A Newsletter from Screenflex Inks Canada Ltd. & www.screenprintcatalog.com

We were chatting today with a printer who was ordering a 5 gallon pail of emulsion. The question of freezing came up because at that time outside our warehouse in Calgary the temperature was about -33 Celsius (approx -28 Fahrenheit). The local radio stations were warning us that with the wind chill effect it was close to -48 Celsius (-54 Fahrenheit) and that exposed flesh would freeze in about a minute. And worse yet, tomorrow Calgary will awake to -38 Celsius. Even in the summer playground of Kelowna where the printer was calling from, it was -15 Celsius.

So, here is a reminder, DO NOT LET EMULSION FREEZE.  Frozen emulsion is useless emulsion. It separates and cannot be re-constituted. We know because about 8 years ago we had two 55 gallon drums of emulsion arrive frozen solid. More recently a skid load of product including emulsion en route to Yellow Knife froze when the truck broke down in the middle of nowhere 500 kilometers south of Yellow Knife. That is why we automatically deliver emulsion by heated service in Canada from October through March and then cross our fingers that  avalanches, break-downs and blizzards won’t mess it all up.

Another tip… plastisol ink is not damaged by the cold weather but it can thicken up a bit and needs to be brought back to room temperature for easier printing. A quick spin on the mixer can help a lot. One thing about plastisol ink though is that prolonged exposure to heat in the bucket can damage it. For instance, storing it next to a constant source of heat like a dryer or flash cure unit is not a good idea.

Canadian weather, yet another variable in screen printing.

Margaret and Wendy have returned from the Long Beach show where they were kept busy by a steady stream of Canadian printers passing through the PolyOne (Wilflex) booth. As usual, it was by far the busiest ink booth at the show. Many were there for the display of superb soft hand and special effects shirts as well as the seminars in the booth theatre.  

Information sheets on how to produce the soft hand and special effects prints were available to attendees but if you missed the show and would like to catch up on what is new and exciting, feel free to call Margaret or Wendy toll-free at 1-800-661-7766.

In other show news, Stretch devices were showing a sampling press designed to quickly and easily do sampling of multi-coloured prints without tying up a production press. According to both Margaret and Wendy it is an impressive device that could be of great benefit to a good number of Canadian textile printers. Want to know more? A toll-free call to 1-800-661-7766 will get you answers and literature.

We keep an eye on the progress of digital textile printing and make a point of updating ourselves at every show. After this show we are of the opinion that there has been little advance in that technology. All the usual suspects were showing their digital printers but it seems that the old problems with speed, print heads clogging with lint and dust in a production environment, printing on darks and cost have not been resolved. And then, as everyone knows, the popular special effects like glitter, foil and raised textures cannot be done digitally. Until those problems are solved we believe that digital printing on textiles will have a very limited application and remain marginalized. We think that a clue that digital textile printing should be taken seriously will be when the major plastisol screen printing ink manufacturers start making ink for digital textile printers. 

Overall, the show was busy and, as one might expect in these times, well attended by foreign printers. It is, in our opinion, still the best textile screen printing show for Canadian  textile screen printers to attend for exposure to new product developments, ideas and inspiration. Unlike most other shows available to Canadian textile printers, this is not just a garment show, it covers every aspect of textile screen printing.      

The winner of the draw for the $50.00 gift certificate is Amy Gervais of Rapscallion Clothing and Design of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Thanks for the comments on the Xpose label.

This is the story about a naked bucket label.

We are in an artistic, creative industry. You would never know it though from the labels on supplies like ink, emulsions and chemicals. Why do they have to be so boooooring? Where is the art? Where is the creativity? You can find more colourful and creative labels on toilet rolls than on most of the products in our industry!

Well, Screenflex decided to do something about it. We worked with the graphic design consultant that produces all our other fine graphic promotional material to produce the Expose Emulsion label from the image that you see above. We wanted an eye-catching, but also relevant, label for our private label, high-quality, one-part SBQ emulsion.

We found the solution to both criteria in the “exposed” graphic. We then selected “Xpose” as the name of this fine emulsion to go along with the graphic and because of the obvious link between emulsion and “exposure”. Well, we thought it was clever anyway.

For the most part the responses have been overwhelmingly favourable. Neat! Cool! About time! Wow! But then, as one would expect, there have a few negative responses, such as the customer who felt that the Xpose label represented a “new low” in the industry. We take criticism very seriously, but we thought that this one was a bum rap.

