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Garment Printing







Standardizing garment-printing processes



The ultimate goal here is to ensure that the screens are uniform in tension and quality from run to run. The best way to achieve this goal is with retensionable frames.

The same procedures apply to the rest of the screen-production workflow. The areas that require the greatest enforcement are those where the bad habits of shortcuts may come into play under heavy production periods, when time is at a minimum. The most prominent area where screen quality suffers is in insufficient rinsing once the screen has been degreased. Although the process of rinsing the screen with a high-power pressure washer becomes a tedious one, it is crucial to the longevity of the screen on the press. Proper rinsing procedures ensure maximum production efficiency on the press and contribute to the overall success of the workflow in your facility.

I have found that it’s very easy to become complacent in screen reclaiming and degreasing, to the point to where you fail to closely inspect the screen for remaining obstructions in the mesh. The result is a wasted screen coating the next time you prepare that mesh for stencilmaking, when you’ll find the previously missed defect during the washout of the screen on its next exposure. Even worse is not detecting a stencil defect until the screen goes to press. The problem then extends beyond prepress into production, resulting in a loss of valuable time.


Press setup

The next most important area that requires standardization is the press set-up process itself. Most facilities leave it up to the individual press operator, assistant operator, and dryer catcher to get the press torn down, set up in register, and running in a minimal amount of time. But a lack of standardization costs time, because each person may have a unique way of doing things. The need to minimize production downtime is greater than ever and required to remain competitive within the market. Keep in mind that if your minimum run size must decrease in order to remain competitive, you will need the standardized processes to ensure that press downtime is as brief as possible.

Many shops shoot to limit press downtime for automatics to 45 minutes, from the moment the last garment is printed on an order to the first sellable print unloaded for the next order. This time limitation can vary based on the number of colors and type of press (manual or automatic). Also keep in mind that accurate garment counting is another process that must be standardized to minimize downtime. As soon as the count is confirmed, the job responsibilities would be as follows. The press operator should check the work order and confirm the design, garment style and color, and screens and inks for accuracy. The operator can then start setting the screens in the press and registering the screens.

The assistant press operator removes the old screens from the press and places any residual ink into containers (while the press operator checks the production order) and returns the inks to the ink department and the used screens to the screen-cleaning area. The assistant then returns the dirty squeegees and floodbars to the to cleaning area and returns to the press to assist with the setup of the next job.

The dryer catcher finishes up the unloading of the goods to be sent to either the packing or shipping area. The catcher also completes the paperwork and forwards it to the next appropriate department. Finally, the catcher returns to the press to assist in any remaining setup task that may be required.

The registration devices available today allow garment screen printers to easily set up their automatic or manual presses in 45 minutes or less. Also keep in mind that no standardized process can be successful unless the supporting functions are also standardized and running smoothly. Those support areas include inventory management, ink room, dryer catching, supply processes, and equipment maintenance.

A fat marketplace has made it too easy for many garment screen printers to get by without standard operating procedures. Now that the garment-printing market has changed and become much more competitive, the standardization of processes within each area of the shop can really make the difference between surviving or perishing.




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