The theoretical ink deposit is an approximate value used to help select the most appropriate mesh count for the printing application. As seen in the diagram, the ink is forced through the wire cloth in cubes, whose volume is determined by the mesh aperture (w) and the cloth thickness (D). The cubes then flow together to form an even wet ink film of theoretical thickness on the substrate.

Since the stainless steel wire cloth can be made with extremely thin wire diameters, it can deposit ink cubes with very small gaps between them. Therefore, the ink cubes have only a small distance to flow and form a uniform ink deposit, and thus, print definition with only the most minimal serration.

In addition to the wire cloth, other factors influencing the ultimate ink deposit include: ink viscosity, surface characteristics of the substrate, photostencil thickness and the squeegee speed, angle and durometer. The theoretical ink deposit (Vth) can be calculated in cm³ per m² of wire cloth using the following formula:

WHERE:
w = mesh aperture (opening/microns)
d = wire diameter (microns)
D = cloth thickness (microns)
D1 = ink thickness (microns) at initial deposit
D2 = ink deposit (microns) after flowout