Recycled Packaging and Screen Printing Platens

One of the secrets to screen printing is having the right platens (pallets). These are the flat boards that t-shirts are pulled over for screen printing. They help hold the t-shirt in place and make screen printing much much easier and quicker.

For a basic t-shirt you only need a basic platen. But certain items (or specialty print locations) require unique platens to make it possible to print on them. Apparel such as sleeves, onesies, tote bags, mesh shorts, and zip hoodies all present unique obstacles which make their printing a bit trickier. That’s where specialty platens come in.

This is a special platen for screen printing zip-up hoodies. The groove down the middle gives space for the zipper to fall, leaving a nice flat printing surface.

Our favorite company for platens is Action Engineering. They make great quality hardware. Additionally, they ship their platens using recycled packaging which seems like one of the most logical ideas out there. Check out the old paper being reused to provide a comfortable ride for a new platen.

A simple and cheap way to package goods.

Hope you enjoyed this little screen printing lesson. Thanks to all the hard-working platens out there, allowing us to screen print lots of fantastic and unique items.