How to Screen Print Nylon. A $4000 Education.

Never trust an expert unless (A.) you have first hand knowledge of his/her expertise, or (B.) have enough time and resources to eventually verify (A).

This would have saved me $4000.00 and a huge heartache. We have discussed in other articles the unhealthy levels of my (possibly psychotic) optimism. I may even be Pollyanna herself - in a guy’s body of course. But this was beyond the pail.

It was my SECOND job in service to AAA Screen Printing, and it was huge. Too big for me. I should have said “no!” I knew I should have, even at the time. This isn’t like 20/20 hindsight. This was knowledge at the time I was well in possession of. And yet, “I’ll do my best.” I said instead. I’m sick of regret.

I had in my basement 209, high-quality nylon jackets which were $20 a pop, and I didn’t have the first clue how to properly print them.

I began doing research on the internet, because as we are all well aware of at this point: the internet is a fountain of truth and knowledge which can be trusted almost always. I read and read, and read, and read, until I could read no more, and still didn’t know where to start. I called Ryonet. They were helpful. But they spoke to me as though I were already in the know, and not wanting to sound like an idiot (which any newbie who wants to print $4000 worth of nylon absolutely is) I let the farce stand. They used terms I was only vaguely familiar with. I responded with affirmative answers, and spoke very intelligently about things of which I had no idea.

It began with more screen burning issues. I had finally figured out how to properly coat the screens, but I hadn’t yet fully tested my emulsion. Plus, being fast exposing it is already much more difficult to expose than the dual cure emulsions. With my inexperience it was almost impossible. The first night passed without a single screen, as did the second night with only one of four burned (two colors on two different size jackets). The third night saw more success when I switched to Saatichem, but only a little more. It took me eight screens to get the remaining three I needed.

Night four, I still hadn’t printed a single jacket. I had the jacket clamp. I had the ink, the Nylabond. I had everything but the reassurance that comes with firsthand knowledge of how to do something properly. I had a brain full of garbled knowledge from countless different resources, all describing the same process in vastly different terms, and levels of technicality.

It’s all rather funny now. I was learning how to print one of the single most difficult substrates, nylon mesh, from various vendors and websites. That’s not a terrible way to learn, along with trial and error, time, and a little effort, but when $4000 worth of jackets is on the line, and needed on a deadline, and you have about $20 in the bank… find a better way.

I had the lingering guilt that someone better, someone more experienced needed to be printing these. She, the owner of the company, called again to ask about progress. “I haven’t printed a single jacket.” I said. “I just don’t know how to do it.”

“That’s OK. I have somebody who can help. She’s been screen printing for 20 years. She’s an expert.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

Day five. She arrived. A God-send. An answer to my prayers. An angel who smoked Marlboro’s, and knew exactly how to print my jackets. I can look back now and safely say that God didn’t answer that prayer, and in fact, God was yelling to me to “Turn back! Swallow your pride! This is a disaster, from which I will not protect you!” God was trying to tell me through all those early hardships and mishaps that this job wasn’t right. At the time my motives were all wrong.

I took the job anyway. I hired the lady, Carol, we’ll call her. She printed all 209 jackets. The school they were printed for, upon seeing the job, refused all but one of them. My expert, my optimism had failed.

Part 2 will be up tomorrow.