Silk Screen Equipment

Information on silk screen equipment to help you decide what you need and to find the best possible deals available.

Welcome to our website.  We hope to offer you the best possible information on finding the best deals on silk screen equipment to suit your needs.

There are a lot of different pieces that you will need when purchasing new silk screen equipment.  Of course, you're going to want to get the best possible supplies while staying within your budget. 

You will also need to consider your personal needs, whether it be as a hobby or for a business.  The hobbyist can use smaller, less expensive presses and supplies.  While the business owner is going to want larger equipment for their larger output needs.

Silk Screen Presses: There are a variety of presses to choose from when purchasing silk screen equipment.  Some of your options include:

• Table Top Presses:  Which are small scale presses for use by people with a limited amount of space.  A press like this will come with options for multi-color printing.  You can usually print about 60-80 pieces per hour manually.
• Manual Pro Shop Presses:  Larger scale presses for people with a decent amount of space available for their printing.  These presses will have better options for registration and multi-color printing.  With two people operating it you can expect to print 100-200 pieces per hour.
• Automatic Presses:  For the business owner who needs a lot of output.  These large scale presses do the printing for you.  With a set-up like this you would be able to do several thousand shirts per day.

Screen Printing Ink:  There are several varieties of ink available for your specific needs.  Some of your options include:

• Textile Printing Inks are used for garment printing such as shirts, jackets and hats.  This type of ink will usually need to be cured (heated to a temperature that allows the ink to bond with the fabric).
• Poster Ink is usually used for printing on paper and card stock.  There is a wide variety of choices with these types of inks.  You can find both glossy and matte finishes.
• Vinyl Inks are used for printing stickers and decals.  This type of ink is extremely durable and it will bond to the Vinyl it's being printed on.  This is important because most stickers will be used outdoors and have a lot of exposure to the weather.
• Enamel Inks are extremely versatile.  They can be used to print on a variety of surfaces including metal and wood.  It is important to check the durability of this type of ink on the surface to be printed on as the quality of the ink can vary widely.

Screen Printing Frames:  Your frame is where you attach your screen.  There are both aluminum and wooden frames available.  Both types can be re-used.  The wooden frames are generally less expensive, but won't last as long as the aluminum variety.

These are the most important supplies you need when purchasing silk screen equipment.  As with any endeavor, you will want to remember to buy the best possible supplies within your budget.