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Poor Stencil Quality |
Causes/Solutions |
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Image on stencil is there but not washing out enough. |
May be over exposed. Try reducing exposure time. · Check
negative/artwork. If light passes through printed areas, image may not be
opaque enough. · Light may be diffusing under Stencil. Make sure Stencil
and artwork are squeezed tightly together. |
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No image at all, entire stencil is solid color. |
Make sure negative is placed between light source and Stencil. · May have been left out of protective bag for too long. Return
unused pieces in black bag ASAP. Protect from intense light during washout. |
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Entire Stencil is washing away leaving only the mesh. |
Light source is not intense enough or has no UV. Make sure
you use recommended light. · Negative is blocking all UV light. Use recommended negative/artwork media. · Plastic or glass used in your
contact frame may block out UV. Make sure to use non-UV-blocking materials. |
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Fine details washing away. |
Negative may not be opaque enough or details are too fine.
· Exposure time not long enough. Printer paper brightness level too high -
use 84 brightness, 20lb computer paper. |
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Some areas not washing away. |
Negative making poor contact with Stencil. Use
recommended contact frame. · Image on negative not opaque enough in some
areas. |
| Some areas washing away. |
Light source not distributing evenly over entire surface
of Stencil. Try using larger light source or more bulbs. |
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Image is fuzzy. |
Negative making poor contact with Stencil. Use recommended contact frame. · Light diffusing under Stencil.
Make sure to place on top of dark foam or material. · Negative placed on
mesh side of Stencil. Make sure negative is on shiny green side during
exposure. · Light source not perpendicular to Stencil. |
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Film lifting off mesh. |
Under exposed leaving film too soft. Try longer exposure
time. · Too vigorous washout. Use gentler spray · Image too close to edge.
Try leaving at least ½" boarder around stencil. |
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Center not washing out and edges washing completely out. |
Stencil is too close to light source and is creating a hot spot in center while edges are not getting enough
light. Try moving light further away or use more bulbs and less time. |
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Poor Printing |
Causes/Solutions |
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Paint bleeding under stencil. |
Paint not thick enough. Try using a thicker paint. ·
Stencil not making good enough contact with surface being painted. Try
using stencil adhesive spray. · Surface being painted is too uneven. Try
cutting Stencil into smaller pieces for a better fit. Taping down may
help. · Too much pressure applied to paint brush or spatula. Use less
pressure. |
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Paint not going through. |
Dried paint filling up mesh. Try cleaning stencil before proceeding. · Paint is too thick. · Paint contains
pigments or speckles that are too large to fit through mesh. |
