Screen Printing Shirts: Heat Setting Water Based Inks Without Forced Air

[@Warhammer83]

I just purchased a dyi screen printing kit and thank God I found you videos on here while doing my homework. I've been like a addict ever since and have watched countless numbers of your videos. extremely helpful and educational. Thanks man and keep it up. God bless.

[@CatspitProductions]

You're very welcome! :) Glad you enjoy my video work. Let me know if I can help out anytime. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@jimkozikis892]

I took the all day ISS class on Screen printing. We were working with water base discharge on black shirts. We would run them through the dryer and they did not want to cure. So we hit them with a heat press. The heat press worked great. The shirts came out looking great.

[@CatspitProductions]

Discharge really needs some forced air to work best. You can do it but it would take even longer than just a water based ink I think. Heat presses can work very well for water based inks though. Especially when they are set to dry first. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@lockhartnoisecompany6154]

Thanks for being open and cool. You've been a lot of help!

[@CatspitProductions]

You're very welcome! I appreciate the kind sentiments and I'm glad I can help out. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@Thecommandersartist]

Been doing mine with a heat press. just make sure you use parchment paper between shirt and press. Heat press 30 seconds at 320 degrees open release the steam, then heat press again 20 seconds...done! So far no failures to date. Using a 15" x 15 " claim $200.00 press from sign warehouse.

[@CatspitProductions]

Interesting, thanks for sharing. And thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@vinylxpressionz3479]

are you using the press to get the evaporation out and to completely dry them?

[@CatspitProductions]

@@vinylxpressionz3479 I believe he is. That is correct. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@AliceDee025]

wow! did you read my mind? I just printed all these shirts and was sitting here with a dumb look. thank you!

[@CatspitProductions]

Awesome, glad I could help out. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@israelcarbonilla8823]

Hi thank you for your videos, they're really helpful. This was not on your video but can I do this *_procedure_* for white water-based ink printed on black shirt to obtain quality? 1 - *PRINT* 2 - *DRY WITH HAIR BLOWER* 3 - *PRINT* 4 - *DRY WITH HAIR BLOWER* 5 - *CURE WITH IRON* Thank you very much. I hope you can answer my question. :)

[@CatspitProductions]

Yes, you should be able to print/flash/print. But the more layers you print like that, the thicker the print will get. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@KevinBourque]

Israel Carbonilla but did it crack?

[@itsPandaBear]

Thanks, G. Just got into printing and your videos have been great aid. Prosper. $$$

[@CatspitProductions]

You're very welcome. Glad i can help out through my videos. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@israelcarbonilla8823]

Reallly, this video was very helpful. God Bless.

[@CatspitProductions]

Awesome, glad I could help out. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@suyashpanchal9894]

That was really helpful. .. But can you please tell me the timing for heating the time shirt at 250° , coz my Tshirt lose its darkness after washing. .. I don't have any flash cure .... I dry them with hair dryer and then heat press it in the heat press ..

[@CatspitProductions]

You may not be reaching temperatures or perhaps the shirts are fibrillating. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@kandisenance6534]

Does using a flash dryer vs letting it air dry make a difference whether or not the print will having early cracking?

[@CatspitProductions]

Well yes. Being as though most water based inks need to be heat set. Not many are "air dry only." And those that are usually are in the hobbyist category. For best wash results, be sure to heat set the water based ink using the specs from the manufacturer of your ink. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@jamieleinbach8076]

Super helpful info, thanks for all you do!!

[@CatspitProductions]

Thank you! You're very welcome :) Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@joeboddington5634]

If your standard flash dryer without forced air doesn't have a temperature reading how do i know if it is reaching high enough temperatures and how much distance should there be between the shirt and the heating element and for how long should it stay under the dryer? sorry for so many questions and thanks for the video!

[@CatspitProductions]

You're welcome, glad you enjoyed the video. I have other videos on how to cure plastisol ink and even one about setting up the flash cure. Check out my video uploads on my channel page where you can search by topic. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@joeboddington5634]

@@CatspitProductions oh i'm still using water-based ink but just not sure on the timings or distance etc

[@CatspitProductions]

@@joeboddington5634 You'll want to check with the maker of the ink for specific curing instructions. Water based inks vary a little more on how to heat set them. You can watch the video on how to set up the flash cure to see how far off the pallet it might be.

