Been reading on screen printing coroplast signs. And have a few different screen meshes to use and inks but was looking for someone who does it and can offer some advise. I have a 4 color table press. I need a bigger pallet but not sure on ink and other stuff I would need. Any advise would be appreciate it. I can do it in vinyl but I got to do 100 and have an opportunity for a few more hundred if I so these.
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Screen printing coroplast signs.
- Thread starter 2STRONG
- Start date
Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?
New Member
Check out FireSprint printing if you're interested in subbing these jobs. They are a merchant member here and they do excellent work.
Farmboy
New Member
If your order is for 100 you better have at least 50 extra blanks on hand. Sounds like your first time and your gonna need them. You'll also need a drying rack, solvent resistant tape and emulsion, vacuum pallet and some fans. Too be honest, the best tool you have was already mentioned. Sub it out.
What size and mesh count are the screens you have?
What is the make and model of your 4 colour table press?
Does it have a vacuum hold down?
What ink do you intend to use?
How do you intend to burn your image onto the screens?
Do you have block out?
Do you have a good ventilation system like a spray booth for clean up and drying?
Do you have a sharp squeegy? What durometer (hardness) is it?
Drying rack?
What is the make and model of your 4 colour table press?
Does it have a vacuum hold down?
What ink do you intend to use?
How do you intend to burn your image onto the screens?
Do you have block out?
Do you have a good ventilation system like a spray booth for clean up and drying?
Do you have a sharp squeegy? What durometer (hardness) is it?
Drying rack?
Turnergraphics
New Member
Most solvent inks have to be bought in gallons. If you don't have a vacuum platen you can use a glue that doesn't leave a residue on the back. I have some but I forget the name right now. I use Nazdar 9700. You'll need some retarder or thinner. You'll need a drying rack and about 80 duro squeegee and 280 mesh screen. Print one color at a time. You'll need some screen opener because its gonna dry in the screen at times. Move quickly and flood lightly between prints to keep it from drying in the screen.......or sub out.
No fine detail in the art work. Single color. Black on a yellow sign. I will try to attach a sample of what I want to print.
No vacuum table
not sure of ink yet.
Doing it in a garage so I can open garage for ventilation not sure if that's enough
i can buy a squeegee
i have some 200 mesh screens on hand
I use a UV lamp for burning all
my a screens
not sure if I will need a diff emulsion for this.
Are you sure you want to bother with this? I would seriously reconsider given the expense, the learning curve, the health risks being exposed to really nasty cancer causing chemicals, the terrible return on investment, the new technologies that make it difficult to compete and the lack of proper facilities and air makeup system.
Just sell and outsource. You will live longer and prosper more.
Just sell and outsource. You will live longer and prosper more.
Farmboy
New Member
What he said...Really.
ExecuPrintGS
New Member
We used to screen print a ton of yard signs in house, now we just use the flat bed printer we bought.
If you are going to do them yourself, get or make a vacuum table. A simple box with holes drilled in it will work and fasten your screen to that, make a jig so everything is square and lined up.
Like others have said, have extras, you will need them and build a drying rack, you will need that too.
If you are going to do them yourself, get or make a vacuum table. A simple box with holes drilled in it will work and fasten your screen to that, make a jig so everything is square and lined up.
Like others have said, have extras, you will need them and build a drying rack, you will need that too.
Cubesmith
New Member
Been screen printing, non-textile, for almost 30 years. That said, sub it out as previously stated.
Here's a list of the problems you WILL have:
Off contact issues
Ink drying in your screen
Coroplast is not totaly flat, you will have problems with coverage
Squeegee pressure and angle problems, tshirts don't smear ink
Racking and drying problems
Odor from the ink
Ect.
That being said, use a 125-160 mesh screen, 60-70 duro squegee (sharp), and NazDar GV series ink.
