Not all screen printers know the importance of printing with the perfect squeegee. A good quality squeegee will help make your screen printing job a breeze. Understanding the durometer, the shape and the size/length is crucial for making your jobs efficient and easy.
The first main thing to consider is the durometer, which is the density of the squeegee blade. The durometer ranges from 60-95, with the 60 being much softer than the harder 95 durometer. When you purchase a softer durometer like the 60, it will allow more ink to be printed. Whereas the 95 durometer will allow for less ink to be printed, but this type of squeegee usually lasts longer and holds up well with the many printing chemicals that one uses on a basic job. You also need to take into consideration the ink being used. Thicker inks like plastisol require a lower durometer, but if you are working with waterbased inks then a higher durometer would be the best option.
Secondly, the shape which is usually a rectangular, cut-edged squeegee is what will work for most level screen printing jobs. If you are printing on bottles or cylinders then a V shaped squeegee is the one to buy. The V shaped squeegees tend to deposit more ink in the center of your design leaving the edges not as clear. The triple durometer squeegee has a little more flex with a softer blade in the center and two firmer blades on the outside and these are used on automatic screen printing machines.
Lastly, the size and the length of the squeegee can make for friction free printing. The bigger the squeegee the higher the friction between the squeegee and the screen mesh, which leads to mesh problems and stencil drag. The squeegee blades are made of Urethane and need to be cleaned/rested properly to avoid issues with swelling. We suggest having a different squeegee to use per day, so that your squeegee are on rotation per week, allowing enough rest time in between jobs. All of these simple steps and tips will help you get into your own printing routine and will help to yield higher quality prints so that you are working in a smarter, more cost effective way.
Here are the
most popular squeegees offered at Mclogan's ranging from 60-80 durometers.
Not all screen printers know the importance of printing with the perfect squeegee. A good quality squeegee will help make your screen printing job a breeze. Understanding the durometer, the shape and the size/length is crucial for making your jobs efficient and easy.
The first main thing to consider is the durometer, which is the density of the squeegee blade. The durometer ranges from 60-95, with the 60 being much softer than the harder 95 durometer. When you purchase a softer durometer like the 60, it will allow more ink to be printed. Whereas the 95 durometer will allow for less ink to be printed, but this type of squeegee usually lasts longer and holds up well with the many printing chemicals that one uses on a basic job. You also need to take into consideration the ink being used. Thicker inks like plastisol require a lower durometer, but if you are working with waterbased inks then a higher durometer would be the best option.
Secondly, the shape which is usually a rectangular, cut-edged squeegee is what will work for most level screen printing jobs. If you are printing on bottles or cylinders then a V shaped squeegee is the one to buy. The V shaped squeegees tend to deposit more ink in the center of your design leaving the edges not as clear. The triple durometer squeegee has a little more flex with a softer blade in the center and two firmer blades on the outside and these are used on automatic screen printing machines.
Lastly, the size and the length of the squeegee can make for friction free printing. The bigger the squeegee the higher the friction between the squeegee and the screen mesh, which leads to mesh problems and stencil drag. The squeegee blades are made of Urethane and need to be cleaned/rested properly to avoid issues with swelling. We suggest having a different squeegee to use per day, so that your squeegee are on rotation per week, allowing enough rest time in between jobs. All of these simple steps and tips will help you get into your own printing routine and will help to yield higher quality prints so that you are working in a smarter, more cost effective way.
Here are the most popular squeegees offered at Mclogan's ranging from 60-80 durometers.
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