How to Guide. Choosing the right screen product for second surface printing

This simple How to Guide has been developed to help you select the best screen making products for use when screen printing the graphics layer on MacDermid Autotype Industrial films.

This range of hard coated films includes:                                 

• Autotex textured Polyester films
• Autoflex hardcoated Polyester and Polycarbonate films

The Autotype range of screen making products has been specifically formulated to work in conjunction with our hard coated industrial films to give the best possible results. The colour coded tables below will help guide you to select the most appropriate products for each screen making stage.

A well degreased screen is critical for long print runs. A few minutes spent preparing the screen will dramatically improve the durability of that screen and prevent costly remakes.

The stencil is the heart of the process and a good quality stencil can literally make the difference between a profit and a loss. Select the best stencil for your application based on the inks you are using and the type of printing you do.

Using the optimised screen cleaning solvent at each stage of the process can save you time, money and your health. Autosolve screen cleaning solvents are formulated to give the maximum cleaning power, with tailored evaporation rates using as safe a chemistry as possible.

Screen opener solvents will naturally have a faster evaporation rate than a Press Wash or Water Washable solvent as you need them to dissolve the dried-in ink and then dry off quickly, ready to resume printing.

If the stencils need to be reused after archiving, then select a Press Wash as these do not leave a greasy residue on the screens and will have minimal damage to the stencil.

The Water Washable Autosolve solvents are the most powerful cleaners and are used as part of the screen decoating process. They are blended with surfactants to enable them to be rinsed off with water ready to then strip the stencil.

Remove Capillex films and PLUS emulsion stencils quickly and easily with one of our Autostrip products. Choose a gel or concentrate to meet your needs.

A good haze remover is an essential tool for reusing screens many times and there are not many stains that cannot be removed with one of the Autotype Haze Removers.