In this screen printing tutorial I’m going to show you how to replace, and apply pallet tape to your press.
Start at one corner and slowly pull back on the tape. Tape that has been on the pallet for along time will be extremely hard to get off. We try to change our tape once or twice a week to alleviate the struggle.
Pallet tape will not stick glue residue so your pallets need to be completely clean before applying the new tape. Use ink cleaner to remove any residual tape adhesive. For those hard to remove spots grab a ink spatula and scrape the glue till is gone.
Grab your palate tape and unroll a few inches. Use your hand and smooth the first few inches to the palate like this. Also we tape from the side but you can do the same thing from the back to the front.
Now you are going to unroll enough tape to cover your palate cut it above the palette with one hand use the other hand to smooth the tape down to the palate, work from the center out. Work you way across the tape. If you take your time and do this right you should be able to apply the tape without any wrinkles or air bubble. This is another mark of a quality printer. Wrinkles and air bubble show a complete lack of craftsmanship from you or your printers. So I reiterate no air bubble or wrinkles. Once the tape is applied cut the roll
Cut around the tape. Some printers like to wrap the tape around the pallets like this others will cut close to the edge like this. I prefer wrapping to protect the pallets from glue and ink getting on them. But this is up to you.
Ok that was quick and easy. In my next tutorial I’m going to show you how to use water based adhesive. Also be sure to check out our article on pricing your live screen printing business.
