The film stock comes first
Inkjet transparency film has a coated side that accepts ink and a slick side that does not. Load it the wrong way round and the ink beads up, dries slowly and smears. The coated side is usually slightly less shiny and grips when you drag a fingertip across it.
Waterproof, screen-printing-specific film is worth the difference over generic overhead-projector transparency. It holds far more ink before pooling, which is the whole game when you are chasing density.
The driver settings that matter
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Media type | Glossy / premium photo | Tells the driver to lay down maximum ink |
| Quality | Highest / best | Draft modes starve the film and soften dots |
| Colour | Black ink only, if available | Pure carbon black blocks UV better than composite black |
| Colour management | Off / none | Profiles adjust values you want left alone |
| Scaling | 100% / actual size | Anything else changes dot size and artwork dimensions |
| Mirroring | Off in the driver | Do the mirroring once, in the file, not twice |
Scaling is the quiet killer
"Fit to page" is on by default in a lot of print dialogs, and it will silently shrink your film by a few percent. Two things break at once: your artwork is no longer the size you designed, and your line frequency shifts, so the dot sizes no longer match the mesh you planned for.
Print at 100 percent, then measure the film with a ruler against the dimensions printed in the film's margin label. PrintFilmReady prints the size on every film precisely so this check takes five seconds.
Mirroring: once, and only once
Films are positioned emulsion to emulsion against the screen, which means the artwork needs to be mirrored. Do it in the file — PrintFilmReady has an emulsion-down toggle that is on by default and prints "MIRRORED" in the margin so you can see at a glance what you are holding. Then leave the driver's mirror setting off. Two mirrors put you back where you started, and the label in the margin is the only reliable way to notice.
Judging density without a densitometer
Hold the printed film flat against a bright lamp or a window. Look at the solid black areas.
- You can see the lamp clearly through the black: nowhere near dense enough. Change media type and quality first.
- A faint glow through the black: borderline. It may work with a longer exposure, but your fine dots will suffer.
- Solid, no light through: good.
If your printer simply cannot reach opacity, two common workarounds are printing two identical films and taping them together in register, or switching to a dedicated dye-based black ink set. The double-film trick is fiddly but free.
Common inkjet-specific problems
Banding across the film
Clogged or misaligned print heads. Run a nozzle check and a head alignment. Banding on a film becomes banding in your print.
Ink pooling or beading
Either the wrong side of the film, or too much ink for that stock. Check the coated side first, then step the media type down one level.
Slow drying and smudging
Normal on heavily inked films. Let them dry flat for a few minutes before handling; stacking them wet transfers ink and ruins both.
Dots look soft under a loupe
Either the print quality was too low, or the film file was not truly 1-bit. Check the file first — greys in the file are invisible on screen at small sizes but very visible in the wash-out tray.
Want to try it on your own artwork?
PrintFilmReady separates your file into inks and screens each one into a print-ready film, in the browser. Free while in beta.
Common questions
What printer settings should I use for screen printing films?
Glossy or premium photo media type, highest quality, colour management off, scaling at 100 percent, driver mirroring off, and black ink only if your driver offers it.
Which side of inkjet transparency film do I print on?
The coated side, which is usually slightly less shiny and grips a dragged fingertip. Printing on the slick side causes beading and smudging.
Do I need to mirror my screen printing film?
Yes, films go emulsion to emulsion against the screen. Mirror once, either in the file or in the driver, never both.
How do I know if my film is dense enough?
Hold it against a bright lamp. If light passes visibly through the black areas, UV will too and your fine dots will wash out.
We are new, and reviews, testers and ideas make this better. Write a review · Become a tester · Send an idea · Show us your work