Screen Printing Techniques and Tips: Squeegies and their use

The screen printing squeegie, aside from being fun to say, is one of the most under-rated items in the shop. When a squeegie is of the correct shape, size, and hardness, you never think about them. When you are trying to do a really intricate design, and the squeegie you have is soft or gouged on the work edge, then suddenly the squeegie becomes the most visible part of the screen printing process!

The important factors in selecting a squeegie are:

Durometer - a fancy word for hardness. 60 to 90 duro is common for textile printing.
Profile - the type of edge the blade has. Square is used 99% of the time, but other profiles exist.
Handle - the blade attaches to it (duh). Some are replaceable, others are not. The correct handle is important, because it can lead to fatigue over long runs if you select the wrong one!

To print an image, you apply firm pressure to the squeegie while pulling it across the stencil and through a line or bead of ink applied prior to printing. Depending on who you listen to, you may hold the blade at a right angle to the screen, or at a 45° angle.

We at teeshirtprinters.com think holding the blade at a right angle to the screen is best. Apply enough force that, as you move the squeegie, the part of the blade that touches the screen bends to be at a 45° angle. This allows you to gauge how much force you are applying, and to keep it consistent from shirt to shirt.

Select a blade with at least 60 durometer. Be aware that squeegies with far less duro do exist, but are used for printing other types of inks and substrates.

Some squeegies are dual, or even triple duro. These are more common in auto press use, but you may find them in manual perss shops, too. 60/90 and 70/90/70 duro blades are common. The benefit of a dual-duro blade is that it is two different materials sandwiched into one, so you have the rigidity of a 90 duro blade helping you apply pressure, but the softness of a 60 duro blade actually doing the printing. This can be a big deal in auto presses, but if you are using a manual press, just be sure the blade is between 60 and 90 duro.

Profile is almost a no-brainer for the manual press shop: get a square blade. Blade sharpeners are made, so when your squeegie blade gets worn, you can re-edge it or have it edged by someone who has a sharpener. If you do want to play with other profiles, look for a round edge first - this will give you an idea of why a sharp, square edge is necessary!

Lastly, let's discuss the handle. Squeegie handles may have the blade glued, stapled or bolted in, and may be made of plastic, wood or metal. All forms have their benefits and drawbacks.

Plastic handles are basically worthless in textile printing. We've not yet encountered one that is well made for our purposes, so leave those to the serigraphers who don't need to generate the force we textile printers do.

Wood handles are our favorite. They are comfortable when contoured like the ones teeshirtprinters.com offers, and last a long time.

Aluminum handles are practically indestructible and represent a long-term investment. However, aluminum is prone to leaving a greyish-black deposit on your hands. If you are handling light colored garments this is a real drawback! If you operate a multi-station press, and someone else is hanging the shirts on the platen as you use the squeegie, these aluminum squeegies may be for you.

Take good care of your squeegies! One nick or depression in the blade can render it useless, and they are not cheap! When not in use, rest your squeegies on the handle edge, or better yet, hang them from a hole in the handle. Clean the ink from them immediately after use and make sure no solvent remains on them. Inks and solvents can penetrate the blade, causing it to swell and rendering it useless.

When you select a teeshirtprinters.com squeegie, you will be pleased. Our wooden handled squeegies are available in the correct durometer, edge profile for your needs as a manual press textile printer.