www.taubliebconsulting.com
Member: Academy of Screen Printing Technology
The type of mesh we use most in working with textiles is a Monofilament Polyester. Years ago, textile printers used a lot of multifilament polyester as well, but multifilament will not hold up to today’s high tensions and the quality of the print will be affected. There are a variety of other types of mesh available, but most are not suitable for our needs. As a matter of fact, the only time we should use anything else is while working with some special effect inks where a very coarse mesh is needed, like a 13 TPI, in which case we would use nylon. I don't think monofilament polyester is available in that size.
Monofilament polyester is available in two weaves, plain and twill. Plain is one strand up and one strand down, while twill is one up and two down. When you order mesh without specifying a weave type, you would probably get a plain weave, but you should check with the supplier. I'm not really sure when a twill would be preferred, but usually not for textile printing.
The mesh size represents the number of threads per inch in North America and threads per centimeter elsewhere. The higher the mesh count, the finer the mesh, and the more strands per inch.
Mesh also comes in a variety of thread diameters, S, T or M, and HD. S mesh is the thinnest of a particular count. T or M (some manufacturers use M, while others use T and some manufacturers only use actual thread diameters) is the medium thickness, and also the most common, while HD is the thickest. The mesh thickness is usually found in the selvage of the mesh, and is indicated with the letter or a number, which is the diameter in microns. If we look at 230 mesh, it is available as an S mesh with a diameter of 48 microns, or a T mesh with a diameter of 55 microns. In documenting a job, it is important to specify the mesh count and the mesh diameter in order to be able to duplicate the job. If the mesh count is changed or the thread diameter is changed, this could result in a change of detail or a shift in color, since not the same deposit of ink is being laid down. S mesh has a larger percentage of open area which is desirable for certain types of printing, while most standard printing uses M or T mesh. HD mesh should rarely be used in textile printing as the open area is very small and will require excessive force to get the ink through it. It isn’t important which one mesh diameter is used, as long as you document it when printing and specify it when ordering.
Following are my recommended mesh counts and tensions for specific types of printing based on using Plastisol ink.
Recommended Mesh Sizes
All mesh counts are based on Threads Per Inch (TPI) and Threads Per Centimeter (TPCM)
13 TPI (5 TPCM)/450-50 N/cm- Mesh-16/18 Caviar beads.
33 TPI (13 TPCM)/260 Mesh-45 N/cm-.008 Glitter
60 TPI (24 TPCM)/140 Mesh-45 N/cm- 004 Glitter -Adhesive for Flock Transfers. Open Mesh Sports Jerseys.
83 TPI (32 TPCM)/70-30 N/cm-High Density Inks and Gels.
86 TPI (34 TPCM)/100-45 N/cm-Athletic Printing, White underlay for Fleece.
110 TPI (43 TPCM)/80-45 N/cm-White Underlay for Fleece. High Opacity inks on dark garments.
158 TPI (62 TPCM)/66-40 N/cm-Inks on light and medium colored T-shirts. White underlay for simulated process printing on dark garments.
230 TPI (90 TPCM)/48-35 N/cm-Inks on white and light colored T-shirts and on top of white underlay for T-shirts and Fleece. White printer for Four Color Process. Nylon jackets.
305 TPI (120 TPCM)/40-23 N/cm-Four Color Process
To make life easier in the screen room, I would use 35 N/cm for all mesh counts from 86-230 since these are the most common ones used and it will not hurt print quality.
110S 110T
150S 150T
225S 225T
80S with emulsion. 80S with emulsion-detail.