Mesh Count

Screens are graded by threads per inch: a 110 mesh screen has roughly 110 threads running each direction in one square inch, with larger gaps between them than a 230 mesh screen. Lower numbers mean bigger openings and more ink per pass; higher numbers mean tighter openings, thinner deposits, and finer detail. Shops typically stock a handful of counts — 86 and 110 for heavy coverage, 156 and 180 as mid-range workhorses, 230 and up for fine detail and process work.

On the shirt: a bold one-color logo printed at 86 mesh lays down thick, opaque plastisol that feels heavier on the hand and covers dark garments in one pass — good for a bar logo on a black tee. Print a fine halftone gradient at that same low count and the ink bleeds together, filling in detail that should stay separate. Flip it around and print solid heavy coverage at 230 mesh and you'll fight for opacity, often needing two passes where a lower mesh needed one.

Pros pick mesh count around the finest detail in the design, not the boldest element — a logo paired with small type gets printed at the count the type demands, then compensates for opacity with heavier ink or an extra pass. Halftones and simulated process work usually need 200+ mesh to hold their dot structure; underbases on dark garments run lower, around 86–110, for maximum coverage.

Buyers sometimes assume higher mesh count always means "better" printing, the way higher DPI means a sharper photo. It doesn't — a high count on a design needing heavy coverage prints washed-out and thin. Mesh count matches the artwork's finest detail, not a universal quality dial.