The Importance of Chilling Out
by Rich Hoffman
•Aug 14, 2006
How air chillers can save your equipment, your profits, and your sanity.
The M&R Blog
Top 10 Quick Start Secrets To Printing Better Halftones
by Mark Coudray
•Nov 14, 2005
Halftone printing is all about the dots. The whole concept of printing various tones by fooling the eye is the very definition of a halftone. The tones we get are determined by the accuracy of the dots we print.
The Rz Value: A New Concept in Screen-Quality Evaluation
by Wolfgang Pfirrmann
•Oct 26, 2005
Evaluating the quality of a direct-emulsion stencil before it is on press is a difficult task. Pinholes and edge defects might be uncovered with illumination and magnification, but overall stencil quality and flatness are...
Understanding the Emulsion Curing Process & Determining Exposure Distance
by Dave Dennings
•Oct 10, 2005
Screen printers often overlook the importance of maintaining a controlled screen making process. This report will focus on the importance of understanding the emulsion curing process and the impact it has on workflow efficiency and company profits. In addition, it will...
Using an Exposure Calculator: Determining the Degree of Resistance
by Laura Unterbrink
•Oct 3, 2005
An exposure test conducted with an exposure calculator helps to find the optimal production exposure time for stencil making. An exposure calculator combines 2 films - a neutral density film and an artwork film. When exposed to a stencil...
Get Control of Your Screen Making Process: Implementing Standard Operating Procedures
by Dave Dennings
•Sep 22, 2005
Offset printers and inkjet printers alike are challenging screen printers for market share. In order to remain competitive in screen printing today, printers are taking their quality control program to the next level.
Screen Preparation for Pinhole Prevention
by Dave Dennings
•Sep 1, 2005
Screen printers the world over battle with the ubiquitous pinhole. For many years the pinhole has been responsible for increasing screen processing times and reducing the efficiency and profitability of the printing process. When screen printers estimate the price to...
Correcting Process Color Images On Press
by Mark Coudray
•Aug 19, 2005
One of the most perplexing, challenging aspects of printing four-color process is balancing color on press. This difficulty is due to the general lack of color knowledge of press operators and supervisors, most of whom started as entry-level helpers or general production workers.
Self-Tensioning Frames
by Geoff Baxter
•Aug 19, 2005
In most screen printing operations, mesh is stretched to a specific tension and then glued or stapled to static frames. Self-tensioning frames, on the other hand, have built-in tensioning mechanisms. Not only can the mesh be stretched...
Reducing Misprints
by Mark Coudray
•Aug 19, 2005
Misprints, everybody has them. Some days are better than others. Some jobs are always a problem. How much is it costing you?
The Sprint 3000 Is Superb
The Sprint 3000 is superb and we are really, really happy with it. We've got the recipes dialed in for our inks now and it's running great. We have noticed improvements in the finish on our plastisols, too. They seem to be coming through much softer. Assuming it's because we are much more efficiently curing than with the electric curers!
- Michael Dixon, Production Manager
Awesome Merchandise - UNITED KINGDOM
M&R proves why they are the leader when it comes to printing equipment.
We have been using our new I-Image STE for about 2 weeks now and it works great. Installation and training was a breeze, could not have been easier. It is the biggest time saver we have ever added to our process. We are printing and exposing screens in less than 90 seconds. Not only does it eliminate film cost completely, it produces screens faster and reduces setup time at the press. On top of that we are holding greater detail than ever before.
Once again M&R proves why they are the leader when it comes to printing equipment. Great job guys!
- Phil Rideout, President
R&R Enterprises - USA
i-Image ST is the biggest improvement to prepress we’ve ever seen.
Our new i-Image ST is the biggest improvement to prepress we’ve ever seen. It’s eliminated our need for film, and unlike film, digital images are easy to store and retrieve, making blown-screen replacement a snap.
i-Image ST has improved our screen quality, increased screen-generation speed, and reduced cost. Screen production is way up because we’ve cut exposure times by 75%. And i-Image has virtually eliminated post-processing screen touch-ups. We could never produce screens of this quality—or at this speed—the conventional way. Our CTS screens are unmatched.
Multi-screen jobs come out perfectly registered, and since i-Image ST pre-registers screens for Tri-Loc, our entire prepress process, from screen prep to registration, has been cut dramatically.
Our i-Image ST will probably end up being one of the fastest returns on investment we’ve ever had.
- John & Dan Smithline
Guerilla Graffix - USA
The Gauntlet III is a beast and is built to run 24/7/365.
We have had our Gauntlet III in production for nearly 3 months and have been thrilled with the machine. We have already put over 120,000 impressions on the machine and it is still going strong. We have found that the individual off-contact for each printhead helps with various printing techniques. It is also a plus to be able to adjust in 1/16” increments when needed. Our first job was a 9-color on dark apparel with a 17” print stroke and one flash. We were able to run the machine comfortably at 920 pieces per hour. The addition of the laser for print placements has saved us valuable time where we used to mark our pallets with a T-Square. The touchscreen interface is very user friendly and easy to make adjustments when needed.
Having a built-in maintenance schedule [M&R’s Maintenance Minder™] for the machine is another perk and allows management to easily assure that the presses are being properly maintained. We have not had any problems to date with the machine but are at ease knowing that all parts that we could ever need are able to be overnighted to us.
Overall, we have seen an increase in our production numbers due to the efficiencies gained with the newest technology on the market. We are able to run as fast as we can clear a screen and dry our underbase.
Simply put, the Gauntlet III is a beast and is built to run 24/7/365.
- Steve Rhodes, Owner
Impressionz Printing - USA
The Diamondback R Series is our first auto press, and it is the best thing we have ever done here at Showdown Merch.
The Diamondback R Series is our first auto press, and it is the best thing we have ever done here at Showdown Merch. Matched up with the Mini Sprint 2000 and the Red Chili's, we are able to triple our workload easily. This press is the easiest press to set up and do a large order with, and take down is a breeze.
Amazing service on such a great product.
Any shops out there can feel free to give us a call at (403) 887-3388 if you need any other reviews on this product.
- Bryce Thurston
Showdown Merch - CANADA