Printers Choice Process Cyan Plastisol Ink – Ideal for Four Color Process Printing

Printing with Printers Choice 4-Color Process Inks requires precision and attention to detail to achieve vibrant and accurate full-color prints. Here are step-by-step directions to guide you through the process:

Materials You’ll Need:

• Screen with a high mesh count (e.g., 305-355 mesh) for fine detail
• Printers Choice 4-Color Process Inks (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)
• Squeegees suitable for your screen size
• Properly coated and dried screen with your design
• Screen printing press (manual or automatic)
• Flash dryer (if needed)
• Conveyor dryer or heat source for curing
• Substrates (garments or materials to be printed on)

Step 1: Screen Preparation

1. Ensure your screen is coated with a high-quality emulsion suitable for process printing.
2. Allow the emulsion to dry completely in a dark, controlled environment.
3. Ensure your screen has been properly exposed to UV light to create the image areas.

Step 2: Set Up Your Press

1. Mount your prepared screen onto the screen printing press.
2. Adjust the screen and substrate alignment to ensure accurate registration.

Step 3: Ink Mixing

1. Start with your first color, typically Cyan. Stir the ink thoroughly to achieve a consistent consistency.
2. Load the Cyan ink onto the screen using a scoop coater or similar method.
3. Flood the screen with ink and pull a test print to ensure even coverage and registration.
4. Repeat the mixing and loading process for Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks, one color at a time.
5. Adjust ink viscosity if necessary with the recommended ink modifiers.

Step 4: Printing

1. Begin with the lightest color (Yellow) and print it onto the substrate.
2. Cure the first print using a flash dryer or conveyor dryer according to the ink manufacturer’s recommended curing temperature and duration.
3. Repeat the printing and curing process for each subsequent color (Cyan, Magenta, Black) in registration.
4. Ensure that each ink layer aligns precisely with the previous one, using registration marks if needed.
5. Maintain proper off-contact and squeegee pressure for consistent results.

Step 5: Color Overlapping

1. Overlapping the colors will create secondary colors (e.g., Cyan + Magenta = Blue).
2. Experiment with ink layer thickness and overlapping to achieve the desired color blends.

Step 6: Testing and Adjustments

1. Continuously monitor your prints to ensure accurate color representation and alignment.
2. Make adjustments to ink viscosity, off-contact, squeegee pressure, and curing settings as needed to achieve the desired results.

Step 7: Final Cure

1. After all colors are printed and properly registered, ensure that the final print is fully cured using the recommended curing temperature and time.
2. Curing is crucial to achieve washfast and durable prints.  These inks require 320 degrees for one minute and thirty seconds.

Step 8: Quality Control

1. Examine the final print for color accuracy, sharpness, and overall quality.
2. Make any necessary adjustments and reprint if needed.

Step 9: Clean-Up

1. Clean your screen and equipment thoroughly after printing to prevent ink buildup and ensure longevity.

With these step-by-step directions, you can successfully print with Printers Choice 4-Color Process Inks to create stunning and vibrant full-color designs on various substrates.

Printers Choice SE695 Process Cyan Safety Data Sheet