Best Spray Adhesive for Screen Printing

Screen printing is often a futile endeavor unless your garments are securely placed on the printing pallet. For decades, screen printers have heavily relied on liquid pallet tack adhesives. The arrival of spray adhesives has made the process a lot easier. However, it is important to choose the right spray adhesive for your screen printing project.

There are several types of spray adhesives intended for various types of fabrics. The goal of this post is to explain the role of spray adhesive in screen printing and help you choose the right product.

Why do you need adhesive for screen printing?

Screen printing involves the use of adhesive—whether that is glue-type adhesive or spray adhesive. That is because the garment must stay on the printing pallet during the printing process. The movement of the garment can cause the image to get uncentered or blurry.

The final product gets ruined if the garment shifts. So, it is safe to say that the precision of the printing process depends on the way you place and keep the garment on the printing pallet.

Both spray and liquid adhesives are considered better alternatives to pressure-sensitive tapes.  These tapes are still used by some screen printing professionals. These adhesives have gained popularity in part for their economy and versatility. They involve reduced tooling costs, lower material costs, and reduced handling.

Choosing between spray adhesives and glue type adhesives

The type of pallet tack adhesive you choose should be appropriate for the particular screen printing process.

Screen printers heavily rely on spray adhesives due to their easy applicability. Even if you have never used spray adhesives, you will find the process pretty intuitive. When it comes to high-volume printing, spray adhesives are ideal in part because they dry quickly.

In some cases, you can even reuse spray adhesive without having to reapply it, and that can definitely save time. With that said, unless spray adhesive is used appropriately, the procedure can get messy.

Some spray printing professionals prefer liquid adhesive that is directly applied to the pallet using a roller or brush. And as you can guess, the application can be time-consuming. For screen printing, spray adhesive is almost always preferable to liquid adhesive.

The quality of spray adhesive largely depends on its viscosity. And viscosity varies depending on humidity, temperature, and application time. That’s part of the reason why different types of spray adhesives have different applications. And these products have different storage guidelines.

What are some good spray adhesives for screen printing?

While the purpose of using screen print spray adhesive is to secure your garments to the printing pallet. Several different types of spray adhesives are used for screen printing, and you must be careful when making a choice. Below, we are going to discuss four particular spray adhesive screen printing products. They are used for four different types of screen printing.

Sprayidea 87

Best spray adhesive for screen printing at room temperature

There are several types of screen printing procedures, such as t-shirt printing, that are done at room temperature. Sprayidea 87, which is a low VOC spray tack adhesive for screen printing, is designed just for that purpose. This eco-friendly spray glue does not transfer to fabric, and that is a great advantage.

This screen printing adhesive is used in applique, sewing, handicraft, and other temporary bondings. It is suitable for softer garments that do not withstand high temperatures. This adhesive can help you get the job done without causing any kind of deformation to T-shirts.

Sprayidea 91

Best spray adhesive for screen printing at high temperatures

Sprayidea 91 is designed for screen printing at high temperatures that involves heat transfer. This spray glue provides excellent bonding performance. It works well with plastic, fabrics, ceramics and glass.

This adhesive is low VOC compliant, which means it involves a reduced risk of indoor air pollution. The fabrics remain tacky even when the temperature reaches 200℃. That essentially means heat transfer does not cause the adhesive printing stuff to loosen. This glue is long repositionable and does not stick to the materials.

Sprayidea 86

Best screen printing spray adhesive for textile printing

Sprayidea 86 is designed for screen printing on textiles such as wool, cotton and silk. This glue has no formaldehyde or triphenyl, so it is environmentally friendly. It offers a lasting bond. Many professional screen printers consider this product ideal for adhesive prints.

This non-chlorinated spray adhesive is repositionable. It works great for applique, embroidery, and other types of temporary bonding applications. It is ideal for lightweight materials such as fabric, paper and cloth.

Sprayidea 83

Best general purpose web spray adhesive for screen printing

Unlike the other three products mentioned above, Sprayidea 83 is a general purpose adhesive spray for screen printing.  That means it is good not only for adhesive prints but also for everything that requires temporary bondings.

With that said, Sprayidea works better on heavy clothes. It does not transfer to fabrics and offers pretty strong bonding. This long repositionable spray glue has little to no odor.

Things to keep in mind when using spray adhesive for screen printing

Spray adhesives come with pressurized canisters that may explode if exposed to high temperatures. The container should be stored at room temperature, ideally below 30℃. The storage temperature must not exceed 49℃. Before you throw the container away, make sure you have completely emptied it.

Exposure to extreme temperatures can significantly reduce the efficiency of spray adhesives. Lower temperatures can retard the flowout of solvent-based adhesives. Water-based adhesives do not offer sufficient flowout when the ambient temperatures are too low. So, to get the best out of the adhesive of your choice, it is always a good idea to follow the storage guidelines.

If the screen printing adhesive spray comes in contact with eyes or skin, clean with water. And if the sensation is acute, go to the doctor.

If you want to know more about using and storing spray adhesive. We recommend you to read this article: Spray Adhesive: Everything You Need To Know

Wrapping up

The quality of screen printing spray adhesives is determined by factors such as solvent resistance and tack. The quality also depends on temperature resistance shear, surface aberrations, and thickness.

Spray adhesives have definitely made screen printing easier. But it is important to choose the spray adhesive specific to the project you will work on. While a general purpose spray adhesive will help you get the job done, it is always good to choose a product that is specifically designed for a purpose.

Sprayidea is among the most well-known manufacturers of spray adhesives. We have just shed light on the Sprayidea spray adhesives that are intended to be used for various types of screen printing. We hope now you are better prepared to make an informed buying decision.