Print is fuzzy or the lines are not sharp

Possible causes and solution of the problem of blurring in lines and text with imprecise printing…..

Possible causes of blurring in lines and text with imprecise printing and suggested solutions:

Pad based causes:

• Pad may be too soft; use a pad harder.
• The shape of the pad may be incorrect: different shaped pads should be tried.

Cliché based causes:

• Incorrect raster may have been used in the cliché: the cliché should be retried with different raster.
• Cliché is too deep: try printing again with a new cliché with less depth.
• Wrong type of cliché: a suitable type of cliché should be used, e.g. steel cliché should be used instead of polymer.

Ink based causes:

• The ink may be too thick: try printing again by adding some thinner.
• The ink may be drying slowly: try again using a faster drying thinner or by reducing the printing speed.

Material based causes:

• Surface of the material may be dirty; pre-cleaning should be applied to the material.
• The surface of the material may be rough or chipped: another type of material should be used. If this is not possible, a harder pad is recommended.
• If the material surface is uneven: a special shaped pad and pad connection should be used.
• Print very close to the edge of the material; the device must be prepared to prevent the pad slipping.

Other causes:

• The printing elements may not be stable enough; high speeds cause the pad to flicker. Anew mechanism must be created to reduce the speed. If necessary the pad must be stopped for a while before contacting the material.