Below is a set of instructions on how to prepare your very own shade cloth ink.

Base/White :
To prepare shade cloth ink first you mix 10% of thickener for the water based products into the clear base liquid.
If you want to print white, mix 700g of clear base to 300g white pigment (standard water based pigment). This will make 1Kg of white coloured ink.

Now for the actual printing of the shade cloth:
Start with two passes of the clear base and dry with a hair-dryer for roughly ten minutes, until it is dry enough for another coat. Follow this with two more passes of clear base and dry it with hair-dryers for about ten minutes until dry enough to do another coat. Then finally two passes of your chosen colour colour and dry, again for about ten minutes until dry enough to do another coat. If the image still seems too translucent go over it with colour one more time.

Usage of shade cloth ink:
Usage of base liquid will vary depending on the size and coverage of the design and density of the shade cloth.
For example you could use from 500g up to 1.5kg per large format print say 2.8m x 1.5m.

Correct equipment and settings:
A strong table tack should be used so that the shade cloth stays taught and flat against the table. Always sue hardener on the screen because the shade cloth is rough and the film could break away after use. A round squeegee is preferable for wider area coverage. Try to use a flat squeegee for better, straighter edges and use a snap-off at between 2mm and 5mm, just to leave a bit of extra room.

Shade cloth:
On the 80% shade cloth you may struggle to close all the holes and may have a fine pinprick effect but a good overall finish whereas on  92% shade cloth you will be able to cover all holes and will get a perfect finish (used more for upmarket events)

Drying the printed shade cloth:
Air drying takes about 48 hours or force dry with a heat gun or hairdryer for about ten minutes which saves a lot of time for big jobs. The maximum temperature HDPE shade cloth can withstand is around 70 degrees centigrade. Just remember that hair dryers are preferable because a heat gun, if used too close to the material, can melt the HDPE shade cloth.

To learn more about printing on shade cloth with Shadenet Ink visit their website: www.shadenetink.com. You will find more details on the web about how to prepare shade cloth ink.