Mesh count.

Mesh count is the thread count of a screen printing mesh, quoted per inch on North American charts and per centimeter on metric spec sheets, and it sets both how much ink passes and how fine a detail the stencil can hold. Low counts have larger openings and lay down more ink, which is why they carry thick plastisol, glitter and underbases; high counts deposit less and hold halftones and small type. The error is treating mesh as an opacity control on its own, when stencil thickness, ink formulation, squeegee pressure, squeegee angle and off-contact all move the deposit alongside it. Pick wrong in either direction and you either flood fine detail shut or hand over a gray, under-covered white that comes straight back as a claim.