What is the difference between forward and reverse transfer of screen printing?
Different process sequence
Forward: First print silicone, transfer glue and other materials on the release film, and then print hot melt adhesive. During the transfer process, the screen-printed pattern is directly transferred to the substrate through hot pressing, and the front of the pattern contacts the release film. The direction of the pattern after transfer is the same as that during screen printing.
Reverse: First print hot melt adhesive on the release film, and then screen print other materials such as silicone. Since the hot melt adhesive is printed first, when transferring, the screen-printed pattern needs to be reversed and transferred to the substrate, that is, the back of the pattern contacts the release film, so that the pattern transferred to the substrate is in the correct direction.
Different production efficiency and stability
Forward: The forward process prints hot melt adhesive after printing materials such as silicone. The drying of silicone may affect the printing effect of hot melt adhesive. Sometimes it is difficult to dry silicone, resulting in reduced production efficiency and may affect product quality stability.
Reverse: In the reverse process, hot melt adhesive can be printed in a semi-dry state of materials such as silicone, but the market usually requires hot melt adhesive to be applied in a semi-dry state, which is relatively unstable. However, if a special middle layer material is used, materials such as silicone can be dried first and then hot melt adhesive can be applied, which can improve production efficiency and product quality indicators such as washing fastness.
Different pattern effects and feel
Forward: The surface of the pattern after the forward process is relatively flat, because the pattern is first screen-printed and then transferred, the details and color of the pattern are more accurate, and it can show better gloss and color saturation. The feel may be slightly different due to the thickness of the screen printing layer, but the overall feel is relatively natural.
Reverse: The reverse process has a hot melt adhesive primer first and then the pattern is screen-printed, which may have a certain impact on the details and color of the pattern, especially when printing fine patterns. However, if the process is properly controlled, better results can also be achieved. In terms of feel, since the hot melt adhesive is on the bottom layer, the pattern may feel slightly harder, especially in the case of large patterns or multi-layer transfers.