New printers ask "what mesh should I use?" constantly, so here's the working shop answer without the physics lecture.
The rule: lower mesh = more ink, higher mesh = finer detail. That's the whole trade-off.
A practical starting map:
- 86–110: heavy ink deposit. White underbases on darks, bold spot-color athletic prints, specialty inks (puff, high-density).
- 110–160: the all-around workhorse range. Most general spot-color work on tees lives here. If you own one mesh, own a 110 or 156.
- 200–230: fine detail, small text, simulated process, halftones. Thinner deposit, sharper edge.
- 280–305+: high-detail halftone and four-color process on lights.
Two things that matter as much as the number:
- Match mesh to ink and detail, not habit. Muddy halftones usually mean the mesh was too low; a weak, dull print usually means it was too high for that ink.
- Emulsion over mesh (EOM) still matters. A good stencil on the right mesh beats the "perfect" mesh with a thin, thirsty stencil.
Start in the middle, keep notes on what worked per job type, and you'll build your own chart fast.