Good Luck
Here's a list of the problems you WILL have:
Off contact issues
Ink drying in your screen
Coroplast is not totaly flat, you will have problems with coverage
Squeegee pressure and angle problems, tshirts don't smear ink
Racking and drying problems
Odor from the ink
Ect.
That being said, use a 125-160 mesh screen, 60-70 duro squegee (sharp), and NazDar GV series ink.
Good Luck
FireSprint.com
Trade Only Screen & Digital Sign Printing
The screen you use depends largely on your ink. We have several screens here and we don't bother with trying to figure out what screen mesh and tension we should use, we speak to the ink manufacturer and let them tell us what to use based on that specific ink line.
But also, just sub it out to us or someone. It's a ton of work if you're not set up for it. We just had 50 T-shirts printed for us interanally and we subbed them out to a customer we have. We have huge screen printing presses, all the equipment one would need, and all the contacts and manufacturers we would need to get the inks, screens etc, but we don't because it's just not what we do.
But also, just sub it out to us or someone. It's a ton of work if you're not set up for it. We just had 50 T-shirts printed for us interanally and we subbed them out to a customer we have. We have huge screen printing presses, all the equipment one would need, and all the contacts and manufacturers we would need to get the inks, screens etc, but we don't because it's just not what we do.
d fleming
Premium Subscriber
GV will not stick to coro without an adhesion promoter. Proper ink is nazdar corogloss through a 230 mesh screen. You will need proper wash and thinners. I use rlx ulano emulsion for t's and coros. Corogloss is air dry.
Cubesmith
New Member
I've printed GV on coro hunreds of times with 0 issues. No adhesion promoter. Just tried scraping on one just to make sure and nothing comes off.
Also anything requireing over 200 mesh will be a nightmare for somebody not used to printing with fast drying solvent inks.
Wow you guys are some major Buzz killers. Seems the majority of you have printing signs. Everyone has to start somewhere right? No one started out
being a pro. This is. It going to be a one time thing if I can get it down I have a whole group of real estate investors who buy signs every month online. so I thought it was an opportunity to make a little extra cash from a new avenue. By buddy who is the VP of the group told me if I match the price he will lete
do all signs. Stupide didn't bother to ask roughly how many. He just said I don't even think you would be able to print them all it's so any. I will find that out tomorrow.
Not it gonna jump the gun on anything. I got to first make sure I can do it. Make sure the profit makes sense. And if I need to invest in the things I don't have, then I will. Maybe even buy a flatbed printer. So if anyone knows a flatbed printer to look at or something else I don't know yet feel free to point me in that direction. But like I said if it makes sense to invest I will. If it makes sense to Sub it out then I will. But prices on the internet are pretty dam cheap so I wouldayne have to get a good contact for a real wholesale price to do that. Thanks for your input so far.
being a pro. This is. It going to be a one time thing if I can get it down I have a whole group of real estate investors who buy signs every month online. so I thought it was an opportunity to make a little extra cash from a new avenue. By buddy who is the VP of the group told me if I match the price he will lete
do all signs. Stupide didn't bother to ask roughly how many. He just said I don't even think you would be able to print them all it's so any. I will find that out tomorrow.
Not it gonna jump the gun on anything. I got to first make sure I can do it. Make sure the profit makes sense. And if I need to invest in the things I don't have, then I will. Maybe even buy a flatbed printer. So if anyone knows a flatbed printer to look at or something else I don't know yet feel free to point me in that direction. But like I said if it makes sense to invest I will. If it makes sense to Sub it out then I will. But prices on the internet are pretty dam cheap so I wouldayne have to get a good contact for a real wholesale price to do that. Thanks for your input so far.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Haha....... major buzz killers is a strong suit at this place. It's also called the school of hard knocks. Your choice, take it or leave it.