But at the end of the day, regardless of how you feel about the nature of the graphics on artistic labels that better match our artistic, creative industry than anything that has been produced to date, it is still a fine one-part emulsion at a fine price. To order Xpose one-part emulsion (it comes in red or blue) go online at www.screenprintcatalog.com or call us toll-free at 1-800-661-7766.

If you would like a free mouse pad of this, the first really creative supply label in the industry, give us a call toll-free at 1-800-661-7766 and we’ll happily send you one.

And yes, it is true, we are working on even more creative, interesting labels. In fact, we would welcome suggestions and be more than willing to give credit for any that we can use. Email us at info@screenflex.ca and let’s put some fun back into this industry, at least on its labels.

Sorry, sold within a couple of minutes of going up here. But, there are still ink bargains to be had. Scroll down and view the list or find it via the “Bargains” category.

Screenflex has a Hix N840 Air Automatic heat press for sale. It has hardly been used and looks like a brand new press.

We bought it new about two to three years ago with the intention of producing our own promotional t-shirts in-house. Like many well-intentioned plans this one did not work out. This heat press has not been used to produce more than ten shirts.

It works on electricity (120 volts) and air. A full description with all technical information is available from the Starline Pacific web site.

We originally bought the press from Starline Pacific. They have a full range of these presses with distribution centers in both the U.S. and Canada and knowledgeable staff to help with any technical issues. Starline Pacific is a reputable company to whom we have referred many of our customers for transfer supplies and equipment. If you buy this heat press it is likely that you will be interested in their full line of printable promotional items as well. Their web site has an extensive selection.

The list price for this press is approximately CAN $2,500.00 and U.S. $ 2,400.00. We are asking $1,350.00 (CAN or U.S. $) for our barely used press in perfect condition. We will crate it as part of the deal but the shipping cost will be that of the buyer.

Interested? Call us toll-free at 1-800-661-7766.

Are you going? It starts on the 18th of January. Remember, we still say that it is currently the best show in North America for textile screen printers. However, if you are unable to go this year, don’t despair, we’ll have a full report here after the show. It ends on the 20^th of January and we will have feedback for you from Margaret and Wendy very shortly after that.

If you are going, keep an eye open for Margaret and Wendy. The best place to run into them will be at the Polyone/Wilflex booth (#1347). If they are not there when you visit, leave a message at the booth or call us at 1-800-661-7766 and we will arrange for you to meet up with them.

On the topic of PolyOne/Wilflex, you should know about the activity at the Polyone/Wilflex booth (#1347) in particular. There is a full slate of short seminars in the booth as well as demonstrations by Wilflex’s personable and very knowledgeable Mark Suhadolnik in the neighboring M&R booth. He will be concentrating on demonstrating environmentally friendly inks. When industry leaders like Wilflex and M&R work together, they produce things worth seeing.

Also well worth a visit is the Tekmar booth (#1627). Simon, Nick and Jim will be happy to show you the latest in environmentally-friendly, water-based pallet adhesive systems. And if you have ever had to slow down production while you wait for shirts to cool down after being under the flash cure, their Kwik Kool unit is worth a look. A quick tip for our readers… ask about the special show discount for Screenflex and screenprintcatalog.com customers.

Other manufacturer booths that we readily recommend include Ulano, Kiwo, and Stretch Devices. If  anything catches your eye at these booths, give us a call toll-free after the show. We carry their full lines.

Have a great show.

Thanks mainly to Canadian snowboard racers like Freddy Ansara in our illustration, and snowboarders in general, fluorescent prints are on the way back.

That gave Chris Hughes, our warehouse and ink lab manager, a great idea. Chris, who has many years of experience in the industry as the former production manager in two different automated print shops, suggests that you buy some of the Fluorescent Puff ink in our “$10.00 Bargains on the Blog” section (you can get a 5-gallon container for just $10.00) and use it for creating special effects.

She says that you can get an interesting tone-on-tone, high-density kind of print with a single colour of fluorescent puff. Print the first screen and flash it. Then print the second screen and put the print through the dryer. The first print, having been flashed, will end up a bit lower, darker and shinier than the second print. An 80 or 110 mesh is recommended for this.

