The Inkologist

Why It’s So Hard for Experienced Printers to Embrace Change (and Why You Should Anyway) If you’ve been printing for years, you’ve seen trends, fads, and “game-changing” products come and go. You’ve survived the early days of plastisol that felt like tar, the first “miracle” white inks, and the hype of every new mesh type that promised perfect prints. You know your craft—and you take pride in it. But here’s the truth that’s tough for even the most seasoned printers to swallow: sometimes our...

Mastering the Art of Printing Underbases in Screen Printing In screen printing, a great underbase is the unsung hero that can make or break the final print. Whether you're printing on manual or automatic presses, understanding how and when to use underbases—especially white or alternative colors—is key to vibrant, consistent, and long-lasting prints. Here’s a breakdown of best practices to elevate your underbase game. Choosing the Right Mesh Count for Underbases The mesh count directly...

Screen Print Smarter: Why Low Cure Inks Might Be Your Next Upgrade If you’ve been running online stores, printing team orders, or just trying to keep up with the ever-growing pile of 50/50s, tri-blends, and mystery poly garments, you’ve likely asked:“Will this ink cure properly without scorching the fabric?”Or worse—“Is this going to ghost on that dark polyester?” It might be time to make the switch to low cure inks. Let’s break down the benefits, drawbacks, and key things to know about this...

Mastering Color with Mesh and Blade: Part 2 of the Ultimate Printing System In Part 1, we broke down how to build a consistent system for printing white ink by matching mesh, durometer, and stencil smoothness. In Part 2, we take it further—because the same logic that helps you print a brilliant white underbase is exactly what helps you print better spot colors, wet-on-wet designs, and halftones. Let’s dive deeper into how the right setup—particularly with thin thread mesh and a sharp squeegee...

Fine-Tuning for Flawless Prints: The Art & Science of Squeegee Matching for Consistent White Ink Printing My friend and mentor, Joe Clarke, would always preach, in screen printing, consistency is everything—especially when it comes to printing white ink. Too often, printers chase the “perfect white” by switching inks, when the real magic lies in the system behind the print: matching the squeegee blade to the proper mesh count, ink, and design. In this article, we’ll break down a simple,...

If your white ink isn't popping, your black ink is bleeding, or your colors feel lifeless, you might not have an ink problem—you’ve got an emulsion coating problem. How you coat your screens—and what tools and emulsions you use—can drastically affect stencil thickness, ink deposit, opacity, and overall print quality. Let’s break it down: What is 1/1, 2/1, and 2/2 Coating? These numbers refer to how many coats of emulsion are applied to each side of the screen: 1/1 Coating: One coat on the...

Achieving a Softer Feel in Screen Printing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Thin Ink Deposits Screen printing is as much an art as it is a science, especially when aiming for a premium, soft-hand finish. Thick, plasticky prints are a relic of the past—today’s customers demand lightweight, breathable designs that feel as good as they look. By combining precise mesh selection, optimized coating methods, specialized inks, and strategic press settings, you can consistently produce prints with a softer...