MOST VERSATILE MESH COUNTS AND LOW MESH COUNTS

The most standard screen printing mesh counts in screen printing are 110 and 156. 110 mesh silk screen printing mesh lays a fairly thick layer of ink down. It’s great for printing block letters and larger spot-color designs. 156 mesh screen printing also lays down a thick layer of ink but offers higher detail. Because of this, 156 mesh is the go-to screen for many printers.

Low printing screen mesh counts like 38-86 are typically used for glitter or shimmer inks. These types of inks have large flakes that will not pass through typical mesh sizes easily. Shimmer plastisol inks, can pass through the higher mesh sizes in this range — around 86 — but glitter inks require low mesh counts, as they have larger flakes.

Pro Tip: Adding a Curable Reducer to inks with large particles can help them pass through screens more effectively. Adding Curable Reducer for instance, makes it able to print through mesh counts as high as 230.