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out of puff!!
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17 Replies
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Your right Nik
Just a load of hot air if you ask me (hot) :ball:
Stretching the imagination a littleJohn
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ha-ha nice one john!! 😛 as always 😀
just done a google, and would you believe it!! 🙄
http://www.balloon-printing.com/printing_machine.htm
i just could not imagine that flat screen printing on a round balloon…. 😮
nik
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quote johnalphasign:Just a load of hot air if you ask me (hot) :ball:
Stretching the imagination a littleJohn
How do you think balloons are printed?
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quote outline:How do you think balloons are printed?
well i never thought they were printed, the way the first link showed!! 😮 how on earth can you screenprint a round object with a flat screen 😮 😮
the more you read you learn…you half inflate the balloons to screenprint 😛 i would never in a million years thought that was the way!! 🙄
because i instinctively thought….oh some poor begger has to blow them all up themselves 😉 but with no fancy air pumps!! 😉Nik
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nic,
I saw the same item, and though “no way” Then again, look who`s selling it. The machine are cheap, Thats all that can be said about them..I looked a 1 machine offered in the states. Yes they are screen printed, but like you say, there’s a device that half blows the balloon up, and when you`ve printed it, air blows on the image and it drys almost immediately.
Some are also pad printed.
I`ve order balloons a couple of times from a local supplier, not impressed with the quality. They themselves have a statement on their flyer’s, saying “due to the print process, the image may not be perfect”. I actually sent 1 order back, all smudges all over the balloon..
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quote becky:“due to the print process, the image may not be perfect.
i agree too, but have you noticed the balloons from a well known supermarket…the print on them is superb, obviously not getting printed here!! probably by the experts in china!! 😛
nik
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Now lets hope this subject doesn’t get blown outta proportion
Actually I thought balloons were printed in their deflated state
But there you go – you live and learn
John
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I know what you mean becky, recently purchased a start up set myself,
quality doesn’t look up to much, but it is the fist one ive actually used
so not too sure on the quality of other ones. one question though, does the ink have to be thinned down as it seems awfully stodgy!! still havent actually printed a t-shirt yet though. still trying to master the screens!
o.k so two questions would the emulsion used for t-shirts be the same as used for printing boards ( obviously with different ink ).wayne
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Wayne.
I use sericol ink, so can only advise on that brand.Yes I thin it down with plastisol flow thiner. Thins it down without diluting it too much. How thin, depends upon the screen mesh and image.
Whether you can use the screen emulsion for tees and boards, again depends upon the ink or the emulsion used.
The brand I use, I can print plastisol and certain other ink. (not water based). I print vinyl & correx. Might not be the correct emulsion, but works for me. (3 different inks)
what problems are you having with screens?
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If the screen is pressed firmly onto an inflated balloon, surely the balloon would flatten against the screen, making printing possible.
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quote JSK:If the screen is pressed firmly onto an inflated balloon, surely the balloon would flatten against the screen, making printing possible.
afraid not, you need a gap between screen & material to make it possible for the squeegie to run over screen and print!! 😛 and it also depends on what material & thickness of ink & mesh & squeegie……..i can go on for days, most folk think, ‘oh that looks dead easy’..it’s a trade which is very hard to grasp to get the correct technique and everything else that goes with it…… bletherin again!! 😀
Nik
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becky, i did originally have a problem with part of the screen coming away
while cleaning out the image but everything seems ok now. I dont think i was drying the screen enough before exposure. ive now built a drying cabinet, which seems to have helped. i’m using plastisol inks also but like i said they seem a bit thick. -
you can add 10% water to your plastisols!! what sort of squeegie are you using? is it very round?
Nik
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it could be that you`re not drying the screen enough when coating it.
or not exposing it enough in the light box.
I dry my screens in a drying tray, by using a small electric dryer. I use no real method. When they are dry to the touch, they are done. Takes about 15 mins to dry about 10. I reposition them, taking them from the bottom to the top when dry, and bringing the wet ones at the top to the bottom, where most of the heat source is.
You can dry them too much, making it impossible to expose.
Exposure times may vary, depending upon what lights and the distance away from the source your screens are.
Best to experiment, by doing a few at differant exposure times.
Once exposed, place in your wash out booth, soak with clean water, both sides and leave for a min, to spray to wash away the image. I just use a garden hose type adjustable rose.
After washing out make sure the image is Free from “scum” by squeegeeing it. Scum can block the screen again when it drys. You could soak up some of the water on the screen by dabbing it with a paper towel.
To check what to thin the ink down with, ring the manufacturers and ask for a spec sheet. These will give you the drying times, coverage, mess count to use, what to thin with and what to use to clean the screen with.
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£85 – Thats inflation for you!
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I think that anyone that buys this could be in for a big let down!
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Thankyou for the advice becky, screens seem to be a lot better now!
i suppose i had better try it on a t shirt!
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