86 MESH COUNT
Mesh counts below 110 are most mainly used for specialty printing like glitter and shimmer inks. These inks have flakes, which can get caught in the mesh of a screen if your mesh count is too high, and none going onto the shirt itself. Glitter inks have larger, more obvious flakes to them, while shimmer inks will have smaller particles to give a more subtle look. 86 mesh is best for shimmer inks.
110 MESH COUNT
The 110 mesh count is will lay down a fairly thick layer of ink. This mesh is great for block text letters and larger spot color designs. It’s also a recommended mesh for an underbase because you will only have to do one pass, which speeds up production.
158 MESH COUNT
158 mesh (previously 156) is great for general purpose textile printing with basic to semi-fine detail. They will hold a little finer detail than 110 mesh and also work well with thinner inks.
196 MESH COUNT
196 mesh (previously 200) are great for printing more detailed prints that need a thinner layer of ink to be laid down than a 158. They work well with thinner inks and helps to keep the inks from flooding onto the garment. Printers that want a softer-hand feel with plastisol ink can use this mesh count to achieve that feel, but it may reduce the ink's opacity. Check out this blog to learn more about mesh counts and their uses.
