Every hour your team spends manually reclaiming screens is an hour they're not printing. If your screen room is the bottleneck slowing down your shop, it's time to look at what automation can actually do for your operation.
Easiway has partnered with Bluewater Labs,the leader in automated screen room equipment designed specifically for commercial screen printing shops. When paired with Easiway chemistry, these systems can reclaim a screen in as little as 45 seconds compared to five to ten minutes by hand. That gap compounds fast when you're running dozens or hundreds of screens a day.
This guide walks through how to assess your current setup, which Bluewater solutions address which problems, and what the ROI actually looks like once you automate.
Before committing to any equipment investment, it helps to get an honest read on where your current process breaks down.
Manual screen rooms share the same failure points almost universally. Chemical application varies from person to person, leading to incomplete cleaning or screen damage over time. Skilled workers get tied up in repetitive reclaim tasks instead of contributing to higher-value work. And as volume increases, the reclaim process becomes the limiting factor on how many jobs you can actually run.
If your production team is waiting on clean screens, or if you're losing quality time to wash-out and reclaim, the bottleneck is likely in the screen room and not on press.
Volume is the clearest indicator of whether automation makes sense. A few benchmarks based on daily screen counts:
Low volume: 1 to 30 screens per day. Manual processes are manageable, but labor costs still add up.
Medium volume: 31 to 75 screens per day. This is the inflection point. Semi-automated systems start delivering real ROI here.
High volume: 76 to 150 screens per day. Inline automation is worth serious consideration. Manual reclaim at this scale is a liability.
Ultra-high volume: 150 or more screens per day. Full inline automation is essentially a requirement for maintaining throughput and consistency.
Most shops that are on the fence find that 20 screens per day is the floor for semi-auto ROI, and 40 to 60 per day is where inline reclaim makes compelling financial sense.
Floor space is the other major constraint. Bluewater machines range from 72 to 336 inches in length, so compact models can fit in tighter screen rooms, while larger inline systems require a dedicated reclaim area. Many shops also take advantage of Bluewater's custom track system, which allows the inline reclaim units to automatically transport screens through the reclaim process, further reducing handling time.
Bluewater Labs covers the full range of automated screen room needs. Here's how each product category works and who it's built for.
The R Series Inline Reclaim Machines are built to handle high-volume reclaiming at throughput speeds that manual processes can't come close to matching, up to 75 screens per hour. Screens move through the system and come out the other side ready for reuse, with consistent chemical application every time.
The result is not just speed. It's repeatability. Automated application removes the variability that leads to screen damage and inconsistent results. Every screen gets the same treatment, every time.
Bluewater's developer series automates the screen exposure development process, reducing a task that typically requires close manual attention into a hands-off step in the production line. For shops running high volumes of identical or similar setups, this is a significant time recovery.
Ink buildup and stubborn residue that resist standard chemical wash get addressed by Bluewater's high-pressure cleaning systems. These are particularly useful for shops running thicker inks, specialty applications, or screens that go through heavy use before reclaim. High-pressure cleaning gets into mesh in a way that hand-washing simply does not.
Squeegee and floodbar cleaning often gets treated as an afterthought, but contaminated tools affect ink performance and press quality. Bluewater's squeegee cleaning systems bring the same automation logic to tool maintenance: consistent results, less time, and less manual handling.
One of the most common questions shops have about automation is disruption. How long does it take to get up and running?
For Bluewater systems, the answer is straightforward: install, turn it on, and run. There is no extended commissioning process or lengthy calibration period. Bluewater provides installation services, technician setup, staff training, and ongoing support, including chemical optimization in partnership with Easiway. Shops that have gone through the transition consistently report that the learning curve is shorter than expected.
Automation investment gets evaluated on what it returns. Here's how to think about the actual financial and operational impact.
The time math is the easiest place to start. Manual reclaiming takes five to ten minutes per screen.
Bluewater's automated systems bring that down to approximately 45 seconds per screen. For a shop running 60 screens a day, that's the difference between roughly five to ten hours of labor and under an hour of supervised machine operation.
Multiplied across the work week, that labor recovery either funds additional production capacity or reduces headcount requirements, depending on how your shop is structured.
When reclaim is no longer the production ceiling, shops report the ability to take on more jobs, turn orders faster, and operate with more scheduling flexibility. The screen room stops being the variable that shapes your production calendar and becomes a predictable, high-throughput part of your operation.
Human variability in manual reclaiming shows up as ghost images, inconsistent emulsion removal, and screen damage over time. Automated systems apply chemistry and pressure uniformly on every screen, which translates directly to more consistent print quality, longer screen lifespan, and fewer reprints.
For shops where quality standards are non-negotiable, including larger contract printers and shops serving brand clients, the consistency argument often carries as much weight as the labor savings.
Chemical costs are typically higher with manual methods because of over-application and waste. Bluewater systems, using Easiway chemistry, use precise dosing and recirculation, which delivers significantly lower chemical consumption compared to manual methods. The combination of controlled application and Easiway's concentrated formulas means you're not pouring product down the drain with every screen.
Labor cost savings work on two levels: direct reduction in hours spent on reclaim, and the ability to redeploy experienced staff toward higher-value work. Shops that have made the transition report not just cost reduction, but a meaningful improvement in how they use the talent they already have.
If your screen room volume is in the range where automation makes sense, or if you're not sure where you fall, the best next step is a direct conversation.
Bluewater's team can assess your current setup, recommend the right system for your volume and floor space, and walk you through what implementation actually looks like for a shop your size.