Drawn from working printers’ conversations on The Shirt Board, 2013–2015. Direct quotes link to the exact post. Other references link to the thread. TBT: Thin Thread Mesh: The Best Upgrade 

Screen mesh has two numbers. Most printers only know the first one. A “150” screen has 150 threads per inch. But the second number, the thread diameter in microns, may matter more. A standard 156 uses 64-micron thread. A thin-thread “S” version of the same count uses 48-micron thread. Same count, skinnier threads, much bigger holes. The forum spent years arguing about what that difference is worth. The answer: a lot.

The demo that sells itself

alan802 ran a monthly experiment in his shop. Same image, two screens, one standard mesh, one thin thread. He put both on a manual press and let visitors pull the prints. His report, from the forum’s most-quoted mesh post: “I’ve never had one person say they thought the standard mesh count was even close.” And the kicker: “I’ve had numerous people who have never ran a squeegee across a stencil in their lives get a one-hit white on their first print through a thin thread mesh.”

The physics is simple. Thinner threads mean more open area. More open area means more ink passes with less pressure. You get more opacity from a thinner deposit. One stroke instead of two. Full press speed instead of slow, loaded strokes. As JBLUE put it in the same thread: for manual shops especially, “it is the only way to go.”

The savings compound

The benefits don’t stop at the print. alan802 tallied the full list: “Less ink is used, less emulsion is used, faster exposures, bulbs last longer, less pressure needed, squeegee blades last longer, mesh lasts longer, stencils last longer, less strokes needed, PRESS lasts longer.” Less pressure also means less wear on your body. Over several thousand imprints, he figures the cost evens out against cheaper standard mesh.

Two of those claims have hard numbers behind them. On coating: bimmridder ran a controlled experiment — identical emulsion, coater, speed, and drying on a 158/48 and a 156/64. The thin thread built 59 microns of EOM. The standard built 24. alan802 confirmed: “Most thin threads could probably be coated 1/1 and have the same EOM as a regular thread that’s been done 2/1.” Half the coating passes. On exposure: the overall stencil is thinner, so it burns faster. That one was alan802’s own “a-ha” moment.

Some S-mesh shops push coating even further: one round-edge pass on the shirt side, nothing on the squeegee side. jvanick’s shop verified the result under a microscope — a repeatable 24% EOM, running discharge and HSA daily. The openings are so large the emulsion flows where it needs to go.

So why isn’t everyone using it?

Thin thread has existed for 20+ years. The forum argued the why, and it’s a genuinely fun thread. alan802 suspected supplier economics, everything on his savings list is a product someone sells less of. Frog called that paranoid and offered a better answer: “Compromise. The standard threads offered acceptable results along with a certain toughness to stand up to a degree of bullying.” Standard mesh survived the scrub-brush era. Thin thread wouldn’t have. sqslabs added the mundane truth: thicker thread is cheaper, and pre-made screens are rarely even advertised with the second number. Most buyers never know there’s a choice.

The fragility is real, but it’s a handling problem. From alan802’s manifesto: “They don’t spontaneously combust like some people around here think. They bust from mishandling, and that’s it.” Modern reclaiming (dip tanks, not stiff brushes) has removed most of the old abuse anyway.

Tension: respect the spec sheet

The rules from shops that run all-S, all day:

• Tension to the spec sheet maximum. No further. alan802’s 150/48 spec says 25–28 newtons. He got one to 33 once. It ruptured.
• Other all-S shops report 28–33 N on most counts, easing to 19–24 N on 310s.
• No meter? Printficient’s rule: “Tighten until the opening is perfectly square.” Too tight distorts the openings. Too loose closes them.

And no, you don’t need roller frames. Static-frame thin thread works, sqslabs stocked his shop with thin-thread statics after seeing the results first-hand.

S vs. LX: the next step up

Murakami’s Al Buffington gave the forum the clearest explanation on record of the two thin-thread families. “S” is standard polyester thread at the thin diameter, a 150/S is a 150/48. LX uses the same 48-micron diameter but a different construction: polyester core, soft nylon outer. Heat-setting welds the knuckles nearly flat. Flatter knuckles mean a smoother squeegee surface, slightly less pressure, and slightly more opacity. The trade: the softer thread can wear where the squeegee lands if your off-contact is high or your blade ends are sharp.

His press technique applies to all thin thread and is worth printing out: minimal off-contact. Back the squeegee pressure off until it won’t print, then add it back slowly until it just does. “Like icing a cake, lay it on top.” Heavy pressure wrecks the advantage.

The takeaway

A 150/48 or 135/48 next to your usual 156 or 160. Coat it 1/1. Tension it to spec and not a newton past. Print your hardest white through it with half your usual pressure. That’s the whole argument, and it takes one job to test. The mesh’s two numbers both matter. Now you know the second one.

Threads quoted span 2013–2015 on theshirtboard.com. Direct quotes are linked to the original posts — the full threads are worth the read.