How to Dry a Silk Screen Shirt
Silk screening is a type of printing process where silk (or a similar fabric) is stretched across a wooden frame. A reverse design is applied to the silk so that the untreated fabric will allow ink to pass through. The silk is placed against the object to be printed and a squeegee moves ink across the silk. Ink passes through the fabric and you have a printed design. It is important to dry or cure the ink so that the design lasts on the shirt or object over time.
Instructions
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Remove the board holding the shirt from the silk screen press.
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Place the board 3 to 4 inches below the heat element in a flash dryer. The flash dryer should be heated to 350 degrees. Allow the ink to cure for 45 seconds and then remove the board for the next shirt.
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Dry (not cure) the ink between printing sets by using a heat gun or hot hair dryer. This will allow you to print additional colors while the shirt is still in register. Register means that each silk screen panel with its design is carefully aligned with other panels on the press. Each silk screen panel will print one color in a set of colors.
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Cure the ink without a flash dryer by heating a conventional oven to 320 degrees. Place the shirt on its board inside the oven and no closer than 3 to 4 inches from the heating element inside the oven. Remove the shirt and board after 45 seconds.
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Tips & Warnings
For processing many shirts it is helpful to have a conveyor dryer.
References
- Photo Credit old printing image by Alexander Ivanov from Fotolia.com
