5 Guides
Equipment & Supplies
What to buy and what to skip. Real comparisons of presses, exposure units, dryers and consumables — organized by budget and use case, not by whoever pays the most.
- 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 to Sharpen a Screen Printing Squeegee — and How to Know It's Actually Sharp
A shop-floor guide to squeegee sharpening: when to grind, machine vs. hand methods, and an eight-point acceptance checklist with objective pass/fail tests — light test, fingernail, cotton swab, loupe, straightedge, calipers, durometer, and the press test. No 'feel' required.
- Ink Performance Testing: The 10 Properties You Can Actually Measure
An equipment-first guide to ink testing — viscosity, fineness, adhesion, hardness and six more properties, each with the instrument that measures it and what the result tells you on press.