Chris says that not only can you create interesting special effects by playing around with the fluorescent puff ink in this way, but that you get a high-density type of effect without having to use a special high density capillary film on your screen.

Get creative and go after Freddy and his snowboarding pals. We also hear that the freestyle skiers are flashing the fluorescents. At $10.00 for a 5-gallon container of Wilflex fluorescent puff, what have you got to lose?

 The crew at Screenflex and screenprintcatalog.com wish you everything that you would wish yourself for 2008.

An unavoidable side-effect of our business is that we end up with over-stocked and older inventory.

Even though we have successfully printed 12-year-old plastisol, ink manufacturers do not support product older than 12 months. Therefore, Screenflex does not disguise the age of product or offer it as regular product on “special.” Instead, we disclose what it is and offer it at $10.00 per item regardless of size of container or the nature of the item.

That’s right, even 5-gallon containers of ink are just $10.00 plus shipping. We ship to the U.S. as well.

This list is kept current and is updated regularly. Check in frequently and if anything catches your eye, please call us toll-free at 1-800-661-7766. Just quote the numbers of the items that you want e.g. “T24″:

Only $10.00 per item …

T1: 10120SFL Wilflex Soft Flex Base 1 x 5 Gal

T2: 10380NPL Wiflex Nupuff Plus Base 1 x 5 Gal

T4: WP74209SPT Wilflex/Plastomeric Spot Green 1 x 5 gal

T6: 90310MP Wilflex MP Super Opaque Fluo Orange 1 x 5 gal

T8: WP81029SPT Wilflex Spot Gold 1 x 5 gal

T9: WP55715SPT Wilflex Spot Purple 1 x 5 gal

T10: 10231PEN Wilflex Pennant Plus Base 0.5 x 5 gal

T11: WP16062SPT Wilflex Spot Cool Grey 0.5 x 5 gal

T12: 19000PEN Wilflex Pennant Black 0.5 x 5 gal

T13: 88888MX Wilflex MX Yellow (slightly off-shade) 0.5 x 5 gal

T14: 88888MX Wilflex MX Yellow (slightly off-shade) 1 x 5 gal

T21: 89010MCVFF Wilflex Gold Glitter 1 x 1 gal

T22: 89010MCVFF Wilflex Gold Glitter 1 x 1 gal

T23: 87300SSV Wilflex Brilliant Gold 1 x 1 gal

T24: 87300SSV Wilflex Brilliant Gold 1 x 1 gal

T25: 11122WHT Wilflex Artist Plus White 1 x 1 gal

T26: 11122WHT Wilflex Artist Plus White 1 x 1 gal

T27: 11122WHT Wilflex Artist Plus White 1 x 1 gal

T28: 11122WHT Wilflex Artist Plus White 1 x 1 gal

T29: 11911HT Wilflex Intense White 1 x 1 gal

T30: 11911HT Wilflex Intense White 1 x 1 gal

T31: 55022LB Wilflex LO White SO LB Plastomeric 1 x 1 gal

T32: 75300PEN Wilflex Pennant Turquoise 1 x 1 gal

T33: WP61962SPT Wilflex Spot Blue 1 x 1 gal

