Screen Printing, From the Production Line
Screen printing knowledge from people who actually run the machines.
Written from industrial production experience — automotive-grade discipline applied to process, inks, equipment and quality. For print shop owners, engineers and serious hobbyists.
Explore the Foundry
Process & Technique
Mesh, tension, squeegees, curing — and how to fix every common print defect.
02Inks & Materials
UV vs solvent systems, low surface energy plastics and surface treatment.
03Equipment
How a factory actually evaluates presses, exposure units and dryers.
04Quality & Testing
Adhesion standards, abrasion and climate tests, first article inspection.
05Business & Pricing
Cost-based pricing, quoting and margins — the money side of running a small print shop.
06Tools
Free shop-floor calculators and converters — mesh counts, openings, and more. No sign-up.
07Teardown Notes
Taking apart an industrial printing line one subsystem at a time — vision, calibration, motion, controls.
08Industry Data & Stats
Verified industry statistics plus our own original product censuses — market size, wages, real pricing. Updated quarterly.
09Glossary
Screen printing terms explained in plain English — screens, inks, equipment, process and quality vocabulary.
Latest Guides
- Pinholes in Screen Printing: 9 Causes and a Fix for Each
Pinholes are gaps in the stencil, not holes in the mesh. The nine causes, a 60-second diagnosis, the fix for each — and the coating habits that stop them.
- Autotype Exposure Calculator: How to Read the Film That Nobody Explains
The Autotype (MacDermid) exposure calculator is five exposures in one sheet of film. How the factor columns work, how to read the color change, what the resolution targets tell you, and what to use if you don't own one.
- Ink Viscosity: Measure and Adjust It (Screen Printing)
Flow cups vs viscometers, how to measure ink viscosity properly, working ranges for plastisol and water-based inks, and how to adjust ink without wrecking it.
- How to Use a Screen Printing Tension Meter (And the Numbers That Matter)
Screen tension in plain numbers: where to measure, what 25 N/cm actually means, when a screen is too loose to print with, and how to pick a tension meter that lasts.
- How a Squeegee Really Works: Pressure, Angle, Skew, and Peel-Off in Plain English
The four settings that decide every print — squeegee pressure, print angle, skew, and peel-off — explained with the actual physics, the working numbers, and the maintenance habits that keep a blade true.
- How to Price Screen Printing Jobs: A Cost-First Method
Stop copying competitor price lists. Here's the cost-first formula for pricing screen printing jobs — with the three hidden costs most small shops forget, and a worked example.
- Water-Based vs Plastisol Ink: Which Belongs in Your Shop
Water-based vs plastisol ink, from the printer's side: 8-factor chart, dried-in-screen first aid, pot life, discharge on darks, and a decision tree.
- How Long Does Screen Printing Ink Take to Dry? Cure Times
Plastisol cures at 320°F through the ink film; water-based needs airflow. Cure times and temps by ink, plus how to test a print is really cured.