[@ericthomas9551]

Hi I might have missed in your video. What about the heat press curing temperature and time for water based inks?

[@CatspitProductions]

You need to watch the entire video ;) But I do not discuss using a heat press in this video. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@2002makki]

I'm still new to the print world. And before i go in to big expenses is the principal the same with a blow torch and temperature gun to fixate my acrylic to my shirts....And do i still have to iron them afterwards. Now i would like to get as you teach us, but try to understand the basics and principals first.

[@CatspitProductions]

You don't want to use a blow torch for screen printing ;) It all depends on the specific instructions for your inks. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@shroombrothers1449]

I run mine through a conveyor (not forced air) a couple of times. They set fine. would like to upgrade to forced air. So its "one and done"

[@CatspitProductions]

Yes, exactly. You're simply allowing enough time for the solvents to evaporate out and for the pigments to become wash safe. So that's another way of doing it but yeah, one shot through would save a lot of time especially on larger orders. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@LoremIpsumPeach]

When just starting out, can you heat set a shirt in the oven?

[@CatspitProductions]

While I have seen that done, I cannot recommend that due to the very high fire risk ;) Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@LoremIpsumPeach]

@@CatspitProductions haha good point! Thank you :)

[@CatspitProductions]

@@LoremIpsumPeach My pleasure to help out where I can.

[@dedominguez3617]

Could I heat set with a heat press after letting them sit for a day? I mean I have a non force air flash dryer as well but was just wondering I could use a heat press as well? Thanks

[@CatspitProductions]

Yes, that would work as well. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@ExposedRoot]

Standard house laundry dryer also gets the water out.

[@CatspitProductions]

You would not want to put wet ink on shirts in a dryer. That will make a mess quickly. So you would need to let them dry to the touch by evaporation first. Then if the dryer reaches between 250 and 290 degrees F, you could use it to heat set the water based ink and make it wash safe. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@lesotter7241]

How is the water-based testing coming along?

[@CatspitProductions]

It's coming along well. I uploaded a new video about it last week and I learned more about the ink. It's looking great and now i am not surprised why the ink did so well on black. It's a pretty awesome ink. I'll be doing another testing video with more details very soon. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@matthewrothrock6888]

I've been using low cure additive and running mine through a standard conveyor and have had no problems with dark wb inks... but with white wb inks, I cannot for the life of me get them to cute right... the don't wash out but they crack after I wash test them... I'm losing my mind...lol. I love the feel of wb inks and absolutely love the darker colors that set in, but the white...arrgghhh... I'm being told to go forced air to eliminate the problem??? What to do...

[@CatspitProductions]

I think it's more of a ink volume problem. If you print too much water based ink, it can crack or flake. It's supposed to be more in the fabric and it should feels soft. Or you might try a discharge base instead but you would need forced air for that. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@darsujanhshirihiyapari2300]

I have a flash dryer without forced air..how long I have to lay them out flat to evaporate...can I use a fan

[@CatspitProductions]

Yeah I suppose you could use a fan to help out. They have to be dry to the touch. That's it. So if you can touch the print without any ink getting on your hand, you're ready to heat set. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@darsujanhshirihiyapari2300]

+CatspitProductions thank you so much...you have been a great mentor for me..

[@CatspitProductions]

You're very welcome. Glad i can help out through my video work :)

[@jayfep]

Please talk about screen print a halftone image.

[@CatspitProductions]

I already have a couple of videos about that. Please check out my uploads :) Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@jayfep]

CatspitProductions okay I will. Thank you very much.

[@CatspitProductions]

My pleasure to help out where I can. Good luck!

[@MendyFischMusic]

Is there a difference between "Heat Setting" and "Curing"?

[@MendyFischMusic]

Epic. You answered this less than 90 seconds in! Excellent! Thanks! All my youtube research for the past 20 minutes has been worthless because it's all about Curing

[@CatspitProductions]

Yes, there certainly is. Many people say water based inks "cure" but there is no chemical process there in actuality compared to plastisol ink which rubberizes when cured. Thanks for watching. Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - catspitscreenprintsupply.com/

[@_shaunbrown_]

Nice Jon, thanks man!

