The recent purchase of some used Newman Roller Frames from MHM has forced us into adjusting our whole approach to screen making.

The Newman screens have been a massive investment in terms of time, but the benefits are already becoming apparent.

We were a little apprehensive about taking on Newman rollers as there are many screen printers who claim they are too difficult to use. But we decided the good reports were far more prevalent, many T-Shirt printers claiming they could never return to using glued screens. So what are the benefits of Newman’s? A tighter screen mesh (measured in Newtons) allows for

1. More accurate registration
2. Quicker set up times
3. A more uniform deposit of ink on the shirt

The screens can be re-tensioned, so these advantages will never be lost, and the life of the screen mesh is prolonged. We also benefit from savings on screen emulsion, and inks. However there are some problems to be overcome

1. The initial time investment is substantial, there is a lot to be learnt
2. The various sundries required are not easily available in the UK
3. Newman roller screens are a serious financial investment
4. Screens will tear easily at high tension

All the above are not really ongoing problems, the return on investment put these initial set up costs and frustrations into perspective. The screens are incredibly well made, our screens were acquired second hand, they had been very well used, but once cleaned up they were as good as new. We have not yet invested in a stretching table from Newman, and at the moment we are happy to stretch screens by hand, we can achieve tensions that are nearly double those of our glued frames. This was only possible with a few tips from Butch at Stretch Devices this video quite possibly saved us hours of torment, we are way behind Butch on his time of 7 minutes for a screen but working on it

So far so good, back to looking for locking strip, and extending the screen drying cabinet. Then our next job is to organise the pin registration system, this is where we should be able to reclaim all the time we have invested over the last 2 weeks.

Advertees T shirt printing with Newman roller screens.

2011 update: As we had hoped, these screens are really paying for themselves. The initial time and money investment is long forgotten. We now have a stretching table , and an extended screen room allowing Advertees to process higher numbers of screens per day without losing any of the stencil quality.