Introduction to printing mesh

The dimensions of the mesh openings affect  stencil support, meter ink flow and contribute to the print's appearance.
 The  best mesh for screen printing meshis commonly woven out of monofilament  polyester and it functions both as support for the stencil and to meter the  amount of ink deposited on the substrate. The dimensions of the mesh count,  percentage of open area and thread thickness all contribute to the appearance  of the end product. You will find that accurate measurements of these mesh  specifications are supplied by the manufacturer. Poor image registration, image  elongation and uneven ink deposits can result from the improper selection or  preparation of the mesh fabric.
 As a general rule, the dimension of the  mesh opening should be at least three times larger than the pigment fineness of  the ink.
 The mesh opening is measured with a  microscope from the edge of one thread across the opening to the edge of the  opposite thread, in microns (1 micron = 1 millionth of a meter, or  0.00003937"). High quality mesh is woven so the finished product offers a  perfectly square opening, within tolerances. Since threads come in different  diameters, you can have mesh openings that are the same in vastly different  mesh counts. A fat thread in a low mesh count can have the same mesh opening as  a thin thread in a higher mesh count. The threads will make the mesh  thicknesses different.