24, 38, 60, & 86 MESH COUNTS
Mesh counts below 110 are 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. Mesh counts like 24 or 38 are ideal for glitter inks, but you can go up to a 64 mesh. 86 mesh is used for printing shimmer inks and for laying down thick layers of ink for high density printing. It also works well for printing foil adhesive.
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.
125 MESH COUNT
125 mesh count is one of the most commonly mesh sizes in screen printing. It works great for printing white ink and other colored inks that have a thicker viscosity.
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.
230 MESH COUNT
The 230 mesh screens are great for printing thinner inks like discharge or water-based. A 230 mesh can hold halftones well while letting more ink through than a 305 mesh could.
280 MESH COUNT
The 280 mesh screens are great for printing thinner inks like discharge or water-based. A 280 mesh can hold halftones well while letting more ink through than a 305 mesh could.
305 MESH COUNT
305 mesh is used for jobs with the highest level of detail, and fine halftone four color and simulated process prints. Fine halftone dots need very high mesh counts in order to hold and expose properly. Otherwise, as stated before, the halftones and lines will simply fall through the mesh, leaving you with a less than desirable image to work with. Check out this blog to learn more about mesh counts and their uses.
