Impressions - August 2018 - 26

Don't use screens with
tensions less than 18 N/cm.
Anything greater than
20 N/cm is suitable for
multicolor jobs.

After reclaiming and when the screens are dry, measure the tension
with a tension meter. Write the tension number and date in the lower
left-hand corner of the screen and cover it with clear packing tape.
3. Other Metrics: Since emulsion is about 60% water, the screen
room's humidity level can have a tremendous impact on screendrying times. Depending on where you live, weather can greatly
affects the workflow in screen room.
Install a hygrometer to measure the relative humidity in this workspace. When you add newly coated screens, you may see a spike in the
room's humidity. If you have a challenge with this, a dehumidifier can
remove the air's moisture content, allowing screens to dry much faster.
You also may want to count the different screen meshes your shop
uses. How many of each mesh count are imaged daily? Break that
down into average percentages to figure out how many of each screen
type to reclaim and coat daily.

Prioritizing for Production
The screen room's primary job is to have perfectly crafted screens
ready for production before they are needed. This requires a system
for creating the screen-room workflow process. One method is to
have each department use the shipping date as the key data point to
organize their work. Everything works backward from that.
Proactively speaking, the screen-room manager should look out
several days in advance for what needs to be imaged. If the information is available, understanding how many jobs, screens and mesh
counts are required is a great place to start for planning purposes. The
screen room always should be ahead of production.
This happens with excellent communication and following standardized workflow best practices. What you don't want is finger
pointing between the production, screen room and art departments.
These groups should work together to achieve the goal, which is ontime order completion.

Dig Into Problems

Collecting data on the
number of screens your shop
reclaims, coats, images,
exposes and rinses helps
you understand the work
that is needed.
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i m p r e s s i o n s m a g . c o m AUGUST 2018

The screen room is the manufacturing part of the creative process.
You can learn a lot about building a better shop by looking at how
traditional manufacturing practices solve problems.
This happens via reducing variables, standardizing the process, using the consumable products correctly, training and having constant
vigilance for errors. Taking note of these challenges and working to
resolve them can have a big impact on your shop - as long as your
team alerts you to challenges as they arise.
For example, let's say your press operators notice they are stopping for five or 10 minutes to fix pinholes that develop during print
production. These are noted in your production logs. After an investigation, it is determined that the vacuum-table glass has too much
dust and lint. Upon cleaning, the problem goes away.
From this process, you can institute a daily ritual of cleaning the
glass in the morning before exposing any screens. That practice should
then become the new standard that is written into the screen room's
operating procedure.

Dialing it All In
While there are plenty of different choices you can make in terms
of screen-room products and equipment, the best workflow tips all

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Impressions - August 2018

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