How do you know you're selecting the appropriate screen printing mesh (fabric) for the design you need to burn on your silkscreen frame.
This first sentence is a mouthful, and depending on your level of experience not an easy question to answer. As a general rule, you would like to select the mesh count that capture all the detail of your design while putting down the most amount of ink while printing.
The higher the mesh count, the better the image detail, the lower the ink flow, AND the faster the ink will clog in your silkscreen.
So how do you know you're selecting the correct mesh count for your design?
Here is a quick chart to help you narrow down the mesh count ranges. We use round number, as many manufacturers modify their thread count by a number, or two for sales purposes.
| Mesh Range | Detail | |
| 60-80 | Low | For glitter printing and heavy ink coverage |
| 110-125 | Low | The standard mesh count used for basic fabric printing |
| 140-160 | Medium | Finer detail and recommended starting mesh for paper, and card stock |
| 180-200 | High | Ideal for fine line detail; but not for photographic prints |
| 230-255 | High | Photographic images requiring halftones and four color process printing |
| 280-355 | Very High | Extremely fine detail and text |
You should check your screen printing inks technical data sheet for mesh count recommendation to get your selection process started.