CONFIGURING OUR STUDIO LAYOUT FOR A BETTER WORKFLOW
At Squeegee & Ink, we have a fairly limited workspace and generally end up placing equipment where it fits easily. This isn’t always the best method however, so recently we have spent some time analysing the studio layout.
If you are new to screen printing and are trying to configure your studio or if you have a small studio like us and want to find the best use of your space, here are some tips to get started.
T-SHIRT PRESS/CAROUSEL
When setting up a t-shirt carousel you need to make sure you have enough space all the way around it. We found the best way to do this was to set the platens to the furthest point away from the centre of the press. Once they are at their extremes, make sure there is enough room for someone to walk around it 360 degrees.
Make sure you have electrical points near your carousel as (even though the press may be manually operated) you will need to plug items in such as a flash dryer nearby.
If you are still looking for the best t-shirt carousel for a small studio, we highly recommend the M&R Kruzer. It is compact, durable, easy to use and it holds its value due to the quality of the kit. Check out our review on the Kruzer here:
HEATERS
Starting with your flash dryer, you will need to have this set up on your press for most of the time. We like to keep ours hovering over a platen even when it is not in use. This means we are not waisting space even when it’s not in use.
When the flash dryer is in use, we like to have it in sight at all times. Therefore we generally keep the flash over our second platen so we can see exactly what is happening. Remember that the flash dryer gets extremely hot so it is best to avoid keeping it in walkways or areas where there is heavy traffic.
If your on the lookout for a good flash dryer; we recommend the BBC Black Flash for small studios (especially if your using single phase electricity!). When purchasing from Screen Print World, you can use our discount code : CRP5
Secondly, you need to think about your tunnel dryer. The placement of your tunnel dryer will be determined by how many presses you have in your studio, where your plug sockets are and the amount of people printing each job.
The best method for locating a tunnel dryer is to put the input end as close to the carousel as possible. Doing this will allow the printer to take shirts off the press and put them directly through the dryer. However from our experience, it’s best not to have the heat TOO close to the printer… sweaty printers are uncomfortable printers!
We completed a time trial to see which layout was quicker in our studio. You will be surprised by the results! Check it out here:
INKS
Your ink mixing station is more important than you might think! Firstly, we would suggest having a clear separation between your water based inks and your plastisol inks. Keeping them separated will save your hours over the course of your printing career! Secondly, you need to have a designated ‘mixing station’.
If you are using plastisol inks, you will already know that plastisol does not dry… therefore, one tiny smudge of ink can cause nightmares and ruin a whole print job if you don’t keep your areas separated. Same goes for water based pigments. If you have ever had a violet pigment spill you will know exactly how quickly things can get out of control!
The best option is to use stainless steel tables for your ink stations. We are not fortunate enough to have this in our studio but it would be our first investment if we ever decide to move!
DARK ROOM
In a small studio, screen racks on wheels are your best friend. You can use these to store screens flat after coating and also to transfer 20 screens at a time from one end of the studio to the other. This is a huge time saver and means you don’t need to worry about your darkroom being close to your printing press. Here is a link to the screen racks that we use in our studio. Remember to use our discount code for Screen Print World : CRP5
WASHOUT AREA
Making space for a dip tank may seem like a waste of space when you only have a small studio but it is such a HUGE TIME SAVER! Our best tip is to put it on wheels before you fill it with chemicals. Doing this will mean you can move it around whenever you need to… and it helps with emptying the tank when you need to!
We made a video setting up our new dip tank in a confined space. Check it out here :
Another thing to take into consideration with your washout area is the splash back from your power hose. While this is minimal, I would advise keeping freshly degreased screens away from the washout booth. Or make yourself a waterproof curtain if space is tight.
DRY/CLEAN AREAS
If you are printing t-shirts you will need a designated clean area for folding and counting shirts. This area can also be used for packaging and posting orders. In our studio we use an extra long work bench which includes a plan chest beneath that holds all of our packaging supplies.
On the subject of dry and clean areas – if you are planning on printing for customers, you will need a ‘goods in’ and ‘goods out’ area in your studio. You don’t want to be tripping over boxes constantly!
COMPUTERS AND PRINTERS
Lastly, when starting a screen printing business, most people get fixated on the latest equipment. In reality, you are going to be spending more time on your computer than you might think!
In our studio we like to keep our desk space clean and as far away from our printing carousel as possible. Our film positive printer is connected to our computer so we need to keep that dust free – that includes keeping it far away from spray tack… in fact, recently we have stopped using spray tack all together and if you want to keep your studio clean and running smoothly, we would suggest investing in some dual tack PMI tape instead of spray tack. Here is where we get ours (discount code : CRP5) :
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST YOUTUBE VIDEO
Time trialing different studio layouts:
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