Textile Screen Printer
1 day ago
Jacksonville
Job Description Screen Printing Press Operator Position: Screen Printing Press Operator Department: Production Reports to: Shop Manager Employment Type: Full-time Schedule: 8am-4pm Monday - Friday Compensation: $19-25 per hour (depending on experience) + Production Bonus (12 month Historical average $550 per month), Health/Dental packages available. Position Summary We are seeking an experienced, detail-oriented Screen Printing Press Operator to join our production team. This position is responsible for setting up, operating, and maintaining automatic screen-printing presses while producing consistent, high-quality printed garments and textiles. The ideal candidate understands the full workflow of a traditional screen-printing shop, including screen preparation, burning and washing out images, ink mixing, press setup, registration, test printing, production, curing, quality control, reclaiming, and routine equipment maintenance. Essential Duties and Responsibilities • Set up and operate automatic screen-printing presses., • Read and follow work orders, production schedules, artwork separations, and garment specifications., • Select the correct screens, mesh counts, squeegees, pallets, inks, and additives for each job., • Coat screens evenly with the appropriate emulsion and prepare them for exposure., • Burn images onto screens using film positives and LED Exposure tables., • Wash out exposed screens to produce clean, accurate stencils while maintaining fine details, halftones, and registration marks., • Inspect burned screens for proper exposure, image clarity, pinholes, stencil breakdown, and other defects before production., • Dry, tape, block out, label, and prepare completed screens for press setup., • Load screens and achieve accurate registration for single-color and multicolor designs., • Adjust off-contact, screen angle, squeegee pressure, speed, flood-bar pressure, and print stroke as needed., • Perform test prints and obtain approval before beginning production., • Mix, reduce, modify, and color-match plastisol, water-based, discharge, and specialty inks as applicable., • Print on T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, workwear, and other textile products., • Monitor ink deposits, opacity, registration, print placement, garment alignment, and overall image quality throughout each production run., • Operate flash units, conveyor dryers, heat presses, and other curing equipment., • Verify proper ink curing through temperature checks, stretch tests, wash tests, or other shop procedures., • Identify and correct common printing problems, including screen breakdown, ink buildup, fibrillation, dye migration, pinholes, ghosting, poor opacity, and registration issues., • Maintain expected production speeds while minimizing misprints, ink waste, and garment spoilage., • Count, inspect, organize, and accurately document completed goods., • Clean screens, squeegees, flood bars, ink tools, pallets, and work areas after each job., • Perform screen coating, exposure, washout, taping, blockout, reclaiming, degreasing, and screen-room organization., • Perform routine press and screen-room equipment maintenance and report mechanical or production problems promptly., • Follow all safety procedures for inks, emulsions, chemicals, cleaning products, heat equipment, and machinery., • Maintain a clean, organized, and efficient traditional print-shop environment., • Assist with receiving, inventory, folding, packing, and shipping when production needs require it. Required Skills and Qualifications • Previous experience operating an automatic screen-printing press., • Strong understanding of traditional textile screen-printing methods and shop workflow., • Demonstrated ability to coat, burn, expose, and wash out images for screen-printing screens., • Knowledge of exposure times, emulsions, mesh counts, film positives, registration marks, and stencil preparation., • Ability to evaluate screen exposure and identify underexposure, overexposure, pinholes, loss of detail, and incomplete washout., • Ability to preserve fine lines, halftones, and small details during the screen-exposure and washout process., • Ability to set up and register multicolor print jobs accurately., • Knowledge of screen mesh, emulsions, squeegee durometers, ink systems, curing requirements, and garment types., • Ability to mix inks and make press adjustments based on artwork, fabric, and production conditions., • Experience troubleshooting common screen-printing, screen-preparation, and curing problems., • Strong attention to detail, color, print placement, and quality., • Ability to follow work orders and reproduce approved samples consistently., • Basic mechanical aptitude and confidence making routine press adjustments., • Good time-management, organization, and communication skills., • Ability to work independently and as part of a production team., • Dependable attendance and the ability to meet daily production deadlines., • Willingness to maintain a clean shop and assist in other production areas. Preferred Qualifications • Experience with any model Automatic Screen Printing presses., • Knowledge of simulated-process, four-color-process, halftone, and spot-color printing., • Experience with plastisol, water-based, discharge, puff, metallic, high-density, and other specialty inks., • Familiarity with Pantone color matching., • Experience with screen reclaiming, degreasing, haze removal, darkroom procedures, and exposure-unit maintenance. Physical Requirements • Ability to stand for extended periods., • Ability to perform repetitive hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder movements., • Ability to bend, reach, lift, and move throughout the production area., • Ability to lift and carry up to 20-40 pounds., • Ability to work safely around moving machinery, inks, emulsions, cleaning chemicals, heat presses, flash units, exposure equipment, washout stations, and conveyor dryers., • Ability to distinguish colors and identify small print or stencil defects. Performance Expectations Success in this position is measured by: • Clean, properly exposed screens with accurate image detail., • Accurate registration and print placement., • Consistent print quality throughout each production run., • Proper curing and adhesion., • Efficient screen preparation, press setup, and job changeover times., • Achievement of production targets., • Low screen-remake, spoilage, and reprint rates., • Proper equipment care and maintenance., • Cleanliness, safety, teamwork, and dependable attendance. \nCompany Description Veteran-owned custom apparel and promotional company delivering high-quality, mission-driven products with speed, precision, and accountability. Veteran-owned custom apparel and promotional company delivering high-quality, mission-driven products with speed, precision, and accountability.