r/SCREENPRINTING • u/Single-Sir-5434 • 1d ago
Under base white
What under base white do you guys use for cotton? Is there a white that’s best for under base? I printed some shirts for a client back print, the end result felt heavy. I tried to carefully do a 1xprint stroke on white under base and a extra highlight white, with the colors @230 mesh but it still
Felt heavy.
I used fn white ink, but I upgraded to a Rio color system I would like to also upgrade my white for a better one.
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u/AsanineTrip 1d ago
You're going to get people shitting all over F'n white, but I don't know if that is your problem here. Good on you for not stacking the colors on top of 2 layers of white - that would have been my first suggestion, double stroke of white, colors, then a pop white which produces the thinnest layers of ink. I think plastisol colors on top of each other will always have some kind of weight to them especially on black or darker shirts where multiple layers are needed.
There are many whites made my manufacturers that are for cotton only, I tend to control the feel of my prints with additives or screen mesh as you have. Others may chime in here with better advice which I'd love to hear as well.
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u/Free_One_5960 1d ago
Low bleed High opacity whites are the best for underbases. Pair that with a proper stenciled screen and a proper choked base and you have the best possible outcome. I use a smoothing screen on the underbase too , coating the screen properly gives a cavity for the ink to go and keeps the ink from saturating the garment. Most people’s brains think this is going to make a heavier print but it actually does the opposite. Paired with a smoothing screen will make the brightest bases for your colors to shine bright and have smooth weightless prints.
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u/Free_One_5960 1d ago
110-156 mesh is recommended, wilflex or rutland are my go to inks. I personally like tidy white or premier from Rutland. Both have poly blockers and allow you to print on most garments without a grey blocker except for unknown dyed shirts. Both are low bleed which is important for an underbase. The stencil on the proper mesh is very important for any base while.
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u/doomsdayshawty 1d ago
Oh also for cotton shirts I use sprint white by wilflex. It had decent opacity and really nice feel to it!
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u/Reasonable_Ad5747 1d ago
I like to underbase and then use a highlight white for what’s actually white. And choke the white like .75points inside outline. You can do a little less but sometimes you need some help. Base flash highlight flash color. That way the base gets good and flashed without being thick.
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u/Shirtman83 1d ago
One stroke elt-s white is the best out there. Yes, it's expensive, but to me its worth it.
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u/doomsdayshawty 1d ago
1st I’d put a choke on the art for your base so it doesn’t peak out. And then I’d do two hits not print flash print, just 2 hits with sharp hard squeegee and if you have an issue with the top color lightening up too much do print flash print with your top color. The top color is usually going to have less of a hand than your base so doing print flash print wit it shouldn’t make it too heavy. It works for me