We have a 5 x 9 one armed bandit, several small screen stations and a flatbed, not to mention roll to roll printers. For the last few years, our screen tables are rather silent. The flatbed has taken over for them. No smell, no prepping, no cleanup, no run time.......... no nothing. Easier money and faster turnaround. While you were discussing this, I thought it would be good for you to jump in the trenches and get your hands dirty and try a new avenue, but once you said competing with online stuff....... forget it. You can't. Those guys are set up to do it so fast and efficiently, you won't be able to touch their pricing.
Buying a large piece of equipment just to compete is also a mistake. Basically, you're sinking all your money into one hope and if it bails, you're stuck with an anchor and no boat. One should really have an abundant amount of work already in progress in order to purchase new/used equipment. Not the other way around.
That's not buzz killing..... that's logic and pure common sense
We have a 5 x 9 one armed bandit, several small screen stations and a flatbed, not to mention roll to roll printers. For the last few years, our screen tables are rather silent. The flatbed has taken over for them. No smell, no prepping, no cleanup, no run time.......... no nothing. Easier money and faster turnaround. While you were discussing this, I thought it would be good for you to jump in the trenches and get your hands dirty and try a new avenue, but once you said competing with online stuff....... forget it. You can't. Those guys are set up to do it so fast and efficiently, you won't be able to touch their pricing.
Buying a large piece of equipment just to compete is also a mistake. Basically, you're sinking all your money into one hope and if it bails, you're stuck with an anchor and no boat. One should really have an abundant amount of work already in progress in order to purchase new/used equipment. Not the other way around.
That's not buzz killing..... that's logic and pure common sense
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Don't know ?? He didn't really ask that and if you are, start a thread on it in the right category and perhaps others will chime in.
Again, you're putting the cart before the horse.
I forgot to put the 
After buzz killer lol. I realize with all the experience you have it is actually for my protection. And of course I will not sink a bunch of money into it before I know I can get the work. That's why I wanted to screen print it first with my press get an idea of what I'm looking at as far as how things work, react, smell 
and while I learn more. About different processes machines I figure if I did it that way should only cost me a couple hundred bucks at most for new squeegee and supplies needed. Then lesson learned if I fail. Then I'll be back on here with a big apology lol
But I at least want to give it a try. And see what happened.
Also so as far as flatbed. I was up all night looking at videos and reading but just want to make sure I'm up
with the terms for the presses. When you say flatbed is that just a
big one color unit? Or a full color print unit. I also seen some videos with a single automated press for signs. But could not find to any videos or info. Most videos are guys just printing the sign. This at be over my head at the moment but if you can at least correct my terminology I would
Appreciate it. Or just a link to a site that explains the different ways.
Thanks again guys. I know the question you guys have to deal with a lot of the time.
After buzz killer lol. I realize with all the experience you have it is actually for my protection. And of course I will not sink a bunch of money into it before I know I can get the work. That's why I wanted to screen print it first with my press get an idea of what I'm looking at as far as how things work, react, smell and while I learn more. About different processes machines I figure if I did it that way should only cost me a couple hundred bucks at most for new squeegee and supplies needed. Then lesson learned if I fail. Then I'll be back on here with a big apology lol But I at least want to give it a try. And see what happened.
Also so as far as flatbed. I was up all night looking at videos and reading but just want to make sure I'm up
with the terms for the presses. When you say flatbed is that just a
big one color unit? Or a full color print unit. I also seen some videos with a single automated press for signs. But could not find to any videos or info. Most videos are guys just printing the sign. This at be over my head at the moment but if you can at least correct my terminology I would
Appreciate it. Or just a link to a site that explains the different ways.
Thanks again guys. I know the question you guys have to deal with a lot of the time.
SignMeUpGraphics
Super Active Member
Flatbeds such as the following:
All 4+ colour true flatbeds.
Printing on coro is a piece of cake, however you'll need to be turning over hundreds a day to make it worth the purchase.
- Océ Arizona
- Fuji Acuity
- SwissQ Print Nyala
All 4+ colour true flatbeds.
Printing on coro is a piece of cake, however you'll need to be turning over hundreds a day to make it worth the purchase.