Rr
Rear Clamps: Also known as back clamps. A clamping system on a screen printing press in which the screen is held in place by clamps located in the back of the print head.
Reclaim: To remove old emulsion from a screen so the screen can be reused to make a new stencil. Murakami ER-605, ER-660, and ER 601 are used in the reclaiming process.
Reducer: An ink additive that is colorless used to lower the viscosity of the ink making it easier to print. There are two types, curable reducer and reducer. Care needs to be taken with the non-curable reducer since it can render the ink impossible to cure if too much is added. Use both sparingly to avoid print issues. Aids in the shearing and flow of the ink, especially in plastisol ink systems.
Reflective Ink: Ink containing tiny reflective elements or glass beads. The reflective quality of the light reflected is a ‘candle power’ measurement of the reflected light.
Registration: The process of lining up the screen image to the original art and/or separations on a printing press and/or exposure unit.
Registration Marks: A crosshair symbol or target mark used to align a screen image to the source art.
Resolution: In computer graphics resolution refers to the quality of an image as measured in DPI (Dots Per Inch). In the screen making process resolution refers to the ability to wash out or resolve fine detail of an image on a screen.
Retarder: A chemical ink additive used that slows down the curing or drying of an ink. This is especially useful in hot climates where water base and discharge inks are used to prevent them from drying in the screen during production.
Retensionable Frames: Screen printing frames that allow the mesh to be applied over the screen without the use of stretching equipment or adhesives. Mesh is drawn tightly over the frame using either a roller or telescopic tightening system.
Reverse: When the light and dark areas are inverted in artwork and or an image.
Right-reading: Artwork not mirrored or otherwise altered that appears correct in appearance to the observer. The side with the ink jet image has lettering and notes that are legible and not turned over. The right reading side of the image is the side placed against the emulsion on a screen. Transfer printing specifically uses ‘wrong reading’ films so that the print is reversed when printed on the transfer paper and when it is applied to the shirt, it becomes ‘right reading.’
Rotary Printer: Printing press consisting of several print heads and/or platens that can be moved in a rotary fashion for multicolor screen printing.
