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July, 2025

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Screen Printing

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Agate420
Posts: 182 - Karma: 1,607
I just got a screen so I could print on some shirts to drop with a video I've been working on for the fall, my problem is that I asked them to chemically harden it for printing with a water based ink because I heard good things about the durability of water based ink. Shortly after doing this I found out that the recommended way of curing water based ink is with a forced hot air machine that is very much out of my price range. Am I alright to use regular ink on a chemically hardened screen? If I were to just used the water based ink anyways would I be able to cure it with a heat gun or heat press?
a year ago
2 0
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lil.Boye
Posts: 2792 - Karma: 12,682
if you don't have a good answer by tomorrow i will ask a homie that runs a print shop, stopping by there tomorrow.
a year ago
1 0
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KilaTsunami
Posts: 3369 - Karma: 32,489
Yea u should be good to use water based ink on that screen. I don’t see why not. You could use a heat gun for sure but it takes a long time if your print is big, and u still might not cure the image consistently.


It might be worth it to grab a flash dryer. I have one and it works great. Nobody can afford them big ass conveyer belt type dryers.

https://m.vevor.com/screen-printing-machine-c_11154/vevor-flash-dryer-18-x-18-inch-flash-dryer-for-screen-printing-high-power-silk-screen-printing-dryer-with-height-adjustable-stand-360-rotation-x-shaped-base-steel-t-shirt-curing-machine-p_010376571779?adp=gmc&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=18120254856&ad_group=&ad_id=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACq8bLVNxDTXAWBAQj9gNnpuKLsyX&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwuG1BhCnARIsAFWBUC1DvSjVibK_avAix8FnnOgylUI8j6faFPgRoPrKalixG-uCT4iYRaUaAlOrEALw_wcB
a year ago
2 0
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GorillaMarketGMK
Posts: 194 - Karma: 916
Water based ink generally should self cure, but it might depend and the brand. Non water based inks are plastisol based which won’t cure without external heat. I’ve been a printer for the last ten years, dm if you want and I’ll help you out the best I can.
a year ago
2 0
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GorillaMarketGMK
Posts: 194 - Karma: 916
KilaTsunamiYea u should be good to use water based ink on that screen. I don’t see why not. You could use a heat gun for sure but it takes a long time if your print is big, and u still might not cure the image consistently.


It might be worth it to grab a flash dryer. I have one and it works great. Nobody can afford them big ass conveyer belt type dryers.

https://m.vevor.com/screen-printing-machine-c_11154/vevor-flash-dryer-18-x-18-inch-flash-dryer-for-screen-printing-high-power-silk-screen-printing-dryer-with-height-adjustable-stand-360-rotation-x-shaped-base-steel-t-shirt-curing-machine-p_010376571779?adp=gmc&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=18120254856&ad_group=&ad_id=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACq8bLVNxDTXAWBAQj9gNnpuKLsyX&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwuG1BhCnARIsAFWBUC1DvSjVibK_avAix8FnnOgylUI8j6faFPgRoPrKalixG-uCT4iYRaUaAlOrEALw_wcB


Also this, it might suck because it’s more of an investment but if you’re planning on doing enough printing in the future and not just some one time thing a spot dryer will be key. Unfortunately an actual belt dryer is the most reliable way to cure though. You could always call some screen printing shops in your area and see if they would be willing to throw your shirts down their dryer. Most shops are usually run by pretty chill people in my experience.
a year ago
2 0
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KilaTsunami
Posts: 3369 - Karma: 32,489
GorillaMarketGMKAlso this, it might suck because it’s more of an investment but if you’re planning on doing enough printing in the future and not just some one time thing a spot dryer will be key. Unfortunately an actual belt dryer is the most reliable way to cure though. You could always call some screen printing shops in your area and see if they would be willing to throw your shirts down their dryer. Most shops are usually run by pretty chill people in my experience.


Oh really? I didnt know that. I've sorta been out of the printing game for a lil bit. Whichever water based i had a few years ago needed heat.
a year ago
1 0
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GorillaMarketGMK
Posts: 194 - Karma: 916
Oh also I’ve done this before when I’m a pinch and you gotta really be on it but you can always preheat an actual oven and use that to cure shirts, you’ll want to experiment a bit if you do that because the time you allot to the garments to cure will vary depending and the thickness of the garment and material. If you do end up going that route I’d suggest using 100% cotton garments to lower the chances of accidentally cooking your shirts to much.

like I said I’ve done this and it works better but I would try to do this as a last resort because it’s very time consuming and some what sketchy.
a year ago
3 0
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GorillaMarketGMK
Posts: 194 - Karma: 916
KilaTsunamiOh really? I didnt know that. I've sorta been out of the printing game for a lil bit. Whichever water based i had a few years ago needed heat.


Like I said it depends on the company, self cure water based inks imo aren’t the best and also take forever to dry without heat. I also think the self cured ink is usually used more in stickers and poster type stuff because they do tend to be water soluble. I don’t mess with water based ink that often though so my experience with it isn’t the most up to date. I mostly just use Plastisol based ink.
a year ago
2 0
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KilaTsunami
Posts: 3369 - Karma: 32,489
GorillaMarketGMKLike I said it depends on the company, self cure water based inks imo aren’t the best and also take forever to dry without heat. I also think the self cured ink is usually used more in stickers and poster type stuff because they do tend to be water soluble. I don’t mess with water based ink that often though so my experience with it isn’t the most up to date. I mostly just use Plastisol based ink.


Yea plastisol is tough as nails. I just never liked how thick it ends up laying on the garment. It can be sorta like a sticker. But then again water based inks can be too thin and fade quick. I stepped in shit and ended up with a DTG printer. Which is a whole diffrent kind of headache. Im thinking of going back to screens honestly.
a year ago
2 0
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GorillaMarketGMK
Posts: 194 - Karma: 916
Ya out shop got a dtg printer about a year ago and has just been a headache since the beginning. Ya the thickness of plastisol ink isn’t my favorite but like you said it’s tough and definitely has a longer life span, it also sucks that it’s not vary eco friendly compared to water based.

im actually gonna do some personal projects using some solar emulsion type prints and see how I like that.
a year ago
1 0
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Agate420
Posts: 182 - Karma: 1,607
Thank you guys, lotta answers. Also wondering if it would be worth my money to get some of this stuff

https://screenprintdirect.com/products/rapid-cure-stretch-additive?variant=40325564268627&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5ea1BhC6ARIsAEOG5pwUQoWEGy6oaia8fnwDi7hWUCwpGyFigD3JxG5awF9qABNcEX46sq8aArU7EALw_wcB
a year ago
0 0
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creaturelo
Posts: 630 - Karma: 12,343
Agate420Thank you guys, lotta answers. Also wondering if it would be worth my money to get some of this stuff

https://screenprintdirect.com/products/rapid-cure-stretch-additive?variant=40325564268627&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5ea1BhC6ARIsAEOG5pwUQoWEGy6oaia8fnwDi7hWUCwpGyFigD3JxG5awF9qABNcEX46sq8aArU7EALw_wcB


I've only used this once but had a good experience with it- worth it if your design has a lot of inked area vs fine lines
a year ago
1 0
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