T34: WP61962SPT Wilflex Spot Blue 1 x 1 gal

T35: WP72253SPT Wilflex Spot Turquoise 1 x 1 gal

T36: WP72253SPT Wilflex Spot Turquoise 1 x 1 gal

T48: WP55715SPT Wilflex Spot Purple 1 x 1 gal

T49: WP55715SPT Wilflex Spot Purple 1 x 1 gal

T50: WP55715SPT Wilflex Spot Purple 1 x 1 gal

T51: WP55715SPT Wilflex Spot Purple 1 x 1 gal

T52: 11487HV Wilflex Bright Tiger High Viscosity 1 x 1 gal

T53: 11487HV Wilflex Bright Tiger High Viscosity 1 x 1 gal

T54: 11777HV Wilflex HV Extreme White 1 x 1 gal

T55: 11135WHT Wilflex Olympia Plus White 1 x 1 gal

T56: 11555WHT Wilflex Phantom White 1 x 1 gal

T57: 11555WHT Wilflex Phantom White 1 x 1 gal

T58: 11555WHT Wilflex Phantom White 1 x 1 gal

T59: 14420MCVFF Wilflex Black Glitter 1 x 1 gal

T60: WP222SUP Wilflex Straightup Suede 1 x 1 gal

T61: WP221SUP Wilflex Straight Up Satin 1 x 1 gal

T62: 75300PEN Wilflex Pennant Turquoise 1 x 1 gal

T63: 60000PEN Wilflex Pennant Navy 1 x 1 gal

T64: 60000PEN Wilflex Pennant Navy 1 x 1 gal

T65: WP74209SPT Wilflex Spot Green 1 x 1 gal

T66: WP74209SPT Wilflex Spot Green 1 x 1 gal

T67: WP74209SPT Wilflex Spot Green 1 x 1 gal

T68: WP74209SPT Wilflex Spot Green 1 x 1 gal

T69: WP19888SPT Wilflex Spot Black 1 x 1 gal SOLD

T70: WP16062SPT Wilflex Spot Cool Grey 1 x 1 gal

T71: WP16062SPT Wilflex Spot Cool Grey 1 x 1 gal SOLD

T72: WP20841SPT Wilflex Spot Tan 1 x 1 gal SOLD

T73: 11122HT Wilflex Artist White 3 x 1 qrt

T74: WP20841SPT Wilflex Spot Tan 2 x 1 qrt

T75: 30400TF Wilflex TF Dolphin Orange 1 x 1 gal SOLD

T76: 62100GNS Wilflex GNS Light Royal 1 x 1 gal SOLD

T77: WP43542SPT Wilflex Spot Red 1 x 1 gal

T78: 15340MCVFF Wilflex MCVFF Yellow Sparkle 1 x 1 qrt

Wilflex MP Process Blue 1 x 1 qrt

40900MP Wilflex MP Rhodamine Red 1 x 1 qrt

C1: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 5 gal

C2: 90400NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 5 gal

C3: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 5 gal

C4: 10420TF Wilflex Transflex Puff 1 x 5 gal

C5: 90400NPF Wilflex Nufpuff Flo. Pink 1 x 5 gal

C6: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 5 gal

C7: 90400NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 5 gal

C8: 90300NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Orange 1 x 5 gal

C9: 10420TF Wilflex Transflex Puff 1 x 5 gal

C10: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 5 gal

C11: 90510MP Wilflex MP SO Flo. Neon Red 1 x 5 gal

C12: 90600SS Wilflex Flo. Rocket Red 1 x 5 gal

C13: 90600NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Rocket Red 1 x 1 gal

C14: 90600NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Rocket Red 1 x 1 gal