[@CatspitProductions]

Thank you :) You're very welcome! Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@mikeydiaz3360]

Could i use a heat gun?

[@CatspitProductions]

That's possible of course but not ideal. You'll need to be meticulous in curing the entire print completely. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@tamikal2290]

Can you screen print the shirt and hang them on a rolling rack to dry, maybe overnight? Or do they have lay flat to dry?

[@CatspitProductions]

You can allow them to dry any way you can that does not ruin the print or the shirts. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@petrusgranell9945]

Hey :) im starting my own company, t-shirts, jackets, long sleeve.. and I wanna buy a printer to start with.. but can't decide what is best for beginners

[@CatspitProductions]

You should base your decision on your budget, the space you have to work in and what you plan on printing. Feel free to give me a call to discuss your project. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@christinesaville3422]

No ironing then?

[@CatspitProductions]

Usually not with a commercial grade water based ink and a household iron. If the iron can reach near 300 degrees F then perhaps. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@tylermanuel1623]

Would you flash dry just to evaporate the liquids then heat press to heat cure? I'm about to make a purchase but don't know weather I should go with a heat press or flash dryer. And by the way I tried to make a purchase from you but I'm in canada? No shipping? Thanks

[@CatspitProductions]

I would let them dry by evaporation since the flash would probably take long enough that you would just cure them as well. If you get an air flash then that is the best option and it will work very fast in comparison to no air flash. Yes, Canada is considered exporting for me. So you would have to contact me directly to see about a purchase. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@iamchriseagland]

Hi. Thank you so much for your videos. I've learnt so much. May I ask, what if you want to cure water based ink with a flash but are printing on to 50/50 poly cotton blends. Do you need to add a low cure additive?

[@CatspitProductions]

You're welcome. I appreciate your support. Probably not since most water based inks cure at or under 250 degrees F. But you may want to ask the ink maker about what to use for 50/50. Thanks for watching. Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - catspitscreenprintsupply.com/

[@chrispalmer1255]

Hey bud. I love your videos and really appreciate all the info you give us. I've learned a ton from you. Thank you! Throughout the video you mention laying the shirts flat to dry before flashing (assuming you don't have a forced air dryer)... Could I hang them to dry before using a normal flash dryer? Do you see an issue with this? I am printing shirts at home and don't have much room or a forced air dryer but want to use discharge and water based inks. Not doing big production so time is not really an issue.

[@CatspitProductions]

Hey there. Thank you, I'm happy to know you enjoy my videos. You're welcome. My pleasure to help out where I can. Yes, you could hang them. That's no problem. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@lauredecreton5526]

can you headset any water-based ink?

[@CatspitProductions]

Yes, technically speaking water based inks heat set whereas plastisol inks cure. There is a difference. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@ansamedia7181]

Hey man, thanks so much for your videos they've truly helped so much. In this vid you nailed my question- been looking for this particular answer for a while! On the back of what you've mentioned about letting them air dry and then using a flash dryer to cure them, how long would you say at this point would they roughly take to cure- seen as some of the waters evaporated? I use Permaset Aqua inks, thanks in advance! p.s keep up the amazing work!

[@CatspitProductions]

You're very welcome, glad I can help out through my videos! They need to reach a specific temperature like 250 or what have you. Each brand of ink may vary slightly. Check with Permaset for exact curing temps and instructions. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/

[@ansamedia7181]

Thanks again dude!

[@CatspitProductions]

My pleasure to help out where I can.

[@traciecarter241]

Hi that's not what the speedball process says.

[@CatspitProductions]

Speedball is a hobby grade water based ink. And yes, you should follow the instructions for whatever ink you actually have. In this video I am generally talking about commercial grade inks. Each water based ink may have its own recommended temperatures but the idea is the same. Evaporate the solvents, then heat set. Be sure to read the instructions for any ink you try to use. Thanks for watching! Screen Printing Equipment & Supplies - CatspitScreenPrintSupply.com/