Which Yudu Screen Do I Have?

To date, there are 3 types of Yudu Screens:

1. The 110 mesh that ships with the basic Yudu Personal Screen Printing Machine package.
2. The 220 mesh screens.
3. The screens pre-burned from the factory.

Here's How to Tell the Difference.

• Yudu 110 mesh screens are often or always unmarked or unlabeled. In fact, in Provocraft's (the manufacturer of the Yudu) Catalog, they are often referred to as simply a Yudu screen.
• Yudu 220 mesh screens are always marked with a "220" on it. You can buy the screens separately, or sometimes they comes in package deals.
• If you bought a bundle or package deal, you may also have gotten the pre-burned screen. It comes from the factory with a design already on it. You may notice that the emulsion on the pre-burned screens looks a little different than the screens made using the emulsion sheets. If you try to reclaim or recycle these screens, you'll learn you can't. See below.

What is the difference between the 110 Mesh and the 220 Yudu Screens?

The number of the screen (110 or 220) refers to the mesh count, or resolution of the screen. The higher the number, the greater the detail the screen can capture. The 110 mesh is lower resolution because it only has 110 holes per linear inch, as opposed to the 220 which has twice as many. Consequently, the 110 mesh will tend to lay down more ink than the 220 because the holes are bigger. While the advice from Provocraft basically amounts to "The 110 is for cloth printing, and the 220 is for paper printing," that is only correct some of the time, and tends to be misleading.

Which Yudu Screen Should I Use?

A good rule of thumb is, for images with lines thinner than a pencil lead or fonts smaller than 14 pts, use the 220 mesh. For most other applications, the 110 works fine.

Now to delve a little deeper. There are times when either screen will work for you, but one may be a better choice. Below is some of the screen types' strong points.

Yudu 110 Mesh Screens:
• Most often the better choice for light colored inks on dark fabrics. May still need flash drying or under-basing.
• Often better for printing large fields of ink.
• Easier to use with thicker inks.
• More effective if you are trying to penetrate the inks deeper into a fabric (ex. terrycloth)
• Use for some metallic inks. (There are some metallic inks where the particles are too big even for the 110 mesh.)

Yudu 220 Mesh Screens:
• Use for small dots, fonts smaller than 14 points and thin lines
• Good for printing paper or materials that can't be penetrated.
• Better choice when using process inks for more advanced printing techniques.
• Requires extra flash drying or under-basing when using with light inks on dark colored garments.

Should I Degrease My Yudu Screens?

Yes, especially before the first time you apply the emulsion sheets (capillary films).

Generally speaking, degreasing your screens helps your emulsion stick to them better. While coating your screens with liquid emulsion will lower any problems with emulsion adhesion, even then, it is still recommended that you degrease them.

It is important that you use a proper degreaser, or you can give yourself great headaches. There are some giving advice to use regular dish washing soap on your screens. While some soaps may work, others (particularly those with fragrance in them) can worsen adhesion. In the end, it is probably better not to degrease your screens at all than to use the wrong stuff.

What if my Yudu Screens are Stained?

With use, your Yudu screens will get stained. Some inks will stain them quicker than others. Also, under-exposing your screen can cause stains, as certain chemicals can meld into the unexposed emulsion and create problems. Using a Ghost / Haze Remover on your screens when you reclaim / recycle them can make a big difference.

Another way to help cut down on stains is to reclaim your screens using high pressure water. About 1100 psi usually does the trick, and washing both sides is an improvement as well.

Can I Reclaim the Pre-burned Yudu Screen?

No. The pre-burned screens that you get with the Provocraft Yudu bundles will not reclaim or recycle. The emulsion on those screens have been catalyzed, which prevents that. Generally speaking, screen printers will sometime catalyze screens used with waterbased inks so they last longer (like 10,000 impressions or more). If you really like the design Provocraft put on that screen for you, then, congratulations! It's permanent.

Can I Make My Own Yudu Screens?

Probably not. If you want to do it to save money, there are other ways to accomplish that. Like, for example, using third party supplies such as the ones sold here at diyTeeShirts.com.

One major problem is getting the tension right. Yudu screens are under-tensioned as it is, and making it worse is not worth the few dollars you might save stretching your own screens. On the other hand, if you happen to have one of those air-powered professional screen stretching units and a tension meter laying around, why not?

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