C15: SS8100 Wilflex Lemon Yellow 1 x 1 gal SOLD

C16: 90400NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 1 gal

C17: 90300SS Wilflex Flo. Orange 1 x 1 gal

C18: 62100NPF Wilflex Nupuff Lt. Royal 1 x 1 gal

C19: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 1 gal

C20: 90400NPF Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 1 gal

C21: Wilflex North Lights Pastel Green 1 x 1 gal

C22: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 1 gal

C23: 47360TF Wilflex TF Mid Red #3 1 x 1 gal

C24: 90400NPF Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 1 gal

C25: HG10000 Wilflex Hugger Nylon 1 x 1 gal

C26: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 1 gal

C27: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 1 gal

C28: 19000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Black 1 x 1 gal

C29: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 1 gal

C30: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 1 gal

C31: 90400NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 1 gal

C32: 11030INT Wilflex Instant White 1 x 1 gal

C33: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 1 gal

C34: 90600NPF Wilflex Nupuff Rocket Red 1 x 1 gal

C35: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 1 gal

C36: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 1 gal

C37: 11502MSH Wilflex MSH Nylon White Knit 1 x 1 gal

C38: 11502MSH Wilflex MSH Nylon White Knit 1 x 1 gal

C39: 11502MSH Wilflex MSH Nylon White Knit 1 x 1 gal

C40: WP43542 Wilflex Spot Red 1 x 1 gal

C41: WP20841 Wilflex Spot Tan 1 x 1 gal SOLD

C42: 228CGNSP Pantone 228C 1 x 1 gal

C43: WP72253 Wilflex Spot Tuquoise 1 x 1 gal

C44: 533CMP Wilflex MP Pantone 533C 1 x 1 gal

C45: 533CMP Wilflex MP Pantone 533C 1 x 1 gal

C46: 19000 Wilflex Pennant Black 1 x 1 gal

C47: WP72253 Wilflex Spot Turquoise 1 x 1 gal

C48: 118CGNSP GNSP Pantone 118C 1 x 1 gal

C49: 90311MP Wilflex MP SO Flo. Orange 1 x 1 gal SOLD

C50: 43542 Wilflex Spot Red 1 x 1 gal SOLD

C51: 90310MP Wilflex MP SO Flo. Orange 1 x 1 gal

C52: 5570 Wilflex Process Magenta 1 x 1 gal

C53: 5570 Wilflex Process Magenta 1 x 1 gal

C54: 5570 Wilflex Process Magenta 1 x 1 gal

C55: 5570 Wilflex Process Magenta 1 x 1 gal

C56: 90300NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Orange 1 x 5 gal SOLD

C57: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 5 gal

C58: 40160SS Wilflex Panther Pink 1 x 5 gal

C59: 10420TF Wilflex Transflex Puff 1 x 5 gal

C60: 90300NPF Nupuff Flo. Orange 1 x 5 gal

C61: 90400NPF Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 5 gal

C62: 70600TF Wilflex Dallas Green 1 x 5 gal

C63: 90200NPF Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 5 gal

C64: 19000TP Wilflex Totes Puff Black 1 x 5 gal

C65: 90000NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Yellow 1 x 5 gal  SOLD

C66: 90300NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Orange 1 x 5 gal

C67: 90400NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 5 gal

C68: 19000TP Wilflex Totes Puff Black 1 x 5 gal SOLD

C69: 90200NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Green 1 x 5 gal  SOLD

C70: 90400NPF Wilflex Nupuff Flo. Pink 1 x 5 gal   SOLD

C71: 11999XW Wilflex Xtreme White 1 x 5 gal SOLD

C72: 99011MCVFF Wilflex MCVFF Phosphorescent 1 x 1 gal SOLD

C73: 19000TP Wilflex Totes Puff Black 1 x 1 qrt

C74: 11117HT Wilflex Polywhite 1 x 1 qrt

You think that you have the flu’ so you go see a doctor. But he can’t tell if your lungs are clear because he doesn’t own a stethoscope.

Trying not to look too surprised, you ask, “But don’t all doctors have stethoscopes? Isn’t that the first item that they buy at medical school? Isn’t it so necessary for their jobs that they all have it hanging around their necks all the time?”

The doctor looks a bit irritated. “Well maybe… but do you know that those things cost a couple of hundred bucks? So, I’ll just stick my ear on your chest and listen to your lungs. Most of the time I can hear enough to guess whether or not the lungs are clear.”

That is not what you want to hear from a professional. “You’ll take risks with my health for the sake of a couple of hundred bucks? Thanks, but I’m out of here. I’m going to find a doctor that at least has the basic tools to do the job properly!”

If that were a true story, it would cause a scandal in the medical profession. But the equivalent thing happens every day in textile screenprinting and very little attention is paid to the problem. We are talking about the lack of proper checking of conveyor dryer temperatures. We are talking about under-cured prints.

Most of the time printers do not have the proper tool for testing dryer temperatures. A textile screen printer without a digital Thermoprobe is like a doctor without a stethoscope. Some printers use temperature guns and others use temperature strips. Both are about as adequate as the doctor’s ear on your chest… it will work somewhat some of the time but it is hardly adequate enough and it will cost you sooner or later.

The problem with the temperature gun, even if it is properly aimed, is that it will only tell you the surface temperature of the ink at that instant. Often it is not properly aimed and will tell you the temperature of the shirt or the belt, which is not what you need to know. The problem with temperature strips is that they will tell you approximately what temperature was reached but cannot tell you for how long it was maintained or whether or not you have cool spots in your dryer that need to be fixed.

The professional textile printer’s “stethoscope” is a digital Thermoprobe. It continuously displays the changing ink surface temperature as it moves through the dryer. It is the only way to know exactly when the ink reaches curing temperature and for how long that temperature is maintained. It also enables you to identify any cool spots, cooler sides in the dryer, under-heating and over-heating. Improperly cured ink is in our experience the number one technical problem for textile screen printers. It can be very costly when your customer’s prints start cracking, washing off, fading and becoming patchy.

We have seen this problem so frequently lately that we have decided to something special about it. We want to encourage every professional textile screen printer to use a Thermoprobe to check their dryer(s) every day.

Get the “cure”, get a Thermoprobe.