What's squeegee blade durometer and what are the uses for each?Updated 2 years ago

The durometer or hardness level directly indicates how thick or thin an ink deposit can be. Softer squeegees will leave a thicker ink deposit, while harder squeegees will leave a thinner deposit of ink. 

ScreenPrinting.com offers four different types of squeegee durometers — 60, 70, 80, and 70/90/70.

80 durometer is hard and leaves a minimal ink deposit. Its best for designs going through higher mesh counts with lots of complex details or fine halftones where a thin ink deposit is needed for design clarity.

70 durometer is by far the most popular and versatile in the garment industry. It’s a great, general purpose blade for everything from spot colors to halftones. Majority of printers use the 70 durometer as their first squeegee blade.

60 durometer is one of the softest blades available. It allows for a thicker ink deposit through lower mesh counts. The durometer is ideal for special effects like puff, glitters, shimmers, and high density applications.

70/90/70 triple durometer gives you the benefits of the 70 durometer blade edge, allowing for a good deposit of ink. With the 90 durometer spine, it allows for greater pressure to be applied during printing with minimal squeegee blade deflection. This squeegee blade allows for more ink to be laid down compared to an 80 duro blade.

To learn more about squeegee durometer, read this blog.